SCHEME OF SCIENCE IN FOOTBALL

Chronicle (Levin), 6 May 1946, Page 8

SCHEME OF SCIENCE IN FOOTBALL

— 'Concerned at what he terms the lack of method shown by present-day League ;f ootballers ,in their activities on the field, Moana Herewini, who will be remembered by older League followers as ^ a brilliant member of the Ponsonby rearguard in the 1920 's, has formulated .a universal trainlng and playing systeju whicli -he elaims will bring more science into football and provide speetators wTith a more interesting brand of sport. He says that the system has been evolved as the result of his own experiences as a player and from the instruetion 'he received from the various •coaches .who tauglit liim at one time or another. He thinks it shojjld be taught to players in both the 'League and Rugby eodes from the time they first take up the game, and that elub officials once it was explained to them, wouhl undbubtedly adopt it as a means of advanciug their clubs. All Quite Simple. Though reluctant, .for obvious reasons, to make a detailed explanation of vvliat he has in mind, by way of illustrations of particular moves, Herewini does state that the system is based on ihe advantages of loose play, positional play and scrum-work. He insists that it is all quite simple and could be easily -assimilated by those players who, under the present seheme of things, go on to the field, with the idea of keeping a close eye on the opponent's game and are thus more or less forced on to the defence. Under the system, on the • other hand, a player becomes the aggressor from the outset. ' ' A team playing under my system. plays to certain positions in the field without regard for the opponents at all," says 'Herewini. "Every player knows from the way a move starts . how it should develop. There is 110 energy wasted in the pursuit of aimless movements. ' * As a basis on which to map out tlie vations set moves, the field is marked off in zones. When a team is inside its own twenty-five yard niark it is in the double defence area; between its own.' twenty-five and half-way is the del'enee r area;. between the opponents' twenty- ! five and half-way is . attack and between their twenty-five and the line double attack." Not the Only One. Herewini admits that his system is not the only one possible. He shrugged olf a suggestion that if, for arguments se.ke, his si-stem - were universally : adopted a game would develop into an exchange of movements, the nature of which would be known to speetators as soon as.the first link was forged. That ,was better, he said, than the present rafferty methods. He thinks the most seientifie team to visit this country was the Queensland League team of 1928-29. Loeally he believes the Richmond Club is most aware of the need for systematic play, though, it is not yet up on the full adv-antages of work in the loose. Herewini was a Bay of Plenty Rugby representative in 1923-24 and broke into League in 1925 when he came to Auckland to join up with Ponsonby. He went over to Newton and was a niem- ; ber of the championship team of 1927. Colleagues in that team were C. Dufty, j full;back, and (SShaver" Hardgrave. ' Herewini was 21. when he represented . Auckland as full-back in 1928. Ile gave up playing football in 1934 after a season with the Union code. He is now coaching the Point Chevalier third grade team. One of his many coaches, incidentally, was F. Delgrosso, New -l Zealand representative five-eighth and full-back. As a parting shot, Herewini states willingness to back his system against the examinations and opinions of any four leadiug Union or League coaches. To them, he says, he will reveal all if it means . putting a stop to the trend away from coustructive football.