FOOTBALL.

Southland Times, Issue 18972, 20 June 1923, Page 3

FOOTBALL.

AN INTERESTING LECTURE. PLAY, PLAYERS AND REFEREES. A very interesting lecture on football and rtefereeing was given by Mr I. Jenkins at list night’s meeting of the Southland Referees’ Association. Mr Jenkins commenced by saying that if the players would only read the rules, consider them, and think over the game, they would help the referee very considerably. He thought that one of the worst things in Rugby was a player being allowed to go down on the ball. If he had his way, he would have it done away with. Dealing with the rule, he said that when a man went down, his opponents should stand off without touching him, so that he could roll away from the ball or get up, as required by the rules. Players could help a lot here. The lineout play to his way of looking was the worst he had seen for a long time and few players attempted to take the ball cleanly with both hands. Too often players tried to knock the ball away from players taking it correctly with the result that the ball was often deliberately knocked forward. This should be penalised. So long as a man tried to take the ball there was an excuse for him. Remarking that he thought a player learned more about the game when he knocked off than when he played, he went on to refer to the wing forward, who, he said, must play the game. He had played in that position himself and it was a thing he had never done to bustle or fight the other man. He wanted the ball. The wing forward whose side hooked the ball had to come back with the ball. Referring to scrum work, he said position was everything in the front row. The new rule regarding the ball being placed in the centre of the scrum appeared to him to have been intended for the 3-2-3 scrum, and the “old hands” with whom he had discussed the rule could not understand it being brought into operation. A serious fault in Southland football was in not getting a proper scrum and a quick heel out. They could tell the players those things, but the proper way was to go out on to the ground and do it. He favoured the referee putting the ball into the scrum. A fault in players was to stand off and wait for the whistle when they thought they saw an infringement and to appeal, but he had always advised players to play up to the whistle. He had no time for the player who stood in the ten yard limit and interfered with play in any way. He also advocated the penalising of players who did not throw the ball in straight with the object of gaining an advantage for their side. Asked regarding a referee’s position on the field, he said it depended a lot on how the game swung. He did not think it paid to take up a position always on the short side, but if they could manage to see as much play as possible on that side they could see much more of what went on. The closer one was to the play the less one could see. Regarding a tackle ball, he said a player must drop it as soon as it was held. Tackle was still the same as held ball. If the rule was carried out as it should be, a man held with the ball had got to take his hands off it at once. But it was not carried out as it ought to be and the result was sacks-on-the-mill, etc. If the old "held” ball rule had been left, it would have given referees something to go on, but now there was nothing to go on. There was no footballer who if he liked could not go one way or the other when he saw an opponent had marked the ball. He would never go into a man to knock him and thus spoil his attempt to mark, but a player should jump and break his arms aw’ay from taking the ball. He would not hurt him by that. He had' learnt a lot since he had knocked off playing. Continuing, he said that there was too much now of men playing the man and not the ball. If players only knew what they lost through playing the man and not the ball, they would give it up. After Mr Jenkins had answered a number of questions, a hearty vote of thanks was carried by acclamation. TO-DAY’S MATCHES. The following fixtures and appointments have been arranged for to-day:— FIRST GRADE. Star v. Invercargill, Rugby Park No. 2, 2.15 p.m. Referee: E. Kelly. Lines: A. Mcßobie and T. A. Henry. Marist v. Winton, Rugby Park No. 1, 2.45 p.m. Referee: W T . Baird. Lines: Messrs Barnett and Miller. JUNIOR GRADE. Pirates v. Marist, W T estern, 2 p.m. Referee: W. Duncan. Invercargill A v. Winton A, Park School, 2.45 p.m. Referee: S. Webb. Star v. Southern, Southern Reserve, 2 p.m. Referee: W. Sutton. Waikiwi, a bye. SATURDAY’S GAMES. The following fixtures and appointments have been arranged for Saturday:— FIRST GRADE. Pirates v. Invercargill, Rugby Park No. 1, 2.30 p.m. Referee: J. Dunbar. Lines: R. M. Strang and Bro. Anastasius. Star v. Bluff, Rugby Park No. 2, 2.45 p.m. Referee: G. Withers. Waikiwi, a bye. SECOND GRADE. Pirates v. Makarewa, Makarewa, 2.45 p.m. Referee: F. Daubney. Star v. Woodend, Biggar St. No. 1, 2.45 p.m. Referee: P. Garrett. INTERMEDIATE. High School v. Marist, High School No. 1,2 p.m. Referee: D. C. Brown. Bluff v. Southern, Biggar St. No. 2,2 p.m. Referee: T. Baird. THIRD GRADE. Pirates v. Invercargill, Western, 1.30 pun. Referee: J. Durham. Waikiwi v. Technical, Waikiwi, 2 p.m. Referee: C. A. Davis. High School v. Southern, High School No. 2, 2.30 p.m. Referee: T. A. Henry. FOURTH GRADE. Waikiwi v. Marist, Western, 3 p.m. Referee: W. A. Russell. Invercargill v. Technical, Eastern, 1.30 p.m. Referee: W. Dey. Bluff v. High School, Bluff, 2.45 pun. Referee: H. F. R. Miller. Star v. Makarewa, Park School, 2.45 p.m. Referee: T. McCarroll. WESTERN DISTRICT SUB-UNION. (From our own Correspondent). The ordinary meeting of the Western District Sub-Union, held in the Globe Hotel, Pivsrton, on Saturday, was attended by

Messrs F. C. Mills (chairman), S. Hirst, 8. Brown, J. C. Miller, E. Matheson, D. Rae, and C. Cassells.

W. G. Compton wrote in connection with referees from Invercargill to control Western District matches. —The secretary was instructed to forward a list of all senior matches to be played, and ask that referees be sent out. J. Bulman, Fairfax, applied to be regraded from Otautau seniors to juniors.—To be informed that no players can be regraded after the first round. D. Maloney, Riverton, applied for a transfer from Waikiwi to Riverton.—Granted. It was decided that the Central District v. Western District match be played at Riverton on Saturday, June 30. The following were appointed a sub-committee to select the Western District team: —Messrs S. Hirst, D. M. Rae and J. C. Miller. It was agreed that a cup be given to the winners of the third grade competition. It was also agreed that a third grade match be played on June 30 as a curtain raiser for the Eastern v. Western match, no players to be more than 17 years of age. The match Riverton v. Otautau was arranged to be played at the end of the season. It was decided that the junior clubs commence their second round on June 23 and the following fixtures were drawn up:— June 23, Otautau v. Orepuki. June 27, Nightcaps v. Riverton. June 30, Orawia v. Nightcaps. July 4, Riverton v. Otautau. July 11, Orepuki v. Riverton; Otautau v. Orawia. July 14, Nightcaps v. Otautau; Orawia v. Orepuki. July 18, Riverton v. Orawia. July 21, Orepuki v. Nightcaps. Each match to be played at the first mentioned place. THE LEAGUE GAME. LONDON, June 18. The Rugby Football League Council, by fourteen votes to eleven, decided to remove the qualifications period on colonial players desirous of joining English clubs. MAORI MATCH CANCELLED. SYDNEY, June 19. The match, Maoris v. Metropolitan, fixed in the original programme for to-morrow, has been deleted.