THE LEAGUE CODE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21807, 23 May 1934, Page 17

THE LEAGUE CODE

RICHMOND'S TEAM PLAY MARIST SIDE IMPROVES FAST WING-THREEQUARTER The overwhelming defeat of City by Richmond in the Auckland Rugby League's senior championship last Saturday caused a great surprise and clearly showed that Richmond will be a very hard team to beat for tho final honours. Richmond is now leading by two points from Ponsonby, which was a little fortunate in beating Newton in the curtain-raiser game. Tho allround team play of Richmond was splendid against City, the forwards and backs having a complete understanding, while the handling of the players was excellent.

Richmond and Devon port will meet next Saturday, and it is understood the game will be played at .North Shore as a benefit to Noel Crump, one of the New Zealand swimmers to be sent to the Empire Games. Weaker Teams There is no better forward in the code than C. Satherley, the former Auckland, Hawke's Bay and North Island Rugby representative. By clever footwork Satherley scored a brilliant try against City, and his following-up and clean handling rewarded him with two more tries. The Marist team, which has done so well in past seasons, scored its first win last Saturday by beating Devonport, last, season's champions. Both teams are yet but a shadow of the sides fielded during the past four seasons.

S. Watene, tho City captain, has been unfortunate this season as regards injuries. In the first game of the season he had to retire with concussion and again on Saturday he was carried off. Watene has a bad habit of taking all a man's weight when tackling him, a fault which can easily 7 be checked. The match between City and Richmond developed into a strenuous tussle toward the end of the second spell. There was some hard tackling, and more strictness on the part of the referee would have avoided the trouble. What may bo termed "silent" obstruction is being indulged in by some players again this season. Especially has this been noticeable round the scrums and in loose play. A few penalties against the offenders would soon stop the practice. Another fault with many players is that they do not play the ball correctly after a tackle. Close Games Expected Judged on most matches played to date Hhere should be some close games in the next round of the championship. Newton and Marist are improving teams, while City, in spite of its heavy defeat by Richmond last Saturday, is capable of upsetting calculations when on form. McLaughlin, the City forward, proved what a versatile player he is by giving a good performance at halfback in tho second spell against Richmond. He scored a clever solo try, while his fine tackling checked several promising movements. McNeil, the Richmond wing-three-quarter, showed that he is one of the fastest players in the code by making several runs against City. He has a bad habit, however, of stopping and failing to make an attempt to beat the fullback. More determination in this regard should bring him well in line for representative honours. It is stated that the Waimairi sugby League Football Club hopes to return to the Canterbury Rugby Lsague'o'firstgrade competition next year. For several seasons the club has been giving much attention to its younger players, and this season has five teams in the lower-grade competitions. 1