ASSOCIATION.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 562, 17 July 1909, Page 12

ASSOCIATION.

Y s (By Centiie-IIalf.) ;

Wellington met Taranaki at Newtown Park on Saturday™ last, when the home team infiiqtedva' decisivo defeat—s goals to'2—on the representatives of the dairy province. Owing to the condition of the ground, neither team appeared to the .best advantage: ,. The play generally lacked consistent pace and dasli. . There were spasmodic spurts of energy, now and then, but the spongy turf soon took the fire out of the forwards. The most striking lesson of the "ma tch; was the': practical demonstration of, the principle that football, like war, is essentially.; a contest ..between , -- two 'tactical forces, each working oh a Bpecial-plan of attack and defence, and each : wholly : dependent upon tho .capacity of its individual members to play up to that plan. It is •becoming 'evident .that superiority iii; , -science ;far ■ 'outweighs' '-'superiority ' ,in weight, or pace.'s The idea that weight and pace are decisive factors in , -the , odds of-a football - .match is a fallacy: originally and mentally' , based upon the psychological influence which these two attributes invariably inspire -in. the miiid , of .■ the average man. That .weight and * pace are very desirable factors is perfectly.true, but that they are necessaryrfactbrs does not follow. It, has not yot. fully dawned 'upon, the footballer that there :is an intellectual aspoot- to his game,' and that; the more intelligent* thought he'gives'to his play, the more scientific/ and therefore the niqre decisive his. play.becomes. Thore is a Baying that "It: is : easy to be wise after'the event,"; and. that saying applies vory appreciably to present-day, football.. The; tendency .of the average 'footballer when in possession of the Uill is to ooncentrato his .attention on ihis immediate opponent; .with probably aii extension to his nearest supporter, his play being controlled by tho idea'that he must, if possible, outmanoeuvre his imiriediateoppbuent, or, failing that; pas's to his nearest supporter. This is why the; critid on the line is often ablo to detect _ errors of ' judgment: on the part of an individual player,. when the latter is fully convinced that -he is doing the, proper thing, and only realises .his. mistake when the game passes on to its next phase , .; The critic sees ■*the whole of the field, , the tactical disposition of the opposing forces; and thepossible advantages open; to both; The player sees only that part of the game with which ho is:at the moment:engaged. I once saw a player—a ; left wing-forward—secure tho ball, , andj with, a skilful /piece of dribbling,; cover; about 50 yards of. ground before ho,was even in eerious danger. By that timo 'the..'attention 'of, the enemy- was concentrated- upon-'him, and' , there was a perceptible • diversion' towards'.-. him. ~ The winger ;saw.;this'; saw.'further' that Ihis diversion .had^'weakened.the. opposition wing, of his; .opponent..:; Like., lightning lie; turnod and drove. - .the.'■'- ball /. hard i' over '•■ to ■.h.is'- : '.;right^.\;'Trmg;'v.there;vwaV^:".a:v. ; rusi,' and. .before' the'■opposing ::;team,'.quito realised it, the ball was, danbing" "about. in's'ide the not.. That wns" strategy.. There were rare •moments of' strategic' play in the Wel- : lifagton-Tairanaki match on Saturday.- What there was.:was of the orthodox kind.. ; .' There was- very little strategy; of "an; initiative -kind. The match 1 on: the wljole ah interest•'ing".e'xhibition;of\"S<>ccen!.' i S The, Wellington' men . were : a good sound J lot, < and too much praise cannot be given to: the very excellent work of the centre and wing forwards; (Gibson;-; TimperloyV;.and Roddy)ir ,; AllK; three shdwed conspicuous dash and energy, .while Timporley proved l himself .to be. one of the, most resourceful players/ on ; the ground. Smallboneshowed.jby, his 'general form that Ka4' the baU ;'been:'on:'his : wmg>mo;rey fxequentlyhe^.would ■'. Have 'done ''considerably more'thaii what excellent work;'.he., -did. /Bethell/'of'the halves;-' did gooU work,','and contributed materially .'to' ■ the (success- of. 'his sido. The centre-half played; a,. zealousi game, but lacked science. Hall,'of the backs, played a' safe.;and 'reliable'game.;. ?of the Taranaki men lay chiefly in their fatal .inabilityv.to''..bring :their,:;successes*>to'.-a..de-oisive~ point; C Their.iorWards" hesitated—and ffere lost. fTheir, forwards -linel.waa faiifly fast, a"nd-in , 'dribbling' particularly bieveriv With . better-. pombmation--the'ir''''3efecte were : ;more the resulta :.of oiroumstaiicesjbeyond their <con- - haveVgivon .Wellington{ a Their, -goalkeeper .'•"?■ played;i.'a; plucky .game, which is .the moro'to. bo commended for-the reason that he was originally, selected for; aV difforeht.'place'li'in the-'team. '11i'e^Ta^niaki.-.'defenceS': ; wero.im''.j^»/. : Trlible:''a' little ;>■:'■ ;■"-/' •',"'"T'\i' : '[ ?.■: ;;; • The :■ shdrp.:; rebuke '■■* administered •'J,by •: '■ the ■' Management Committee the other evening.; to two ■ members 'of ,St.' David's (Petone) ■team for-misconduct-on the field i'of play should haVe a salutary effect on all boys' teams;-' The game can 1 only :be disciplined 'and purified at: , its ; root. ; ,' The, boys -of. te-day are ; the" : men of r the.future,'and .the-bby the r'ul-: ing of a .referee./to. the -extent of- using improper ' language' and misconducting himself generally is not likely te .do the game any good when: he is promqtedte the senior division, unless he canbe:brbuglit see-that suet conduct is not. "playing the game." The committee is : to' be congratulated on its de- : cisipn to itanip but this sort.' df thing with a very firm heel. ; :■<'':.:■:.'■'','■■: : yWv>. :■ '.■•;.; : '.-'-.