THE PLAYGROUND FOOTBALL

Southland Times, Issue 20172, 7 May 1927, Page 18 (Supplement)

THE PLAY GROUND

FOOTBALL

(By

“Onlooker.”

Galbraith Shield games open Perfect weather —great grounds. Fair form displayed by all teams. Bill Hazlett’s dashing play impressed. Marists a bit Green. Diack is no hack. McKay is the most promising centre seen here for years. Blues have a set of backs that will carry them far this season. The star attraction this afternoon will be the Star-Blues game on No. 1 area. On Saturday’s play Charlie Johnston should stroll in for the representative half position this year. Tom Rodgers, custodian at Rugby Park, is to be complimented on the state of the playing areas for Saturday’s games. To-day’s big games. —Blues v. Star, Park No. 1, at 3 p.m.; Pirates v. Southern, Park No. 2, at 2.30 p.m. Senior Captains for 1927 —Blues : C. Johnstone ; Southern: R. McEwan; Pirates: E. H. Diack; Marist: Mahoney. Saturday’s senior results: —Pirates 46, Marist 9; Blues 20, Southern 6. Some of the Marist players would do well to shorten their trousers. “Half-mast-ers” are not helpful to Rugby and look atrocious.

Hazlett appears to be as fit as any man in Southland. He was always to the fore in following up and in passing rushes last Saturday. It was a treat to see the way W. Johnston tried to open up the game at every opportunity. The Sheehans and O’Driscoll were always in the thick of it. The Green inside backs were very feeble, Walsh appeared to have “the wind up.” Wills at centre, is very fast and gives it a g - Kelly was a bit raw but improved as the game progressed. What a clever centre Diack is! I don’t know what Otago were thinking about last year when they left him out. He was easily the pick of the Pirate backs. J. Johnstone was a bit sluggish behind the scrum, but the ball was not being hooked very cleanly. Mahoney was not as prominent as usual, though he worked hard. McAuliffe was never in the heavy work, but was responsible for some brilliant solo efforts. Twice he broke away and ran to the full-back, but there was no one to support him. How does he stop rushes, though ? Pay was nippy and was very sound on defence. Mills is an unorthodox full-back, but there is nothing wrong in that so long as he does not get his side into difficulties. Thomas showed very clever handling. In this department he is better than Geddes, but of course lacks the latter’s pace and weight. White and Maher did not get many chances on the Green wings. The former’s try after a good opening by Wills was well deserved. Pirates are still prone to play the ball on the ground. They gave away a lot of penalties for this. Pirates have evidently been training hard. They lasted very well last week. Rather a contrast to 1926. The turf is splendid on Rugby Park this season. What a solid pack the Blacks have, with Hazlett, Batchelor, Bird, Roberts, Archer,, Tinnock and McKay. How will the Star vanguard get on against them? Diack’s football is skill and cross-kicks, not skull and cross-bones like most of the Pirates. Cosgrove should greatly strengthen the Marists’ backs. They certainly need strengthening, but he and McAuliffe should go well together. Opposing backs and forwards will find “Tiny” Kerse (Blues) true to name before the season is far advanced. Alf Mitchell, the Southern coach, had every reason to smile within himself and look pleased generally at the showing of his team of colts against Blues. Although beaten comfortably the light blues made a brave showing. The material is there and the ex-Alhambra forward is going to develop it. Some of the forwards are mossy but their keenness is sure to give results. Players in last Saturday’s games had plenty to do juggling with a dry ball—too much, in fact, to pay any attention to the “other” man. This is just how it should be. I didn’t even see a case ,of obstruction or jersey holding. Eight tries were scored in the BluesSouthern encounter, but only one “convert” was registered. Poor goal-kicking indeed. Bert McEwan, captain of the losers, made a valiant attempt to goal from a penalty but just, failed, his shot smacking against an upright and rebounding into play. A superior rearguard won the Blues their first game. Charlie Johnston and his colleagues worked well together whenever in possession, and it is safe to assert that had they polished off but 75 per cent of their movements, the score would have been much larger. McKay, at centre, was the outstanding back on the field. His all-round play was characterised by judicious running and passing—headiness all the time—never hesitating to clap on the pace when an opening presented itself, and rarely failing to give the transfer at the right moment. On one occasion when scoring one of his tries, McKay drew his vis-a-vis cleverly, and then, changing his pace in a flash, sped past to leave the light blue man standing as if struck. McKay linked up well with Norris and Ottrey. The understanding between this trio counted largely towards the Blues’ success, and as each week will no doubt improve still further their working-in displays, some more bright football may be expected from these backs. Charlie Johnston, at half, gave one of his best displays. The ball did not come out from the scrum too cleanly at times, but Johnston wasted no time in sending the leather on its way, giving his backs opportunities galore to show their pace and repeatedly terrorise the opposing rearguard. It is a bit early to say who will fill the rep. half position in this year’s touring team, but it is a certainty that if Johnston continues to play up to last Saturday’s form, he will be well in the picture. While the Blues’ backs performed well generally, there were any amount of mistakes in their handling. At times the passing would be quite slick and crisp, and on these occasions telling, but a number of times saw the ball being lobbed about like a gas-filled balloon. Lack of enterprise on the part of the Southern inside backs alone prevented more scores being registered against the winners. The chain-passing was a bit over-done. Not long after the start it was as plain as a pikestaff that Clark (a forward who filled Manson’s place on the wing) was a weak last link. It would have paid either Norris or McKay to have employed the “scissors” and thus worked the other wing when so many attempts to thrust home an attack on Clark’s wing failed. Norris has a good cut-in and could have worked this stunt well. By this suggestion, I hope Norris won’t work the cut-in to death, as the same man has a fault of losing touch With his supports and endeavours to play the team alone at times. Inpassing to the forwards is helpful, and with such a good handler as front-ranker Mills generally scouting for a pass, it is surprising what a demoralising effect this variation of play has, besides often as not proving fruitful. There was nothing to write home about in the forward play of either side. It was 50-50 in the scrambles—there were not many “real” scrums or lineouts—with Southern holding their own in the loose rushes. 111-packed scrums and straggling line-outs predominated and it is hoped there will be an improvement. If not, Star and Pirates will have easy tasks to-day. Led by Bert McEwan, the Southern youngsters made quite a fair showing. Support, however, seems to have lost its meaning to at least a dozen on the side. Practically all of the forwards played “follow my leader” (at big intervals) in most of the skirmishes into Blues’ territory, with the result that several opportunities were lost when scores seemed imminent. Hughes

made one or two spectacular dashes down the side-line, but then again support was lacking and all was lost. Hughes would be advised, unless a show of sneaking through is open, to run centrewards after a sprint. He will have a better chance of connecting up with his forwards by this means. Standing passing by the Light Blues was the result of neither the first nor second five moving off the mark when it was advertised that the ball was at hand. Woods, at half, got a fair share of ball from the rucks and some of the scrums, but failed to hurl it out. This and the slow-moving inside men accounted for the Southern chains lying flat without the slightest bend in them. An improvement will be looked for to-day. A number of players in the BluesSouthern game were suffering from “potitis.” Ottrey set the ball rolling with a miss, then Cavanagh (Southern’s fullback) proceeded to have a great game on his own, setting the main with no fewer than six attempts on end. . McKay finished off the plethora of Teddy Roberts’s masterpieces with another miss, although the latter’s attempt simply failed because of faulty elevation. The direction was quite good, McKay’s shot going between the posts and under the bar. It is to be hoped for the sake of the side that coach Alf. Mitchell puts a curb on Cavanagh’s tendency to throw away territorial advantages by indiscriminate four-point hunting. Surely Cavanagh could see after, at the most, three attempts that he didn’t have his kicking boot on. Even the best have their days off. “What happened to Jones?” Sorry—a bit mixed. What happened to the referees on Saturday? Of the thirteen allotted jobs for Saturday only four were available, and this fact was not made kftown by the

“unavailables” until the last moment. And then what a sorry pickle Jack Little was in (he got the job) digging up the whistlers for the afternoon fixtures. Jack said it was a bit hot. Odds on it was, as the weather, let alone the job, was sufficiently warm to melt even a celluloid collar. All ragging aside, there’s something radically wrong in the referees’ ranks this season, and if the members don’t ‘pull together (and if the membership fails to show an increase), the Rugby Union will have added leisure searching for their control merchants. HERE AND THERE It is unlikely that Southland will chai' lenge Hawke’s Bay for the Ranfurly Shield this season. The selector or selectors to choose South' land representative teams for coming em gagements will be elected by the S.R.U Executive on Monday night. Ken Cox, a Pirates junior, received a broken nose while participating in the Star —Pirates second grade match last week. L. G. (“Algy”) Townsend, ex-’Varsity, exOtago rep. five-eighth, now stationed at Orawia, and who will be available for Southland this season, was married at Easter. Charlie Diack, Pirates captain and ex-’Varsity man, gave the ceremony quite a football touch by performing the best man’s duties. Rob Donnelly (son of executive officer Peter) late of the Star Club, has been transferred to the Empire City, whither he hiked last week. Young Rob played for Southland in the pack last season and as he is the right side of 20 years yet he should develop into the real type of forward. Rob’s middle name could well be dubbed ‘Tireless” for such he was, and no knock was too hard to pull him up. The best wishes of all locals go out for his future in Wellington where he will join up with the same club as Frank Kilby—Wellington club. E. B. (“Ted”) Stewart, last year’s Southland wing threequarter, is now stationed in the Milton district and has linked up with the Pirates Club in Dunedin. He had his first pop last Saturday. Wanted—Referees. The local Referees’ Association requires the support of all old players and others willing to have a blow on a Saturday. Ex-reps, do your part to help the referees and incidentally the game. “Great shooting” —Otago University A team rapidly overhauling the century in two games —53 first match, 37 in the second. Ninety points in two work-outs! Why, some senior teams can’t touch that in a season. Kilby is into the thick of it already and has been “noticed” by the critics. Commenting on his play for the Wellington club in its annual match against the Christchurch Club at Lancaster Park at Easter the Sun writer says: —“He played at first five-eighths. Although unused to the position, his play showed that he was using his brains all the time. He picked when and where to run, and if the others could not carry on the work done by himself and Johnson, it was not his fault. He tackled., like a terrier.” Burrows, one of the most promsing forwards in Canterbury, had the misfortune to break three ribs in a practice match. He thereby lost a great chance of going to Sydney with the New Zealand University team. Porter is reported to be suffering from knee trouble again this season. Both St. Patrick’s College (Wellington) and Wellington College have great teams this year. In a recent seven-a-side tournament in the capital city St. Patrick’s won without a point being scored against them. They beat Wellington College by 15—nil in a mast spectacular game. North Otago should have a good team again this year. Direen is still going strong and in the backs will be Waldron, Kent, Shaw (an ex-New Zealand University player), Sumpter, McKerrow, Loder and Granger, the latter a fine full-back. Ron Stewart played a brilliant game for Timaru Old Boys against Oamaru Old Boys at Easter. He is very much fitter than at the beginning of last season. There’s nothing like prospects of a tour abroad to encourage keenness. Gerard should be in the running for a place in the New Zealand team if his display down here last year counts for anything. According to a North Island news-pur-veyor, Frank Kilby was confined to his bed last week with a septic throat. Canterbury’s loss is going to be Bush Union’s (North Island) gain in the case of Bill Elyy, the electric All Black wing. He is residing in Mangatainoka, and will probably play for this tongue-twister named club. Siddells, ex-All Black, who has been out of the game for a period, is attempting a come-back and will be seen out any Saturday afternoon in the Masterton district. W. Calder, the young and dashing Pirates wing who was injured in the Dunedin game, makes his re-appearance for the season in the Pirates-Southern clash this afternoon. All Southlanders will be pleased with the announcement that Geoff. Alley, ex-South-land lock, and now of Canterbury College, has been included in the New Zealand Universities’ team to visit Australia this month. Alley was a member of the All Black side which crossed the Tasman last year, so his appearance in cricket-land will not be in the nature of a debut. There are 138 teams (2,070 players, without emergencies) competing in the various competitions under the jurisdiction of the Auckland Rugby Union. The N.Z. Varsities’ team leaves for Sydney next Saturday. A forecast (!) That Pirates (Invercargill) and Varsity (Dunedin) will this season contest the Deacon Cup “annual.” The score-board boys made a fair start last Saturday. They made one mistake only. But who wouldn’t with Pirates rattling up the points the way they did? The nippers would almost require to be embryo accountants. Not one official of the Rugby Union was present at the opening of the Wednesday competion. Perhaps they regard the competition much in the same light as the public. Messrs A. J. Geddes and C. A. Davis return from the annual meeting of the New Zealand Rugby Union to-night and will present their report to the executive meeting on Monday. O. Cheyne, Blues’ regular full-back, was on the bank enjoying the sunshine on Saturday. He needs it, too, as he is convalescing after an attack of pleurisy. Who was the official who “kicked the ball off” in the Blues-Southern clash? The sun was so dazzling I couldn’t see his num*

ber, but am certain it wasn’t Mr Courtis (President, S.R.F.U.). It would have been more fitting, surely, to see the “chief” put over this little bit of impromptu, and I am certain he could have employed a much better boot. By the way, “kicking the ball off” reminds me of a good story told by Jock Richardson anent the Sw|insea-AIl Black game. A real “swinjer” and, if you haven’t heard it, just ask Jock to tell it. I understand the Star Club is sorely in need of juniors. It is surprising to learn of the few lads who link up with this fine old club whose traditions are worthy and warrant fair support from a portion of the youth available in this town. There’s a second-to-none chance for boys by joining up with Star—good coaching, best of players to mix with, and, above all, opportunities galore to learn the finer points of the game. Spring to it, boys, and get in while the going’s good. Blues’ energetic secretary, “Snowy” Rein, is another who “took the count” prior to the opening games. Blood-poisoning was the winner, but, pleasing to note, “Snowy” is up and doing again although still looking a trifle seedy on it. Bill “Robbie,” genial president of the Blues Club, although taking note of those dead-heads who went through the “passes” gate, found time to tell himself how well the Blues rearguard was performing against Southern. He wasn’t half pleased with young McKay’s showing at centre. Home on the bit! The Press had its request to have a table provided on No. 2 ground acceded to by the Rugby Union. And “Perchaw” goes one better by arranging for a “desk” to be erected in position on the Press railing in the stand. (Loud cheers!)

The “arm-chair” critics and “stay-at homes” who have been crying down Southland football for some time past would be advised to stay at home in case they get a shock at the promising standard of play set in the initial games—and likely to continue.

J. N. Millard, who has been appointed to the position of sole selector of the Wellington rep. teams this season, is well-known to all old footballers in Southland and Otago. “J.N.” was a prominent athlete of the Southland Boys’ High School and later made a name for himself as a centre three-quarter in the Otago University and Otago rep. teams. He represented the sister province in 1911 against the New Zealand Native and Wanganui teams, the same year, being a member of the ’Varsity team which annexed the premiership of Otago. Mr Millard has taken an active part in the administration of football in Wellington for some years now, and has also had a hand in selecting the New Zealand Universities’ teams of recent years. He is a selector of the New Zealand ’Varsities’ team which is making a trip to New South Wales this month. WINNING “ON PAPER.” For a number of years there has been a club in Invercargill that has won every match —on paper. When the real trial of strength came, however, it lost, and often badly. It need scarcely be added that the team referred to is Pirates. Black enthusiasts would write down the fifteen names of their own stalwarts; do the same for their rivals’ team (probably Star) ; then pit man against man; and bang the table with exuberant satisfaction because Pirates must win. With faces wreathed in smiles these enthusiasts would sit in the grandstand till the Blacks filed out. Then their lungs would expand with cheers and the game would begin. What usually happened? The smiles on the faces of the Black supporters would grow fainter as the points piled up against their team. Homeward they would go wondering how on earth Pirates came to be beaten. The reason was not far to seek. Fifteen men individually good had been beaten by a team. What about this year? Well, it really looks as if Pirates are going to be a team, not merely fifteen men. The turn-out at practices has been most encouraging, and there was no doubt in the minds of those who saw last Saturday’s match that the BJacks were very fit for the beginning of the season. Still, there was something wrong with them, particularly the forwards. Each man of the pack seemed to be anxious to make a sortie on his own. At times there were eight wing-forwards. When the" Marists occasionally acted in concert and came through in a phalanx the Black vanguard was not in the picture. They were anything but a pack throughout the whole game. Won’t Star worry them if they maintain their loose formation? The inside backs were a bit at sixs and sevens and there were a great many occasions on which passes were missed and the ball was going begging for players like “Wampy” Bell to snatch up. No doubt the Pirate chief has told his followers their faults, and no doubt they will show improvement to-day. One pleasing feature at any rate is that the 1927 Pirates fifteen looks as if it is going to be a TEAM. ON FORM PICKING THE REPS. THIS WEEK’S “BEST.” It is “Onlooker’s” intention each week to “select” the fifteen players he considers, on I form, to be the fittest players to represent I Southland. The games played on the Park will serve as the main guide, and for a month or so, until the country' aspirants are seen in action, it is probable that no sub-union players will be included. This week it will be noted, there are no Star players included in the team, the reason being that they have not yet been seen out in a club game. Whether a man is worth his salt or not as a reputationed player will not count in the compilation of the team. The weekly’ “hints for selectors” are simply being chosen ON FORM. Here is the first team: — Full-back: R. MILLS. Three-quarters: GEDDES DIACK A. McKAY. Five-eighths: NORRIS OTTREY Half-back: C. JOHNSTON Front Row: ROBERTS C. MILLS Lock: BATCHELER . Side Supports: HAZLETT O’DRISCOLL Back Row: M. SHEEHAN R. McKAY. Wing Forward: W. JOHNSTONE. A FEW DON’TS FOR THE PLAYERS. The following “don’ts” for players are culled from the “newsy” items and chatter contained in the Otago Rugby Union’s up-to-date, neat, and well-compiled weekly programme, for which a charge of 3d is made (locals please note) : Don’t talk —keep your breath for the game. Don’t be selfish—you’re only one in fifteen. Don’t pass to a player in a worse position. Don’t kick—unless at the ball. Don’t blame the referee for every mistake. Don’t consider the “whistler’s” faults as worse than yours. Don’t consider the referee a “nark.” Don’t think you are Christmas. You may only be Guy Fawkes. Don’t listen to the crowd—play the game. Don’t be slovenly in your appearance. Don’t forget that your boots treat you well if you do likewise. Don’t forget to play hard—but stop there.