Player Has His Grouch Over Season

Chronicle (Levin), 29 September 1949, Page 7

Player Has His Grouch Over Season

At frequent intervals the views of sideline critics, wouldbe referees, rugby union delegates and officials, the always much - maligned Press commentators and columnists and, last but not by any means least, the ordinary John Citizen. have been heard and read during every rugby season. Just for a change a few of those who "only play the game" have got their heads together and the result is the following article, which has been forwarded for publication by "A Player." Here is what he has to say: The Horowhenua Rugby Union's 1949 season has been far from satisfactory from a p'ayer's point of view and ip. making this comment I am not a lone voice The season started well and .showed promise of being one of the best since the war, but actuallv faded out into more or less , oVivion as far as club football | was concerned. The first round of the senior competition was full of interest and clubs showed great keenness. It was after the seeond round had started and was interrupted for four playing Saturdays that the interest fell off, resulting in' one team withdrawing and others having great tro'uble to field teams. This, in'my opinion, was due entirely to the break in the competition. We know representative matches are the mainstay of the union's finances, but why did this break eventuate when it was entirely unnecessary. The first two games were shield challenges, with a club game in between, but the next two, the trial match at Levin and the game against Manawatu B, were a waste of playing Saturdays. This was followed by the Horowhenua Colts v. Manawatu Colts at' Palmerston North. When club play resumed one club had had no match for five playing Saturdays owingc to a default, whic.h

meant that they had to somehow | keep players int'erested and train- , ing for six weeks, a very hard i task in a country district. j Owing to lack of time, the final \ matches of the championship and | the start- of the knock-out com- j petition were combined, thus de- : priving club players of their , matches and a'so cutting down a | certain amounu on the union's i . gate takings, which would have ' been higher with further games. In .all, a player who piayed ih every match for his club had twelve games in a period of six months. Rep. Match Blunders. With regard to representative matches a list of minor faults which' took place over the season is: — (a) At the trial match at Levin — no footballs; (b) match at Foxton against Bush — no socks and players not advi'sed fto bring their own, resulting ■ in a great scramble to borrow socks from p.ayers-in the curtain-raiser; (c) team . announced to play Wairarapa but Masterton was |not advised of the cancellation of the J game; (d) representative teams announced on Tuesday night prior to the match, not allowing players sufflcient time to make arrangements and resulting in teams be- ' ing assembled short of players. | This last case is best *seen by example when Horowhenua B' piayed at Paraparaumu and play- I ers had to be scraped together on 1 ' the' way to the game. At this ■ game :there were no footballs either* . Both (a) ana (b) could have bee,n .overcome by tying ■ up the ' loose ends in administration. A mariager is announced for each team on the Tuesday night. Surely he T can check and see that , everytbing is in- order. Both (c) and (d) show what I ' am inclined to think is a lack of ; interest in teams other than the A . representatives. It appears on lodking'over tbitigs that. 4 B team

is announced and more or less left to f end for itself . Players Bisheartened. Unless all these points are looked into and some attempt made to remove them I can only think that the players of the game of rug'by are going to be. very disheartened and many will be lost before it is necessary. Also a word in connection with the se'ection of representative teams.. Under Ihe present set up the first round of the competition Nended before the seiector had seen all the players in action. Why cannot we have a knock-out tournament at Easter ps is done in other centres?" With two days at Esster a tournament could be run taking in all eight teams as at present ih the union. The seiector could then see every player in action before the season started and make his job much easier. Having had my say I look forwapd to the 1950 season in the hope that our union will take heed of some of the sbove points which, I can again assure them, are not by any means a lone voice.