LOSS TO LEAGUE
VEW ZEALAND’S dearth of fast Rugby League props has been further accentuated by the loss of the West Coast forward. C. L McMaster, who has decided to go to Australia for an indefinite period. McMaster has suffered rather a chequered career as far as the national and, last year, the island selectors were concerned. He toured Australia in 1963 after being a test reserve against Great Britain the previous year but has not been able to catch the eyes of the New Zealand panel in the last two years.
He was selected for his third inter-island match at Christchurch in 1964 and played so well that his nonselection for New Zealand was greeted with disbelief by many people. Last year, after playing an exceptionally fine game against Canterbury, he was left out of the South Island team. Apparently, he decided that there was no future in this country. A member of the Brunner club, McMaster attended the 1960 and 1961 national < oaching schools. He made his island debut in 1962 and was a reserve against Great
Britain after playing for a New Zealand XIII against the tourists. On the tour of Australia he scored two tries in seven matches and showed great promise. In the last two years his play has shown more maturity and he has grown in stature as a prop forward.
He still retained the speed of a second row forward but to this was added the strength of a prop. He was one of the few props who had the speed to capitalise on his own breaks.
Last year his leadership of the West Coast pack—for which he has played 16 matches since 1961 helped to make it one of the strongest in the country and the emergence of such promising players as J. K. Dixon, R. O. Scholefield, A. P. Dennehy and J. F. Hibbs was partly due to McMaster’s encouragement and example.
When New Zealand can afford to let such players be wasted, particularly after such an unsuccessful overseas tour, the tests against Britain this season can be looked forward to with more anxiety than confidence.
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Press, Volume CV, Issue 31007, 12 March 1966, Page 11
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355LOSS TO LEAGUE Press, Volume CV, Issue 31007, 12 March 1966, Page 11
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