FOOTBALL CENSORED

Chronicle (Levin), 26 June 1947, Page 4

FOOTBALL CENSORED

Struck Member Of Opposing Team ' Suspension 'from partrcipation . in games for twg playing Saturdays, ;including last ■ Saturday, was the penalty imposed - on a TPunahau junior .piayer, N., Mahana, fot striking an ■opposing leam member during the tcourse • of a recent game. .Reporting on the incident, the referee, Mr. p. M. McMillan, -said that during Uhe playing of .the game between Punahau and ''Shannon juniors he .had oceasion to caution Mahana .for rfoul .play. Later ;in -the /game Mahana was tripped by an opposing .piayer, and after 4 the whistle -had been blown, •turned round -and struck 5 him. ASked by ' the committee to explain his conduct, Mahana said: "He tripped me so I tapped him on the shoulder - and - asked him what was -the idea of leg tripping me." -Questioned by a committee member, ..Mahana admitted that he supposed -it was a "har'd ..sort of ■ tap." .Expressing regret at 'the incid.ent, .he • added : "He made me wild and that's why I .hit 'him. I suppose I shoiildn't .have "hit him after the whistle had gone."-, The president, Mr. A. Gillespie: I suppose you think it was alright hitting him before the whistle. Commenting further, Mr. .Gilles.pie emphasised. that ; football was only a .game, and ;players -should ■regard it as -such. • Questioned by the .president, Mahana :said Re could not recall i'f he had been pr.eviously warned by the referee. "He'spoke to a bunch Of us about putting the dirt in, but I don?t think he warned me particulaily." At this stage Mahana, was 'asked toleave the room. "At least he -seems honest about ■it," said the president when the incideht was diseussed. Some meihbers expressed the ■ opinion that as he had already •been -stood down for two ;Saturdays, one because'he 'had failed to report to the union on the Monday night following the incident and the other while waiti'ng for 'the next meeting of 'the union, he "be now stood down for only one Iprther playing Saturday. Other members poiiited out, however, that only one of the past two Saturdays had been .-playing .ones. Speaking "on behalf o'f the Referees' Association, "Mr. C. R Wiseley said the matter had been diseussed at the association 's last meeting, and the association .felt that more sevdre sentences should be imposed. All clubs had been warned about. infringements o'f this nature, but -evidently this piayer had not -taken that in. ".The Referees' 'Association think -that this man should be suspended for four playing Saturdays withput regatd ■'to'prC'vious s'uspensiohsj and I pUt that forward as .a motion." He said his association considered that. players reported to the union should appear on the night of the first committee meeting after the game. If they did not appear and lost a playing Saturday it was their own fault. " Following further diseussion, an amendment that the piayer be stood down 'for two playing Saturdays, including last Saturday, was carried. The committee took a grave view of offences of this nature and was sorry to see him in that position, said the president, when the piayer was :recalled. He trusted that the acticn taken by the committee would prove a lesson to him.