Football.

Opunake Times, Volume XXII, Issue 770, 5 September 1905, Page 2

Football.

By Buffer. At Dunedin, on Saturday, Australia were defeated by 14 points to 3. The weather was unsuitable for a good game. MoMinn scored two tries. Wrigley one and Crosse one, the last one being converted. McLean scored for Australia the only try. He appears to be a very slippery customer, and a very fast man. Canterbury defeated Wellington on Saturday by a try and a penalty goal to a try. The game resolved itself into a mud scramble. Manawatu defeated Wairarapa on Thursday by 12 points to nil. The Taranaki-Wanganui combination to play Australia on Saturday is as follows : Full-back, Colman (Taranaki) ; three-quarters, E. Burke, Hargreaves (Taranaki), McDonald ''Wanganui) ; five-eighth, Thomas (Taranaki) ; half-back, Forsyth (Taranaki); forwards : Guy, Rothery, Young, McKay, Ryan, Hamerton (Taranaki), Thompson. Murray, Guscott (Wanganui). The Taranaki-ites number eleven whilst the Wanganui division comprise four players. This is just tinting representation to Wanganui. It should be almost a foregone conelusion for the combination seeing that the visitors have not yet won a game. The Taranaki touring team comprises : Colman, 0. and E. Burke, Hargreaves, Greville, A. Hunter, Forsyth, Guy, Rothery, Osborne, Cooper, Young, McKay, Ryan, Whittington, Crowley, Hamerton, Masters. The team leave on the 12th and play their first match against Manawatu on the 18th, Wellington 16th, Wairarapa 20th and Wanganui 23rd. I do not think the best forward division has been got the backs are representative, the difference in ability between Colman, Hunter, Greville, and that of Anderson, Moir and Martin, is only in opinion, intermingled with a slight prejudice. A strange position is that the Opunake team received many flattering critiques for their good forward play and their medium back work, and yet in the trial matches it is the backs that are given a chance. In the touring team there are five players that were not given a chance in the two previous rep. matches, whilst three of the first representative players do not get a'chance in the present selected 18. Thus, the selector admits he made a mistake. It is all bunkum to make believe there is only one capable forward to be got out of the Eltham, Okaiawa and Opunake teams. I believe the present team will bring back more ducks’ eggs than wins.