FOOTBALL.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1413, 13 April 1912, Page 12

FOOTBALL.

* a CHANCES AND CHANCES OF 1012. P • li [Bi Abistodulus.] Si Great Changes in Oriental. ( .The bird of chango is flapping its wings v hard over the Oriental banner this year. « i'irst and foremost they have lost Perry, h and, not only they, but football, for this w splendid forward will never play again, h About ten or twelve days ago lie sustained a-severe injury to his hand while engaged •- at work on .Fullers' new' building, and t amputation below tho elbow was subse- J- ■ qiiently found-to be necessary. Opinion 1) 'of Oriental players is that his jpis- J 1 ■ .vill bo keenly felt. This is putting t things very mildly. o The swift Matheson and Murdoch will also be missed from the hurly-burly in ( tjie park. Both, were injured in the last match of last season (against Athletic), and apparently'.have decided that "look- j ins oil is the best part in Rugby." _ H'Bain, one of last year's forwards, is ; also minded to retire, in consequence of a j damaged knee. . ~ :Per' contra, against theso losses, Oriental , have made some gains. Dingle, a new man from Canterbury, has joined them, and will be "given employment as full- ,j back. . - r C Hale," another now man. hails from l "over the strait." Blenheim already linows liim-as a. fleet-foot, and he is saul j; to possess.the only asset that really counts 1in a wing-three-quarter—he is a good, scoring man. " ' . ■" Two other acquisitions are Francis anu Walker. .The former is a Tarnnaki [ forward, and tho latter has some chance j as centre-three-quarter. ' f : Supporters of the Black and White gonfalon will no doubt be pleased to near that M'Leod is back again from a sojourn in Auckland, and will put on the jersey. "Fred" Kobcrts and Kinvig will also fill tlieir accustomed places. c 7- Pleasing rofercnco must also ue made I to Carniichael, who will probably figure j on tli© wing. Ho is a promoted junior, l 'and is described as a fast man and a good . kick." Petone's Chances, 1912. T Her© is tho formidable lot which the $ Petone senior team (Messrs. J. I Lynskey, Jas. Ifyan, and J. M ivenzie) i have chosen for the opening championship c 'match on April 20:-Parker, Da ev,- Jas. t •ftyan, Boyd, ftamsdeiu Power, 1 jVrrowsmi'th, Ashton, Shardlow, '"VY. Ryan, t •[Ready, MTarlane, H.'Parrant, 1. Trice. | ■Lindsay has been "chosen emergency, and j 'the selectors reserve the right to alter the 1 team, if sufficient attention is not given i .to training. . . j On paper this selection is one 01 tne i 'strongest.which Petone.has had for many s ■years. - 'Power, tho Auckland man (and •last year of Oriental); will be a great ] 'asset'to the rearguard, whilst Ready, ot < •'Athletic, will fill a gap in the forward ■ .division, that has been vacant since the i days when Petone were champions. ' .The half-back; has not rdefinitely been ; decided on, but it is understood that Jas. I Kvan will stai't the season iri that position. ' 'Parker, Daley, Boyd,; Ramsden, and j 'M'Kenzie—all last year's players—havo a : : thorough knowledge of one another's play, ] rand, with training, should more than hold , 1 ■ their own. .. . The forwards are n fine hefty lot. AshiTton," last year's "wing, was to'have'played . in"'tho front rank with Shardlow,- but it j is said : that lie has practically decided to Tthrow.'in his.lot with, Oriental. Shardlow ( •fcas had • a ■ season's spell, but has* appar- ■ "e®tly lost none of.'.'feis ringcraft or dash. : Arrowsmithi' a senior of a couple of . seasons ago, w'.ill.plav.'bii the wing.' jf, j-'Of the others, MTarl'ane, Price, Par- v rafit, W. Ryan, and Lindsay are all tried men and true. The lower grade teams are naturally, stronger, owing, to the 1 excess of senior ' men, ;and, according ■ to the selectors,there are.at.least eighteen who are com-; pelled to play junior on account of there being no place for them in the first fifteen. An All-Black Joining Oriental. Word is current to tho effect that H. Paton, Otago representative and All Black, is being transferred from Dunedin to Wellington, and will throw in his lot with : . Oriental. The artillery of his long-range .. . place-kicking is w ; ell known, and he lias ; some reputation as a forward. Last Year's Premiers—Athletics. On paper .t must be said that last year's champions (Athletic) have a stronger team than that with which they V carried off the honours last season. Tho "• inclusion of E. Roberts behind the scrum will probably revolutionise iho team's .* back play. In recent Reasons the team has had many good individual backs, but 'iie.'S has - always been something wanting in tlm combination, ivach a versa'ile player as Roberts working with Evenson is certain " to make a big difference. Athletic are also to havo the services of Kelly, who '• played somo- rattling good games for Poneke last season at five-eighths and « who appears to bo an improved playti ."'. this season. Batt, a Westpr.rt represtn- " - tativo three-quarter, has also dunned tho blue and black jersey, and seems a good L' type.of fast-scoring back. - In the forward division, Hay, a Dunedin senior., forward, and R. Paton, an Otago •- . ropresentative, -and younger brother of the I more famous Paton, are new arrivals. • ' They will be much needed for the sterling : pack, that, headed, .the . Athletic rushes last year will be weakened by the loss of Osborno and probably Ready. It will bo a problem for the club's Selection Committee to choose between Murray and Cunningham for tho wing-forward position, but nc doubt some satisfactory ar,/rangement will be made.' Athletic Juniors—Reported Strong. •By "all accounts tho club will also be ■ • able to place a very strong junior team in the field. There is also a boom in the club's lower grades, but riot so great as would have been had tho Tarnnaki Street Gymnasium , not been lost. A couple of trips out to the Ilataitai Gymnasium oacli ■week 110 doubt presses rather heavily on the pockets of tho fourth and fiftlvclass *"' players. However, the club, expects that the new gymnasium in Arlington Street will be started any day now and when completed will bo very conveniently situated for members. And How-Fares-Poneke? " ! ' There are somo gaps in the ranks, of tho Poneke Club this season that will provo difficult, indeed, to fill.' Jlitchinson, who has- done such yeoman service for tho club for several seasons past, has gone to take up fanning yursuitsi in earnest, and will bo missing trom tho team. Tilyard, too, has left the city, and Walshe, another of the backs, has been transferred to Auckland, while Sothcran, who was one of the team's best forwards, is now '. to bo a resident or Oisborne. iThe Wellington Club. Last season the most noticeable thing about the Wellington Club was that tho senior team was very weak, and tho junior team very strong. This year a number of the juniors aro to bo moved ■up. In addition, it is expected that some of the new members will strengthen tho first fifteen. Potato, a Te Ante College half-back, .is among tho new men. On the whole, supporters of the club consider that tho senior team will bo stronger than usual. Tho club is putting two fourth-class teams in the field; which is a healthy sign, as last year difficulty was experienced in raising one fourth fifteen. Southern Stronger Than Ever. Southern, who established themselves well in popular favour last season, reckon on being considerably stronger than ever they have yet been. They will have a good sprinkling of now blood, and will make some promotions from junior ranks to the senior team. A back who is expected to tho senior team well is Fitzgerald, wlio hails from Christchurch. This player is said to be a fine kick, and to possess other eicollent Rugby qualities. He is to bo posted at full-back, and as this will necessitate tho removal of Capper (last jear's full-back), tho latter will probably • be used in the three-quarter line. An experienced five-eighths has been secured in Power, whose play is well-known in Auckland Power played for Oriental, in the ci'n fine! With Athletic last scasan. South-

em will, there is little doubt, use bim as a live-eighths. Among the new forwards will l'.o Uragge, a (lisborno footballer, wlio plays look. A promising "'St. J'at's" youth, I'. Keeney, lias joined the club, and is (it is understood) to be given an opportunity in Hie senior team. I,ast season Keeney was tlio "St. Pat's" lock. ~ . M'Donald (throe-quarter) and M'&mro (forward), two of thoso who did good service for the club in the past, will not wear the maroon jersey this year; both having left the city. Hut all the others who played in the senior team last year aro available —Houlihan, Bradley, Cnmpbell, Gallagher, etc. . Southern' did well last year, putting up some iino fights against the feams of big reputation. This year, let us hope, they will do better. If among tho newcomers wo may liavo omitted to mention they have a gentleman by tho name of Luck, they will. Old Boys and Autumn Leaves. The Old Boys have only a fair prospect of putting a team in the field which will be n factor in the championships. Tliey liavo lost several good pfayers, and their recruiting, being limited to players who have attended a school, is necessarily confined to a narrow field. Generally they fill the gaps in their senior ranks by promotions, and last year their junior team was only a weak one. This year, however, they have enough players to warrant them in again entering teams for tho third and fourth class competitions, in which tho club was not represented last year. Two useful plavers will be absent from the first fifteen's forward ranks this season—F. Alexander, who played pivot in the scrum, and Matthews, who was a fairly lively winger. Gilbert, the linlf-back, hurt his shoulder in the first practice a few weeks ago, and it is not likely that lie will be out again this year. Dawson will not play in tho first match, at anyrate, and perhaps not at all. . The only new players are Dmgan, lately of Wanganui, a sturdy forward who will probably be played in the lock position, and F|. 'Martin, of Napier, also a likelylooking forward. The Melrose Horizon. Just at the end of last season the Melroso Club were a thorn in the sido of several of the leading teams in the championship. Early in the year they had been a. gift to any team which met them, but as they developed the teams that met them found that it meant a littl? more than a day oft' to meet Melrose and beat them. poi[3Voa-n»Ai u MU iaq} qnq; st jobj oi(j, team of young players, and that they are liablo to improve. They have been noted for years for playing a most elementary dull*game, but it is not so long ago since this very game won them the championship. _ This year there is any amount of enthusiasm in.the club, and they ore sanguine of being able to win tho championship (perhaps), and certainly to bo there or thereabouts at the end of the tourney. They have not many new recruits this year—only one up to tho present—but as the season advances more may come along. There will be {.romotions, of course, and perhaps some of the old-timers will not need to come out again, but it is not yet possiblo to. say with certainty what will , bo the personnel of the senior team. The College Reform Party. : Like politics, Victoria College Club has its reform party. Just what they are trying to reform can only be seen by the outsider as "through a glass, darkly." Perhaps it is the management. Perhaps tho play. Perhaps both. But everyone aWho jiijqws,the interior of a University not need , to -be told ■ how ittiinsient-tlio best of. College-reforms must •^^^•>^ , 'Pndei'RAtdtfitt«i l, 'do'me ind go; each year sees old faces gone and new ones .there, and tho hand which lifts tho banner of progress this season is missing next— missing and forgotten. But-good luck to reform parties, and let lis trust that the Augean stables of Go-as-Yon-Pleaso .may not prove, in their cleansing, too Herculean a job for the present management, which, as tho communicative undergraduate tells you—with a ring of liopo in his voice—"contains a lot of new blood." In the first fifteen there are to be changes. Curtayne, last year's skipper, is an unlikely starter in tho llugby race ol 1812. "Bad knee," that perennial footballers' complaint, threatens to remove Robertson, \vho was one of the New Zealand University team that visited Sydney last year. "Knee," it is said, will also stop Stainton, while Brosnan, one of the 1911 forwards, is in similar plight—"his leg won't stand it." Theso aro the likely defections. How these gaps are to be filled up the voung reformers hardly know yet, but thero is one thing that they aro said to be hopeful about—daylight field practice, possibly about mid-day on several days a week. It will bo a great thing if they can carry it out, but can they? Classes go on all day., and one man's class time is another man's "off hour"; so it is hard to get tho whole fifteen together at one time. Still, as stated, they have hopes.