General Gossip.

NZ Truth, Issue 252, 23 April 1910, Page 3

General Gossip.

WSiiGKliafflSKßTm, PS?

With several of the players, on the Park grounds, on Saturday, individual excellence, So the exclusion of a harmonised system of attack, was their main desire.,- . Queensland Rugby Union started the 1903 season with a credit balance of £92 3s 6d, and finished with £i 7s to t&e good. Despite the fact that the greatest economy was practised, the receipts were not big enough to cover expenditure. The Rugby League made over £70 for the year's workings. The aimless way m which the St. James backs executed their passing on Saturday destroyed the. efficiency of the whole of his rearguard, when making hot sallies on the Southern citadel. The breezy elements should have made them more cautions as to timing and accuracy m transferring the ball. ; Though much of the scrummaging m the Oriental v. Athletic match was of a scrambly nature, the blues had the upper hand up to the. retirement (of Ready. They were smarter m breaking up the solid, and slicker m going through with the •ball.' Orjes, however, were the letter conditioned lot and stayed best. Thexe was a weakness m the Ones' packing, which accounted for the ball hanging after boiag hooked by the frontrankers. The right flank appears to require imore. pushing power when heads are down for the shove, St. James'" centre-threequarter and wings will have to combine quicker wheu facing cleverer opponents than Southern. The Jimmies • should have a solid attacking rearguard when the wing-three-quarters are able to gather up more speed m tbe execution of the passing bouts. An Oriental forward was lighting for -his head early m the game. He bids fair -to strike trouble before the season is much older. There were two or, three heavy-footed men working the maroon pack. The dribbling was most ineffective— what little was ; attenapted. In picking up, the Southern lads wore not the- acme of cleanness and smartness. In the matter of that the Saints glimmered but faintly. Southern tacks will have to improve their tackling a hundred per cent, to make a decent fight of it with rival combinations. They also want to .distribute themselves diff erectly when the other rearguard is wording up an attacJr. There were plenty of weak spots m the Athletics' back machinery, the fault being with the hall-back and nve^ei^hth, wh,osfe tactics failed to produce effective combination m the three-quarter line. l>ejitiam , was quite at sea. Oriental scrummaaers did not control the ball ably. The pack wants betterbincli.hg together to mate it a formidable lighting machine. Tlrc scrappy, unconvincing methods of t^e "Jimmy" vanguard will court disaster against the tougher teams tm'ess a radical improvement is effected.

In both matches tries were thrown away by lack of opportunities on the pare of players when picking up m the loose. Except m two instances when Orics got going, there was not that rythmic swing m the play o! the combatants which produced "thrills" among onlookers. At heeling, screwing, or break-away rushes away from the line, not one o£ the four scrummaging divisions engaged at the. Park showed to advantage. Some ■of the work m the Ories-Athletic game was nifipy and bright, but it was merely spasmodic. Will the Southern half-back learn that standing still to operate is not always.' a payisg or saving game ? Southern has a couple of good, hard, bustlinc, worrying forwards, who, with more assistance, would make matters fairly ineriy for the other side. Is it tiie trip to Australia m a few. -weeks' time that is responsible for reports tiat some of the All Blacks of 1905, <who have been on the shelf for a few ■seasons, intend coming into the limelight again ? Auckland advices say that ■*.*Bubsy r ' Tyler will be on the warpath again, Prank Glasgow talks about having another cut at the game m Timaru, and if Oriental Club make a big and -cart}' bid for the local senior championship this season, Freddy Roberts might "be ""jigging" once more m the arena. Oriental and -Poneke cleared something .like £21 each over their snatch, of three "weeks ago. The money goes towards the "gym." fun-Is of each club. \, Tresize is said to have made his ic.appearanee m town. He has been grafting m Auckland for the last few months. Though the district . scheme has been -abolished m Auckland, mutters are not likely to change materially as regards tiie steeagth of clubs; leastways, that is the ixopxassion it gives one frpm a -distance. Ponsoaby. and City would, I •flunk; supply very mnch the same combinations tbat woro its colors last season. A noitbein writer, referring to ;fche decision to revert to the club 'system, says that the effect should eventually jje to pat fresh life into the game ia bhat city, .wiich \the A.ucklan£ers reckon is tie very loveliest spot on God's earth. The coming season, he writes, will probably be a dull one as far as the 10-al competitions are concerned, for it is hardly to be expected that the clubs will be formed and at their full strength at so short a riotiae, Ponsoaby will, m all likelihocfd,? supply tho. strongest fifteen, ,-hut City may be a side to be reckoned ■with. A special grade for Boy Scouts is the latest Hugby proposal iv Auckland, where a biff effort is on foot to revive the oW Sunday Schools Footbalt League whip]} went out of existence some two yeais ago. It is proposed tbat the League will be open to .aU Sunday; schools and churches, and : will be undenoaaiß&tional, and that the weight . limit for seniur gra4e :shall be lOst. Auckland should no* get all tie fat, m regard to these tocball innovations, and it's surely up to tkpse great adwocaies of muscular Christianity of the broad-minded type of Dr. Gibb, Revs. North, Shirer, Glasson arid Williams to put their shoulders to the wheel and make the Poigby sparks fly m Wellington. • The much-Vexed question' as to when a player is held is left solely to the discreuph of the referee ; the proposed at-, terafton, iv regard to the definition of a tackle, makes for little or no improvemepli m this direction. Up to the present the Canterbury Rugby tlnion has received scant encouragement m its efforts to promote a Thursday competition. The clubs are standing persistently aloof from the proposal. Only a matter of time, when representative fixtures will be cut down to the barest margin. 'From the North Cape to the Bluff uagby Unions arc steadily awakening to ;uhe fact that club football*, is prejudicially affected by the plethora of representative, games. At the awais<« nieot,ing of tho Goldficlds (Auckland) Unico last week, this matter was discussed, and 'delegates were agreeable to only one round of representative thatches being- played. Ultimately it was decided to let tie matter stand over for the next meeting of the Union. Caretaker . Muiphy ,js cocksure that the Park playing grounds will be m a much better condition this, year tban they wera last season. \ They will want to be. Muriphy, it seems to i»e, does his level best to make the most of things at the Pack, wiiich, however, mil never be of a satisfactory nature unMl a couple of hundred quid or so has beefr spent m putting tho turf right and providing for proper drainage. The caretaker has, more to con tend with than I dreamt of m ius ettotts to keep tha ground m decent order, and it is certainly not his fault that matters have been so ; unsatisfactory m tto past. Without attempting to inflict a ; hardship on Wednesday players, who dc 3erve every possible encouragement, I should - advise t&e Rugby Union management to have vthe f msi-'we6k: games playei as little as possible at the -Park when a succession of wet weather is experienced, as tbe grjoupd has been cut up badly by the combatants m,: past matches. The Wednesday men will&not suffer m tha least because the Union has plenty of good jj;roujsds elsewhere for tbeir -games, and Dhe Park would then have an. excellent ■chance of drying-jur) before the Saturday contests come along. An invitation has been sent to the Piako Union to • amalgamate its forces with the GoldfieWs IMon. Maze, the Oriental; .back, has thrown up his billet m 'the'jGovernment Insurance Department tog o farming with relatives' at Pleasant Pcn>t, Timaru. He was made a presentation by his colleagues m the office before going south. There is some talk of the Marist Bros. Club, of Auckland, forming a senior fifteen, but it' is understood the want of a couple of good forwards is a bar.' In the event of the club failing to compete for senior honors, City .will probably get the services of the pick of its backs, who, on last season's form, are well fitted for the higher grade. Ye gods and little fishes ! Mason, of the Canterbury Rugby Union, has conveyed the appalling news to Dominion footballers tbat the amendments to the laws ol the game; as approved by the International Board, are so slight that they will have little efieet on the game. ; Tiicy have, noflH'Dg $o do, he says, with 'the recommendations'" of thfe Colonial Conference which was held m Sydney recentily. Now that . Mason has expressed himself to this, effect, the footballers of iVardiand will sleep soundly. Their crass ignorance, of coarse, made them unaware of the aforesaid facts, but the magnificent genius of Mason, has saved the situation grandly. G. Anderson^ a Canterbury representative of last season, lias been transferred to another part of the Dominion. T. Carlton, the ex-Melbourne cricketer, and Canterbury representatives m the sea- , son just finished, is taking on Rugby this year, and a local critic speaks ol Mm as a pioinisiiig recruit. Carlton has previously played the Australian game ; 'con.sequcntly at present his ideas of Rugby are those of a novice. As may be expected from an exponent of ! Australian ''bailing" his ■ kicking and handling of the leather are really first-class, and there is no doubt about Ins pace. A. T. Wuddell, the Auckland and North Island rep.resen.tiati.ve of last year, departed for England a fortnight ago, and it is bis inteitLop, while- m the cold country, to play the Northern Union code should a suitable inducement be held out to him to do so. In view of th» decision of the New Zea,land Ruftby Union to send a team to A-usfcralia vi June, local footballers arc .girding up their loins vigorously ia anVicipatioiL of bcins one ol the All Black . mob. Seeing that tbe team is to le.ivfc so early m tho season on tbis fbicign trip I think it very doubtful if tbc selectors will be m a position to pick the highcst-£radc talent, for tbe. simi)lu reason 'tiia.t lpany of our lop-iiocchcis arc iiot fairly into thelc stride before toe season is near half-way through, while on the other hand men, who arc. considerably tbdir infuriors m both skill aud brains, by reason of tu»ir sujjerior condition ir.

the earliest stages of the club competitions, come more prominently under the Rugby eye and fairly outshine them. But with the levelling of matters comes a different tale, and the conditions are exactly reversed for the remainder of the season. How arc the Auckland footbaHers. going to fare m the selection of this team ? Their competitions dan't start until well on to the middle of lvlay ; and is it possible for the Northerners to be wound up to the same concert pitch by the time of selection, which must necessarily be a week at the most before the time of the team's departure ia older to give the favotcd oues opgmrtimtties fur maMng trade or business arraißemaß&z during their, absence, across the Taxman Sea, as their Seutfeacn. cwrfxerss 1 We^ all know that with dozems of men the question of whether they can spare toe time is of no moment to them. If a tear or six weeks' trip happens along, their baggage is ready for steamer or rail at an hour's notice, peifcaps less. Toil is' irksome to them, and a prolonged toeball trip is a regular godsend. Living' like fighting-cocks for weeks on end is a. luxury which woeld be always endurable for them, were it possible: A heavy responsibility lies upon the N.Z.R.U. m the appointment of its -selectors, several of whom, m past years, have been quite unfitted for tile duty. In those football circles where they have been best known, their appointment has excited the greatest decision. How many times have we seen men from Wellington who have figured as N.Z.R.U. selectors when it lias been > common knowledge that their ability to : pick a club fifteen, let alone a New Zealand comiLaatien, has been openly scoffed at by their cinbinates. Christckuixh- rgjwrts ictiiaate %m\ .EranJc-> Evans, title tx-Cfaa&tertnury renrxseatatlve forward, and wcll-lwne«& and hi^biy pogutar referee, has : had to rciikgirish his '■ every-day duties owing to iUa«ss. The, legion of Dominion friends of as white a, sport as ever donned a foqtfeall jersey or carried a wiustie m the ftitgfoy playing arena will be very pleased to hear that "Ducbey" is .once more on the highroad' to recovery. Who is to be manager of the silverr&ra-, brigade to invade Ne>v South Wales and' Queensland early in'.ytme? George Dixon is liaidly likely to be aWe to spare the' tame to carry a burden wjufih is much more diiacult to negotiate than 98 per cent, of Rugby patrons are apt to imagine, otherwise he would .be the u jaan for Galway." Eailiag bim Kelly, Jack Laughfcon, or Sick Isaacs w^uld be a choice, though I have my doubts as to whether two of the aforesaid would turn out real trumps. Kelly, being tceasurer of the Union, would appear t» have the rosiest chance, particularly as the new financial •agreement between the three bodies, New South Wales, QueanslUDLd, and New Zealand will tkca be m foice. As I indicated a f pr^night ago, the Rugby U^iion officials haye conceded the scriibliug' brigade tbe privilege of being supplied with a little accoimxi.odatiQn for its wants whifle on duty at tbe Athletic Park during tbe , toeball season. The Union officials stipulated that if the acconxmpdation provided tbe reporters > should not encroach upon the ground \viile the matches were m progress. There was an inclination on tbe oait of one or two of the "newsy" men to kick against this proviso, but ultimately 'a a compromise, satisfactory alike to both sides, was agreed to. As one of the hunibie individuals affected by the Union's decision I desire to thank chairman Brown for being instrumental m granting this small boon, which, 1 hope, is the forerunner of something more substantial later on. ' '" At tke risk of beipg charged with unchaiitableness I desire to enter a most emphatic protest against hhe action of the Taranaki RugSy Union m coming forAvard with a request to the New Zealand liugby Union for &> grant of £109 m order to enable tbe Rugby oJß.cia.Ls iv the co.\y provimie to complete the scheme Eor raising sojnc form of meja.tor.ial -to the i&te A If ' Bayly-,j The Taranaki peopie see, m tbe grant of' £so to the CanteEbtiry Rugby union ipr assisting a like movement to pecpefuate tbe name of Bob Deans, a precedent for the 'step tbey are tajk-ittg on this ' occasion. The funds of the New Zealand Rugby Union are fotj the alleged -purpose ot iusiering and conscrviuc the game m the Dominion, but bow tbat object is to be attained by helping to raise memorials to deceased footballers I cau't for the life of me see. The >, governing body's duty concerns tke living, net the dead, and goodness .only knows ttogre ate a hundred and one ways m which its ci\sh cooltl be very profitably devoted assisting iiapovexislied unions to push the sppr.t ahead m tbeir lespective districts. I further contend that the voting pf the Rugby Union's money for purposes of lifie Deaus aad Bayly memorials is distiactlv costrary tp the, cojistitutioti of that body. It spqaks little for footballers and patrons of the sport m Canterbury and Auckland that ■a couple of hundred pounds ox so can't be raised m their own town to. place on, . record the services of a y&st Rugby idol, without enlisting the support of' some outside, institution, ■ The Deans and Bayly cases are made more glaring from the fact that tbe relatives of both deceased are blessed with a plentiful supply of this world's goods, and to whom the value of £sflO is of iniittitely less moment than a sovereign would be to one of our local artisans. If the New Zealand Rugby Union?s funds are to be utilised m tbe way sought for by the Taracaki people it is pniy fair "that all should be treated atiice. By that : 1 mean the few individuals who met with 5 so many rebuifs when sticking aid to erect some small memorial to the late T. R. Ellison a few years ago,. should bedonated a sufficient sum of money to enable them to perpet-uate the name of •one of the greatest fopt6allers who ever bieatocd under these skies, m a more fitting manner than tiie funds at their command permitted them to go. And as far as services to Kew Zealand football were concerned there is absolutely no comparison between' Ellison on the one hand antl Deans and .Bayly on tbe other. Possibly it was the doings of the AngloWelsh team m Australasia m ISJOB that prompted the South African Rugby authorities m preferring a request for a team composed of University piayers corning tq their country ttfi's yestf. This, being almost impossible, the Bri&sh Union officials are going to esjeresse the greatest care m choosing men tibat are. likely to be a credit ia every way to the United Kingdom and Ireland, and Mew Zealand's sample of foreign toeballcrs two ye&rs ago wouldn't be to the' "Springboks' " likiag. . .• E'or the space of 14 years or thereabouts, W. Bardham has been very much •m the limelight as a Petone Club and Wellington representative footballer. After that long term of service, Hardham has come to the conclusion that it is up to him to pull out of a game iv which, he has cut such a dashing figure. That decision spells much for the suburban combination, because its . leader iii the' past has been a potent factor m the many successes which have followed: "Geartown's" representatives ia the'lo&al^ Rugby arena ; his generalship, quite apart? •from his playing merits, having always been m evidence m the fiercest conflicts of the competitions. Hardham was tbat stamp of player who recognised thai Rugby could not be played with kid gloves, and his robustness and energy were not infrequently mistaken by many onlookers for roughness. Speaking with an extended knowledge of the game and its participants, I ha-ve no hesitation m sayinj that on no single occasion did I sec tke Petone skipper depart from the strict canons of Rugby. He may have gone close to the borderline, I don't, deny that, but it is false to assert, as I have heard many opposing barrackers do, that his methodG, bn occasions, savored of brutftlism and foul play. When opportunity demanded it, fclard-ham could certainly give hard knocks, ami he could also take them without wincing. Uiugby would be. richer were it to breed many players of tile l-lardham Kidney. His L*otbe,ll carreer is one of AvhiCh be may well be proud, n.nd it is not Surprising to j her.r that the Petone people na\'e appre- '

dated the same fact. The arrangements lor the British Bugjby Union tour m South Africa win be controlled by E. T. U-urdon (tingiand), J. A. Smith, ( Scotland), C. F. Kuxton (Ireland), and H. Lyne (Wales). As regards the statement matte by the Welsh press ■that Ireland supported the candidature oi Mr Rees, it is officially notified that Mr Gail met .with its approval. ■- At a football match between Llaniairfceoan and Oolwyn Bay, t*e referee noticed one of the players smolting a cigarette, and he ordered him to throw it away. The player obeyed. Two Wellington players of last season, Baker and Amadeo, are singled out for special excellence by a Christchurch scribe for their display last Saturday. The pair will likely play for Marist Brothers Old Boys Cluh, which is going for senior ibo&ors this season.