FOOTBALL FANCIES

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXVI, Issue 18533, 15 July 1922, Page 6

FOOTBALL FANCIES

BEST TARANAKI TEAM

The Omata correspondent of the Taranaki Herald reviews Taranaki football of the past thus:— A few weeks back J heard an ex-foot-baller remark that he would like an opinion as to the best Taranaki team. Whether he meant the best record established in one year or what would bo the ideal team 1 cannot say, but the query interested me. Looking back for twenty years one can understand that Taranaki has been fortunate in possessing players who have accomplished a good, deal in the Rugby world. It would be possible to choose 30 players and make two teams, and were it also possible to have them on the field it would be hard to find the winner. Of course we all have our different fancies, and in these remarks, writing after a lapse of years, J may make a few slips, but if some reader wi'l check me, so hero goes. Confiueoicing with the full-1 back position, 1 have four in mind — > Hardgreaves, Hill . Bly th and Prince. Hardgreaves would probably be the I popular pick, and he undoubtedly was a solid last line of defence. Old-timers can. remember his fine line-kicking, whilst he was excellent at goal-kicking. Hill was, in my opinion, more brilliant than Hardgreaves, quicker at sizing up the situation. That potted goal of his which defeated Southland was a gem. whilst his play at full-back when Taranaki wrested the Ranfurly Shield from Auckland was superb. Blyth (Hawera) and Prince (Waimate) were excellent players. The Hawera player was small, but game. 1 remember seeing Frank Brown (Eltham) pick'him up in his arms like a mother cuddling an infant, and Blyth offered no objection—leastways he couldn’t. Prime, I believe, was the most solid tackler of the quartette. A blacksmith by trade, he was extra powerful, and' he lowered four Wanganui men in succession who were attempting to break through his defence. Soon after winning his cap he left Manaia. so there are few in Taranaki who recognised his ability. Next the three-quarters, and hero there’ aw many familiar names. For centre I have picked C. Sheehan, J. Stobr, C. Young, P. Ward, and B. Roberts. Stohr was probably the pick ‘as besides being fast and hard to put down, he was easily the best drop-kick, and game on the defence. Ptner Ward had an Australasian reputation, and played for many provinces before assisting Waimate and Taranaki. Not so fast as others, “he used his nut” and soon located the weaknesses of his opponents. Con Sheehan was an athlete, and a good sort. Hardly up to the others, he is worthy of note as a man who took all the hard stuff with a smile. Roberts is still playing, hut a few years back was an excellent man. and has represented New Zealand in Australia and America. Present-day spectators do not find him sparkling as in the past. Youth must be served. Dick.

For wings, Taranaki has had Don Cameron, Eddio Burke, G. Loveridge, ( A. Baylv E. Dive and “Bunny’’ Abbott. Taking them as written, Cameron was brilliant when at his best, and his jinky runs were such that brought spectatoes to their toes. His play was good, and I have always maintained that had Cameron been an Australian and taken to the League game, he would have been world famous. Eddie Burke was a Waimate player and probably the best line-kick Taranaki possessed. Cool as possible, he could gain stretches of ground with only a few reet to work on. Loveridge was not long m the limelight, but the years he played ho helped Tukapa considerably and was a member of the team that won the Ranfurly shield. He has visited Australia and America. Twenty years ago All. Bayly was known throughout New Zealand. He had a lot to do with lifting Taranaki in the forefront of Bugby, and the old hands will persist, and with reason, that he was one Of the best, and I agree E. Dive deserves a place. He never represented Ne\. Zealand. but has been in a North v. South Island team. Great tackler and solid runner, he always went the shortest way to the touch-line, and usually got there. “Bunny” unlike Dive, usually found the longest vray was the direct route to the touch-line, and his propensity to double back gained him the name of “Bunny ’* A member of the All-Blacks, he did not impress me as above the average, but his trip ’Ome makes me put him in' line. In five-eighths the position becomes easier as 1 have only sized three players for the honour. Jimmy Hunter, S. Mynott and “Snip” Allan. Hunter always was brilliant, club or representative, dry er wet, the Hawera man always gave his best. Mynott’s fame was assisted. by his association with Hunter. 'l’ll is is treading on soft: ground, as Tukap.i followers will have it that Simon was the best man, with or without Hunter. 1 11 leave it at that, us I recognise that Mynott was an excellent back-, either as five-eighth or centre threequarcer. “Snip” Allen, until he accumulated too much Weight, was also a capital player, and had a line representative record.

In halves Taranaki had threh worthy of particular notice—Humphries, Frewin and Brown, all Plymouth'players. I he present generation only know Humphries as a man who occasionally trains the representatives, but some years back "’Skinny” must have been as well-known throughout New Zealand as poor Alf. Bayly. He, like Allen, has represented New Zealand in Australia, and hke Hunter, always gave his best. Probably the lightest half-back playing, he was a tiger at collaring, and went down to heavy forwards without hesitation. It was fine to watch him gather the ball inches from the advancing enemy, and then dodge round or under a forward, start Allen moving towards the goal line. They were a great pair, and much of Star’s club success and Taranaki’s were achieved by this pair, h rewin has played some fine games for laranaki, and probably the one he remembers best was when pitted against Auckland. It had been a great struggle pud people had left the ground believing it a drawn game, when, in the last few minutes Taranaki were awarded a free kick and Frewin landed the goal that gave a victory to Taranaki and astonished those who had left the ground. Charlie Brown ranks next to Humphries. Originally a forward in the Stars, that club quickly recognised the makings of a good half'and placed him behind the scrum, where he has acted in many games in Britain, Australia. Africa and elsewhere. Again, for wing forwards, my choice has been narrowed down to three—Colman. Guy and Hamblyn. There are many, I believe, who will think I should put Colman in the three-quarter line. He was (and is).a versatile player. Originally he played half for Taranaki, and since then has played three-quarter and full-back, and then moved up to wingforward, and has represented New Zealand in Australia, and strong efforts were made to get the Clifton player 'to join Baskerville’s pioneer Rugby League team for England. Guy played good games for Taranaki round about 1905, and many thought him a good choice for the All Black team, but Gallagher (Auckland) gained the situation. Hamblyn, to my mind, was little inferior to either. When tackled, he spread his legs like a wrestler, so that he rarely

fell, and when he did usually made it so that be fell on his tackler. A. fine dribbler, Teddy gave yeoman service for Opunake and Eltham in club games. With the forwards Cain Glasgow and Osborne were probably the best of the hookers. Cain had a long record—and a good one. Glasgow was the “daddy” of them all. Like Colman, he could play in any position. A line sport, he could stand plenty of barrack. Remember on match where Wanganui was playing all over Taranaki in the first spell. Barracked Glasgow about not gating the ball. He replied, “If they (the other forwards) will only put some weight into it I’ll get the ball.” Jimmy Hunter (captain) heard this and had a heart-to-heart talk. The score then was Wanganui 9, Taranaki 0. In the second half Glasgow got the weight and the ball shot out, and Taranaki clapped on 24. “A good win.” 1 remarked to'Alex Hunter. “Wes, but I hardly thought they’d win by so much.” But there it was.

For locks, “Soot” M'Kay was a fine forward for the job. Alf. Smith (Stratford) was another hefty specimen, and now Taranaki has Harold Masters, and these three would do one any time. Other forwards worthy of notice were O’Dowda, W. Larabie (also a fine centre three-quarter), Tamu (another forward who was originally a three-quarter), Jimmy O’Sullivan (All Black), Glenn (All Black), Pihama (one of the best Native payers who ever donned a Jersey and a great athlete), and who later oii represented Auckland when the Northern capital possessed players equal to any in New Zealand. That completes my list, and narrowing them down to two teams nty preference would be:

A team. —Full-back, Hill, threequarters, D. Cameron, J. Stohr, A. Baylv; five-eights, J. Hunter, S. Mynott; half. A. Hfimgliries; wing, J. Colman; hookers, Caiipand Glasgow; lock, Masters; sides, W. Lambic, O’Sullivan, Tamu and Pihama. B team. —Full-back Hardgreaves; three-quarters, E. Burke. P. Ward G. Loveridge; five-eighths, “Snip” Allen, K. Dive; half, C. Brown; wing, Guy; hokers, Osborne and Smith; lock. M'Kay; sides. Glenn 0’ L’owda, Jerry Crowley and Greig. Excepting .Masters and Roberts, I have omitted present day players, although recognising that Kingston would stand comparison with the quartette at full-back. Dr. Fookes is another that might be mentioned, and there are others, but from memory the above teams would be my choice.

NEV/ ZEALAND TEAM A Southern Critic reviews the N.Z. team as follows:—A glance at the New Zealand team selected, to go to Australia will" disclose many names new to big football. One feels quite safe in hazarding a guess, despite the lack of a solid basis oi* which to rest one’s argument, that the forwards will be a stiff proposition for the New South Welshmen. The pack for the first international will probably bo found to bo something like the following: Shearer and Calcinai, of Wellington, are pretty I obviously the front rankers. The burly Taranaki forward, Masters, will lock the scrum, unless Richardson has developed an enthusiasm for the position after his experience at Auckland. But he is too long in the body, to my mind, for the job, and would be. better on the side with Brownlee, of Napier. Cuppies and White will complete a powerful pack of forwards, big and fast, and on paper a team from which great things may be expected. In Bellis they have a pack leader of the type that has made New Zealand famous for her forwards. Coming to the backs, one dees not dare to bo so optimistic, but it is* a .team with distinct possibilities. Youth is the dominating feature and in selecting on these lines the committee is on right lines. For the first year or two after the war, considerable reliance had necessarily to be placed on old-timers, but that time is now past, and the Australian tour furnishes a golden opportunity for testing the younger brigade. Behind the scrum ‘‘Ginger” Nicholls to my mind is the only man for the job. The rest are very difficult to place. Mark Nicholls may go in as first five with 19-year-old Dickinson next. Nicholls is reported to be quite at home in the more exacting position and Dickinson. who was coached by veteran “Jimmy” Duncan, is a player of whom his admirers expect much Svenson, at centre, has greatly improved, if his showing in Auckland goes for anything, and Steel is of course,a “moral'’ for the wing with the promising Hickey on the other flank. Fitzgerald is also a man who will get a chance. Kingston being out of action for the season, Bell fills the position of custodian and is said to be very sound in his new position and a great rush-stopper. The team will leave for Australia in a week or two, and they will meet in New South Wales a team with the memory of a decisive victory over the second best New Zealand side of last year to spur them cm.

“WALES” TRIES “ Censor in us” in the Southland Times •holds a brief for referee’s assistants, and says : My attention has been called to a matter—one of importance to the players: the question of “Wales” tries. What on earth are “Wales” tries? You remember, surely, that when the 1905 All Blacks met Wales. Bob Deans went over the lino and scored an undoubiqjJ try ! Ilia man < who tackled Deans says that he and other members of the Leek team had no doubt about the fairness of that try, but the referee was a far off, and when ho trotted up there Welsh bands had intervened and had dragged the New Zealander back. Now similar things happen in many football matches in this country, in Australia and in the Old Country. An instance occurred last Saturday, and I mention it because it is the newest one to hand. Now the solution seems to be the appointment of two officials in the in-gaol area, who shall act within prescribed limits. Just as a touch-line judge determines when a ball is out of touch and which side should bring it back into play, so these in-goal judges could decide who first touched down a ball in the in-goal area. They would not decide whether or not a try had been scored. If there was any infringement of the rules antecedent to the touching down the referee would decide the fact as to who touched down. If there had been such an official in tho Wales match, Deans would have got his try. And' hundreds of other lost or doubtful tries would have been properly credited. The rules prevent the appointment of such officials.

But rules are made to be altered and surely “ Wales” tries, or Welshed forces should be cut out ’