FOOTBALL SELECTION.

Stratford Evening Post, Issue 61, 23 May 1928, Page 2

FOOTBALL SELECTION.

TO THE EDITOR Sir,—As an old footballer of some years' standing, I feel that I cannot allow this opportunity to pass without making some comments on the selection of! the Taranaki rep. players or rather the players chosen to play in: the North-South match here on Thursday.

I had though that with fresh blood in the selection committee that possibly we had at least one or two men who might b e expected to have a little vision and might De able to select some promising, young players, who, if tried out in a game like Thursday's would prove themselves in a year or two capable of upholding the time honoured traditions of Taranaki football. But, alas, my •faith has been shattered, the new blood has proved to be but a broken reed or as a politician tossed by the waves, of popular fancies, of. the public' listening to all the street corner whispers and has followed the line of least resistance and still retaining nearly all last year's players, irrespective as to whether they have proved a failure or otherwise. It seems almost needless for me to point out some of the mistakes the Northern selectors have made, they are so apparent to any one with any knowledge of football, that I venture to say a school boy would do better. In the first place, has not Inglewood one single player fit to play in a match of this description, not even a three-quarter in place' of Medley; have not the Northern Division any half-backs with the exception of ; Morey, who has been tried previously.' Then the wing forward, we all know what a tower of; strength Alf.'Kivell is to the forwards, why take him out and play him in a position strange to him. Isn't Bob Fryday a suitable wing .forward, or haye the selectors some private reason or pique for his non inclusion? Can we expect Kivell to do justice to the game in that position, or, has it been done with a view to showing the sole selector, Mr A. Guy, what a dearth there is at the present time of wing forwards, hence the sole selector has no option but place his own son in the position, where he has been tried repeatedly and failed, so it goes on. " ; I could continue further, but I feel that I am trespassing on your valued space. I hope some abler pen than '/mine will take the matter up.—l am, etc "DROP KICK."