DISAPPOINTING TRIALS

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20054, 28 September 1939, Page 9

DISAPPOINTING TRIALS

POTENTIAL ALL BLACKS LINE-OUT PLAY POOR REVIEW OF PERFORMANCES (Por Press Association.) WELLINGTON, this day. Tlie second series of All. Black trials at Athletic Park yesterday ran true to form. Largely because of injuries and the return home of some of the leading players, the teams underwent several changes and played accordingly. There was neither the atmosphere nor the quality that marked Saturday’s trial and the North-South match.

Conditions were ideal and the crowd numbered 4000. Wesney’s team defeated Crossman's team by 31 points to 19 in the first game, which was vastly superior to the second, in which Barton’s team had an easy win against McAuliffe’s team by 26 points to 3, but the actual results were immaterial, though the extent to which the teams settled down had some bearing on the form of the players.

In the first game there was some semblance of cohesive and constructive work. • There was at least a clear-pattern attack, but the second game was vgry much akin to a crossword puzzle, and must have given the sole selector, Mr. E. McKenzie, a headache trying to piece together the scraps that contribute to something worth while.

Both games emphasised the paucity of good line-out forwards in the country. Of the 32 forwards, there were scarcely more than three or four who took the ball cleanly. For the most part the ball bobbled about the lineouts, with players becoming tangled in the wrong side of the rucks, which were clumsily packed, thus preventing quick heeling. Difficult to Show Form It is extremely difficult for players to show their true worth when football slumps in this manner. There were some who came through the ordeal with credit, but many were no better than average club standard. Quite a number of useful backs were seen in action, but few rose to great heights.

To sum up, the trials contributed little to what is already known. Of those who played on Saturday, King, McKenzie, Herron, Jackson. George, Bowman. Parkhill, Saxton Sullivan and Sutherland were either stood down or had returned home.

Taylor was the best of the fullbacks though he failed to reproduce his form of Saturday. Morrison was on the field for one spell only, hut opportunities came his way and he clearly showed that he is in the best class. Wesney was the essence of soundness, and was a cut above the

other centres on the day. Grace and Crossman were the pick of the fiveeighths, with two newcomers in Brady, Auckland, and Welch, Wanganui, making a good impression. Tindill was easily the best half. The forwards who impressed were Williams. Mason, Cassidy, Ward, McLean, McPhail and McDonald. Catley had an interesting hooking duel with Lambourn, the 'honours go Mg to the latter, but not by a very substantial margin.