FOOTBALL.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXI, Issue 83, 8 April 1911, Page 14

FOOTBALL.

RUGBY. (By Dropkick.) With the 1 Oriental-Poneke and Petone-Melrose friendly mutual improvement and mutual benefit matches, the tootball season of 1911 receives its "cur-tain-raiser." There had been a good deal of quiet practicg before that, but these were the first appearances before the public in 1911.' «£hey were both very. -pleasant, friendly, games, a long way off "concert pitch." in form, but very entertaining to watch .withal. It does one good to see the rushing figures over the green at -Athletic Park, and the crowd on the bank and in the town getting in -tune for future "barracking." As indications of prospects, match was 'of much value. The ,only i other event was ' the Levin shield competition, the popular annual institution of the Wellington Club! The form shown in the various branches of kicking — legitimate kicking — was not very great. Neither line-kicks, pots at goal, nor long pots were of striking quality, but the running was much better. Lambert displayed once more his turn for speed, and on present' condition should pj'ove very useful again on the wing. ' , In his annual address on things in general ' to the v Wellington Rugby Union, Mr. D. D. Weir, inveighing •against: 'professionalism, happened to mention the name of Mr. Lewis Abrams, a fairly recent visitor from New South Wales, where for years he was a prominent" member of the Management Committee of the Rugby Union there. Now, I happened to meet with Mr. Abrams when he was in Wellington, and he discussed the whole mattea* over with me. He said he had become- a convert to "ohe Northern Union game as a game. He had been unwillingly converted, but, he- had to admit it was a far better "game to watch. The bulk of Sydney people were of that opinion, too, as was shown by their patronage of the League matches and the Union matches respectively during the visits of the Northern Union teams, the " All-Black " team, the Maori team, and the Californian representatives. . It was an absolute fact that the League game had carried all, before" it. There were full}'- four times as many stops for various things in the old game as there were in the new. Mr. Abrams was' a very strong advocate of compromise between the' two games .and their representative officials. This, he considered, was absolutely the only hope of saving football in Sydney. He advanced numeron* arguments m favour of granting payment to players for time and wages lost, pointing out that the present system under Rugby rules practically prohibited a player, who was not reasonably well-to-do, from representing his province or his country on tour. He suggested a maximum payment of 12s a day, the money to be forwarded to dependents of the player, if necessary, and 5s a day. pocket money, for returning the hospitality of hosts, etc. He considered it would be peace with honour to effect such a. compromise. Otherwise, it meant certain eventual defeat of the Rugby game. "Mr. Abrams mentioned also the consistent rumour that the League people, with their 'surplus, were out to spend a few thousands in an effort to capture New Zealand. If such a compromise, as he suggested meant cutting loose from th« English Rugby Union, well, let them cut away, and have an All-Australian game! There was plenty of room for it. The conduct of the League footballers and the Northern Union team that visited Ne-v South, Wales had been perfectly satisfactory. There had been blows struck on the field, but so had there been in New Zealand — he instanced a notorious case. - What was wanted was to keep the management of football absolutely pure and above reproach. If the officials were men of unimpeachable standing and integrity, they would never hear of gamea being bought and sold, or of any of the evils, usually ascribed by unthinking people, to any game where the question of payment came in. Incidentally, Mr. Abrams advocated a district scheme of football for Wellington, as in Sydney it had dimply revolutionised football. ' I am afraid Mr. Abrams, as the dove with the olive leaf, or whatever it as, will not find very much support in New Zealand. I do not say it is owing to any intrinsic superiority of New Zealand sportsmanship. It is, probably," just a matter of circumstances. That there is a sort of covert professionalism here is shown by the remarks of a speaker at the meeting of the union as to the offering of players jobs to play for certain clubs. It is common knowledge that this has been done in a good many pJaces in New Zealand before now. However, with the New Zealand Eugbx Union bo strongly entrench-

ed. with money and grounds, it is not likely that they would tolerate any intrusion by a foreign body". Besides, there is not the inducement in the way of big gates. It is said that in Sydney League football is watched by more than 20,000 people every Saturday. Can the sain© be said of Wellington football ? On the whole, we hava great cause to be thankful that th© commercial side of football is not "greater than it is. In the selection of "star" matches for the Park and the alteration of fixtures the Rugby Union goes quite far enough. Bift if the question does eventually arise, as it has arisen in Sydney, it will be. well to remember that the side which plays for the public the spectacular game will win hanSs down financially. That is quite clear from th© experience of Sydney. To be quite candid, the people who give the public what the public wants will win the public's money. In the meantime, the Rugby Union, will have to make the best of the position. It will have to give the public the best possible football it can to watch, and at the same time leave no loophole for the other side to get in insinuations such as Mr. Houghton, manager of the Northern Union team, made in remarks quoted by Mr. D. D. Weir in his lengthy oration — that the league people take money openly over the table, but the union take it covertly under the table._ Th© position will be watched ' with interest during the coming season, I both in Australia and here. Footballers who have to play on No. I,' Petone, this year will be pleased to hear that the ground is in first-class order, although on the hard side. Last Saturday the Petone-Melrose fixture in aid of the gymnasium funds was a good, ■willing go for so early in the season. The forwards played' hard, clean football, and a-re to be complimented on the good spirit in which the match was played. The Petone forwards are a good, strong pack this year, and with Ramsden, M'Kenzie, and the brothers Ryan in the backs, will take a,' lot of beating for championship honours. On the other hand, Melrose put up a plucky fight, and if they keep on training will surprise some of the other senior teams. The cabled information that the English Rugby ' Union has decided to' invite overseas delegates to attend meetings of the Rules Sub-Committee, and also General Committee meetings, when the laws of the game are under discussion, confirms private information received here some few weeks ago. While Mr. Harnett, managei' of the English football team, was in New Zealand, he was a,ble to discuss football matters with the New Zealand Executive, and was also able to see for himself how the game was conducted here. No doubthie influence was brought to bear when the question of colonial representation was under discussion, and it is a matter for congratulation that the relations between the Home Unioni and the colonial bodies are improving. It is anticipated in official circles that, judging by recent concessions, further recognition of the colonial bodies may be looked for in the near future. Several suggestions for the improvement of Rugby which emanated from the colonial unions were agreed to by the International Board, notably tho fiv-s yards throw-in, and the option of taking four spells instead of two.