FOOTBALL.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 832, 30 July 1910, Page 12

FOOTBALL.

RUGBY. GENERAL REVIVAL WANTED. (By. AniSTonoLCa.) The best news I have heard this week is that the Poneke forwards have been training, which, for some of them, is a decided novelty. As showing how little is even known (much less practised) about training, it may be interesting to state that in a certain city gymnasium this week there was an argument as to whether training should be carried out by 'long" work or short sprints, and the decision of the "knowing ones" was in favour of "long" work! "Long" work was tabooed by experts a quarter of a century ago, and it - is humorous to see its corpse revived now. Surely no senior player should require to bo told that if a fast team is desired there must be "short" fast work—and nothing but "short" fast work. And, by the way, plenty of it. In various centres some of the more intelligent of the great clan of writers on football seem to be awakening, at last, to the fact that all is not well with the game. One journal recently .combated the somewhat absurd statement made by Mr. Campbell at the • last meeting of the New Zealand Union that the game was as strong as ever. - Now comes' another short article (published below) by ."Full-Back," of. the Otago "Witness," showing the gloomy state of things in Otago. In this connection,' it may, perhaps, be sufficient to say that "Full-Back" knows his subject. He w.as, in his day, about as clever and fa-st a wing-forward as any good team could wish to carry in its ranks. As to Wellington, all that can be said at present is .that, it does not appear to be nearly so strong as it was even last year. Sh'ould There bo a B Team? A report of tho last committee meeting of the Wellington Rugby Union stated, inter alia, that in connection with the request of'the various country unions for matches with a Wellington team, Mr. Burns suggested that instead of sending a representative B team, one of the leading club teams be sent. He proposed that Poneke, Oriental, and St. James bo' Bent on three consecutive Saturdays to play the champion club team of Wairalapa at Carterton, of Bush Districts at Hasterton, and of Manawatu at Levin. If Mr.- Burns had been asked to propound a theory that would spell disaster .for the weaker clubs playing senior grade football Tie could scarcely have- put forward a more suitable' suggestion. At present there is a tendency on the part of the union to shower favours arid concessions on the stronger teams, and this system of patronage has only to be carried far enough and then we shall have members of the weaker clubs seeking for admission to the more favoured clubs. In fact,-it is . quite, conceivable that in a couple of seasons there would only be three, or four clubs sufficiently strong to play senior grade, and Rugby in Wellington would be dealt a serious blow. Tho leading senior teams receive plenty of favours at the present time in the shape? of frequent appearances on No. 1 ground' at Athletic Park, while they are occasionally granted permission to play special matches whereby their funds may be augmented. What possible good can arise from sending them touring at the Bugby Union's expense? There seems to be no striking argument in favour of such a move, but something can be put forward in favour of ,a representative B team, which holds out encouragement to many young players, who, while quite good enough to play in any ordinary representative team, must be passed over season after season in Wellington while men of the stamp of Roberts, Wallace, and Mitchinson are available; And thus it may follow that a- first-class player in: a weak team may drop right out of the • game simply because there is nothing to look forward to with his club, am' no chance of representative honours. .The B representative' team supplies ..the. encouragement necessary to keep these players on the active list, and they will all be wanted when the Robertses, Wallaces, and Mitchinsons retire. As an instance, the B team that, toured Blenheim in.,liltiS. may be instanced. It included men like Avery, M'Kellar, Tilyard, Perry, and Cameron, men who were then considered just a shade below Wellington representative form, but at. the present time they are all very useful in Wellington football.

A Province in Lower Water. , Since the visit of tho Maori team and .the American University players, says ■"Pull-back," in the "Otago Witness," we have had tho mediocrity of our football '.shown up in a variety of ways, and all pointing to tho decline of the game. It ,is a sad travestv un local football that a team of American University players, .'who are mere tyros at Kugby, eonipured ;to our own men, and who have come out to Australia and New Zealand to learn the finer points, should almost hold their' own with a representative Otago fifteen. -The Americans were not a great side, and an Otago team of a few years ago would have beat them, irora front-rauk-ers to full-back, without tho loss of u .jersey. Not so to-days and the fuct must be faced that the standard of play in Dune din is lower than it has ever been in the history of the game. The worst .and most hopeless phase isithc poor quality of our back play, which is without one redeeming feature, and which a year or two. since would have been accredited second-grade only. Certain it is that the standard shown in the Maori and American matches scarcely rose above that of junior football. What is the remedy for ithis deplorable state of our back play? Certainly not modification of rules or al-, terations thereof to suit players. This is 'only tinkering with the game; not raising the standard of play and players, which is the primary object. If all the demands framed . by ■ colonial authorities for alterations in the rules were passed by ; the'lnternational Board, and brought into operation to-morrow the standard of the game would not be raised one degree. The game might be made more open and more spectacular, but the standard would be the same—the conditions of play would alone be ■' changed. Wo don't desire a change of conditions in a general sense, but we do desire a change from the crude exhibitions of the pust two seasons. Players we do want; players who think and act; players with pace, 'dash, and initiative; players who know the value of the straight run, the cutting in to beat a man, tho. giving of a pass which is a pass and not a wild lob; players of originality, who are not afraid of breaking the most sacred creeds of Rugby in the cause of the game. These are the men wc want; yet it is just this type of player wc are lacking to-day. Don't give us modified rules, but give ns intelligent players. Manawatu As It Might Be. Probably Manawatu could do with a bigger district, and it might not' be a bad idea to make one union of Manawatu and Horowhenuu. The Manawatu representative team has to be selected from an inconsiderable number of teams. Perhaps it is because of the narrowness of their field that their play bears tho brand of "local inuuufuctuiii." With all the energy and dash that Manawatu forwards have recently shown, and tho pace of some of the backs, only the lack of a finished and intelligent style of play has prevented their winning games. The rise aud fall of the Manawatu football empire is on-interesting story, but it is remarkably that since tlio decline,' which is ancient history, no master mind has arisen, or been dug up, to steer tho fortunes of Rugby more successfully. When a Rugby Union realises that in tho field of play its representatives have descended to bo "under dogs," it seems that they are doing their best to kill tho game by a process of procrastination ujilpfs they mabii every effort to educate their players back to first-class football.

What the union which sits at Palmerston North is doing is precisely lotting the game fizzle out. Tho sooner such unions are awakened, with dynamite or otherwise, the quicker tho disgusted public will smile again. A section of "the public m districts like the Manawatu is soured and disappointed of Rugby becauso of the aimless, jumbles that arc turned on throughout the winter, and called football matches. Manawatu's material is good, and •a good coach should bo able to mould it'into good footballers. It is tho union's first duty to see that something of the Kind is ilont. Mamiwatu's game against tho Maoris provided an indication of what the players would be capable of had they been through tho mill with a good head directing matters. The amount to bo handed to the Maoris by the Manawatu Union for the match last Saturday is nlxmt .£4l). The gate takings'totalled ,£(!7,/nnd tho sum tho Maoris get is tho net profit. Palmerston Passed Over, At the. last meeting of- the Management Committee of the Rushy Union, the treasurer, Mr. H. P. Mnller, mentioned that ho had met the American University team as it passed through Palmerston. He had' had a conversation with Mr. Kelly who was the New' Zealand Rugby Union ■representative with the team, and that gentleman informed him that the reason the union had gone past Palmerston to Wanganui was purely oneof finance. They could not see their way to pay Jlanawatu 25 per cent., when Wanganui only wanted 15 pel' cent, of the gate-takings. The New Zealand Rugby Union, would much rather have had the match iu Palmerston. but he thought tho local union should receive much better treatment from the A. and P. Association. Although Taranaki applied for a match against Canterbury, the representatives of the southern division will not include Taranaki in its northern tour. This is hardly to be wondered at, as Taranaki owes both Canterbury and Otago visits, and' until those matches are returned can hardly expect games against either. "Wellington at New Plymouth and 'Wansamii at Hawera are the only sure matches in the province 'his H'intcr, but Hnwke's Bay are going to Auckland and may play a match whilst on tour. Auckland meets Taranaki, but it will be in the northern city that.play will be witnessed.—"Eltliam Argus." A Queer Tribunal. The Otago Rugby Union on Tuesday suspended one player till the end of 1911, for tripping, and another, for the same ofence, was suspended till the eud of the first round next season. For "playing the man," a third offender was suspended for a couple of weeks. , Without going into the particular circumstances of these cases; it may be said that they appear to suggest the absence of a definite scale of penalties, and will not advance the reputation of tho Otago Union for impartial consistency. Offenders coming up for judgment must approach that tribunal in a spirit of delightful uncertainty. Some years ago the Otago Rhadamanthus disqualified a player for life for tripping. Two years later it had an exactly case 'to deal with, and met iff-with a v caution! •