WANTED A LEADER

Taranaki Daily News, 26 April 1935, Page 12

WANTED A LEADER

STAR FORWARDS’ NEED WELL-TRAINED TUKAPA. HALF-BACK CONTROVERSY.

(By

"Side-Row.”)

If there was one thing more evident than another in the annual Dan O’Brien Shield match between Tukapa and Star at New Plymouth on Saturday, it v/as the difference made by training and coaching on systematic lines, such as had apparently been Tukapa’s lot. Star, on the other hand, seemed at a loss to know what to do when Tukapa’s tactics found the scales slowly swinging, and there was no-one to bring them back on the right track. It was a pity that Star should have been beaten by so much, because in the better football of the first half the margin was not so big. Tukapa’s forwards were a second-half pack on Saturday, and although playing orthodox football in capable style, they failed to do more than hold the rather disconnected- efforts of Star’s loose forwards. At that time, late in the first spell, it seemed as though it would be a case of Tukapa backs versus Star forwards with the result indefinite. As it turned out, the winner’s forwards came to light and the added support enabled the team’s backs to establish an ascendency, which, once apparent, Star failed -to nullify by correct tactics.

Star forgot that the best form of defence is attack and set out with the perfectly plain intention of smothering Tukapa’s back movements, but Brown was too good, and the whole idea of Star's play went for naught. It would have been far better had Star possessed a forward team that could have put all its powers into team work to keep the ball from Tukapa’s backs and to feed its own line. In this connection there seemed to be weakness in the Star team that will need remedying before the present material can be used to advantage. Adlam is good enough at half but the fiveeighths were not good. Aubrey, although a good club man and reasonably sound on defence, did not give the impression that he is a suitable penetrating link. It would probably give C. Kinsella more confidence and improve the line’s thrust if J. Kinsella were moved to second five-eighth, McKay placed at centre and Wilkins and Aubrey on the wings. Star could use Ji Kinsella as an inside back to greater advantage than in his natural place, the wing. The forwards are inclined to spasmodic effort and to give too much attention to watching for opportunities for brilliant solo work, which is due largely to a lack of a suitable leader. Of the present players Frank Frethey impresses as an excellent man for the job. Tukapa was a different stamp of a team. Everything was orthodox and because of that things were slow to move. No doubt the Taranaki halfback controversy—Boswell v. Gudgeonwill soon rage again. “Side-Row” has come to the conclusion that it is useless to argue about it, as each man plays his own style of game and is equally good in his own way. It all depends upon one’s individual preferences. Boswell, for his part, gave an excellent exhibition. As captain he was cool and exploited the right game and scored 13 points of the 25. He fed Brown well most of the time, and although Brown often tried to do too much his fitness, heaviness and ruggedness singled him out as a dangerous man to Star at all times.