Comment On Form Of The Players

Wanganui Chronicle, 16 September 1948, Page 6

Comment On Form Of The Players

(P.A.) Palmerston N., Sept. 15. Thirty-seven North Island All Black candidates gave a rugged but spectacular display of football before the New Zealand selectors and a crowd estimated at about 9000 spectators at Palmerston North today. The match, which was the final North Island trial, was played in perfect weather on a fairly hard, dry ground. Probables beat the Possibles by 25 to 18. Two outstanding features of the game were the relentless struggle between the opposing wing threequarters and the hookiag of the Waikato veteran F. H. Catley, who played throughout and outhooked each of two men matched against him. Particular interest was centred on the two first five-eighths, Wellington s G. W. Delamore and the young Aucklander, N. H. Black, who had a phenomenal rise to top line football this season. Both men were at the peak of form and there was little between then, but though Black had the advantage of Catley's hooking, honours on the day ended slightly in Deiamore’s favour. Delamore moved at a terrific pace, handled well and combined easily with his half-back, T. Ingram (Hawke's Bay), and second fiveeighths, F. R. Allen (Auckland). Black played inside K. Gudsell (Wanganui) in the first half and G. R. Brunskill (Waikato) in the second, and worked smoothly with both of them. He seemed more at home with W. Conrad (Waikato) at half-back than with the elusive little Taranaki half, W. Cameron, who twice broke through on his own and left the opposing backs standing. Black's play was not up to the polished standard he produced against Wellington last Saturday, but he was, nevertheless, a good five-eighths, and his cover defence was particularly sound. The Possibles captain, Allen, was up against a formidable opposition in both Gudsell and Brunskill. He was well marked throughout the game and showed no great superiority over either of the other two men. Gudsell’s defence was sound, and he was rarely beaten, ever, by Allen's deceptive swerve. On attack Gudsell was always dangerous, and had Allen fully extended. Gudsell made an opening for one of the Probable’s tries, and carried another almost lone handed attack right to the goal line. GOOD DEFENCE. The defence of both back lines was such that attacking movements were frequently blocked out by the time the ball reached the three-quarter line. The tw’O centres, J. R. O’Hearn (Waikato) and A. Bullick (Waikato), were steady on defence, but their attacking play did not show much enterprise. The solid tackling of the wings did not allow any long spectacular runs down the side line, and the most successful attacking

, winger was the Aucklander, B. Sweet, who skilfully changed his tactics to infield play, and scored two excellent tries. Sweet found, early in the game, that he could not get past B. McGougan (Bay of Plenty) down the touch line. At the first opportunity he cut across the outside of his first liveeighths and scored near the posts. His second attempt won him the last try of the match. A GOOD KICKER. McGougan impressed as a solid three-quarter and as a powerful place kick. After the full-back, Scott, had tailed with two early attempts at goal McGougan took most of the Possibles’ kicks. He converted two tries with amazingly long high kicks. The selectors tried three halfbacks: Ingram (Hawke’s Bay), piayed for the Possibles throughout the game, while Conrad and Cameron played in turn behind the Probables' scrum. After an early phase of erratic passing Ingram settled down to play a solid game. Conrad concentrated on serving his outside backs, and did so in workmanlike manner. He was followed by Cameron, who was the most enterprising of the three, and adequately demonstrated his ability to make openings and use them. It was his speed and quick thinking that enabled Sweet to score almost unopposed, a try. FULL-BACK DUEL. Another feature of the back play was the duel between the full-backs, the Aucklander, Scott and Sherlock (Wanganui;. Far from being overshadowed, Sherlock held his own in every department of full-back play, and was the most successful placekick on the field. He excelled at filling the extra place in the Probables’ backline on attack, where his remarkable pace was useful. On one occasion he got through to Scott in such a move before he was stopped. Scott showed clearly that ha still is a very capable lull-back. Two evenly matched packs played a hard, tight game, and left the selectors the unenviable task of picking the best of them. The Aucklanders, McHugh, Johnstone, Hughes, Thornton, and Fraser (Hawke’s Bay), Catley and Rowan (Waikato) were outstanding. Hughes and McCormick hooked in turn against Catley, who won the majority of scrums in each half. Thornton was on his best form and appeared to be everywhere. Once after a solo run of about 40 yards, he was caught at the goal line and narrowly deprived of a try. The teams, as they took the field were: Possibles.—Scott (Auckland); B. McGougan (Bay of Plenty), J. R. O’Hearn (Waikato), P. King .(Wellington); F. R. Allen, captain (Auckland), G. W. Delamore (Wellington); TT. Ingram (Hawke’s Bay); D. Cartson (Taranaki), I. Shaw (Poverty

Bay); H. McHugh (Auckland), R. Johnstone (Auckland), I. Fraser (North Auckland); J. Simpson (Auckland), A. M. Hughes and D. Christian (Auckland). Probables.—G. Sherlock (Wanganui); E. Boggs (Auckland), A. Bullick (Waikato), B. Sweet (Auckland); K. Gudsell (Wanganui), N. H. Black (Auckland); W. Conrad (Waikato); N. It. Thornton (Auckland); P. Crowley (Auckland), H. Frazer (Hawke's Bay), I. Mathieson (Wairarapa), G. Henderson (Wairarapa); D. Ancel (Taranaki), E. H. Catley (Waikato), A. Rowan (Waikato). D. O’Donnell (Wellington), G. H. Gilmour (Auckland), both of whom were injured last Saturday, were unable to play. For the second half A. Thomas (Bush), C. Vowles (Waikato) J. McCormick (Hawke's Bay), replaced Shaw, Fraser and Hughes in the Possibles’ pack, and E. Bresnehan (Manawatu), G. King (Poverty Bay), w. Cameron (Taranaki) and G. R. Brunskill (Waikato), replaced Mathieson, Ancel, Conrad and Gudsell for the Probables. For the Probables tries were scored by Rowan (2), Sweet (2), and Crowley, and, Henderson kicked a penalty goal. Sherlock converted two tries and kicked a penalty. The Possibles’ tries were scored bv Delamore, King, McHugh and McGougan. Two were converted by McGougan and one bv Scott.