FOOTBALL.

Hokitika Guardian, 19 April 1923, Page 4

FOOTBALL.

OPENING OE COMPETITIONS. j Saturday aftcmoon will sec the opening games of the comi etitions under the V.'cstlitiid Kiib-Enion. The coinin'; season promi-os to he r.n interesting one. .mil players all through the district are getting iciidy for the play. Tlie Westland Suh-l'nion this year has three competitions Senior. Junior, and Tim 1 1 Crude, and though the latter j ha- not drawn more than three entries, the play should assist to luing forward some juniors to fill the higher places later. The senior cup competition has drawn 1 live teams. Kumara- having dropped out 1 this year. The play should prove in- • tere-liug as the season proceeds. In the joniir cup compel it ii n. there teams ell lei oil, each ol the I sol.i'.i I I'di- entering a loam except ; i. ii iled while I! Uimu ami Ant- j hura malte up the unmeet. s The tilt ee third grade team- are nil- j known <| i la 111 ilie- Willi the except inn j o| lie s. hod. who should 1.0 aide io| give good a 0,11111 ol lliouisolve-. Sn IHl'dn v's games should result in I he teams who have given the most attention to getting into form having me host of the piny. The we.uher ceiidi- ! lions at present piomi-e to ho warm enough to try out the condition of ; t!n,.-o playing;. ! WEST COAST HECHY ENioN. At It' meeting on 'I lie-day evening .It Cf.-ymmith the Comniiitec of the We-t Coast Rugby I ni>;u dealt with | the follow iiig local mat tors : - I 'ldm proposal to siihslitute the thfOC- ! two-tlirec seriinunage lor the wing lorj ward, suggested hy Mr Dean (manager ~f the All [Hack team w hi, h recently ; visited Vustralia! wuu discussed at some length. The fnioii'- delegate to i t |,e X.Z. IJiighv Cnion was instructed to support the reeommeiidalioii at the i annual meeting of the parent holly, ji The 1011, wing players wen- reeoni--1 mended I'm ro-instatement : A. E. | | Stevens, ami J . Johnston (I lokil ika i. |; 11. McCarthy ami 11. Ihown (Greyj moiuhi. J. I la is t y ( Hhiekhnll R Davis | I ( Waiiim). and McKay (Monnn'l. j ; It was resulted to siippm t the claims j i of the Southland Rugby I uiott to j ; have the Inter-Maud match played at 1 | l iivcivargill. I ! T|, e pretest of the Hokitika Mar.-i ; 1-oot In-11 (Jtih again-!., 'it- exclusion i from the competitions hy the We.-tland | \ .Sub-Ciiion. It was re-oivo I : 1 ‘ i Dot | i this | ‘ 11 i 11 ; i considers this matter to oa a ! one of i ii i (‘iim I umnagemeiit of the | I Westland S'!b-1 nton's own compel iJ | that therefore this I nion ivniml enter* | : tain the appeal. | .Messrs Gilloolv and .M, Mala n wa.tec | I mi the Cnioii in leleretiee to the matI i ter and it was decided to inform then jj j that if the West iaml Suh-Cnion vex J j pig’- pared to reeoii'ii'el iI -llecisioit. t ln | | Jir<■ |-a red to -end. without prejudi e | | two delegates to llokitil-a with tile | i ieet of coining to a xai isfaeti.ry - oh. lint | i of the difficulty. | j AMENDED UCI.EW DfSDCTE. | • -I list at present there is a great con 1 ! ! ’uvcl'.sv l aging as to the all'act ol tin 1 l "ol rule ]•>' kick ill"; into touch I u rile: I , a mu'! !c 1 rii .-orihe i, There are lientei | :i r -.-I:>"( nt.s going on w herever foot ? ; go. ' ! i till,! II 1 11 c.l.e, me,,', ' ! 1", e i a! of I’upliy. let its d, a I v 11 1 "■w or two ph.t ol the game as :d|V, I ol h> the liiiplica I mu of 1 lie rule. T. '■ "I us who play'd the game, \ o', IT ! W eiitv < ears a "to. I he old rillrn i ■ ■! a famous phi;, or that Dm bull w a hteki d to gain ground am; : 1 i, w fill t: ! o oi'e was put into prie i ice tr.u-• eil'-et- ; :vel.\ in two wavs. Sonic teams .special ■ i- "ft in long touch-kicking to lirinj. thou men no to within .striking d ist a tn-o i ,1 I lie oppoiicn 1 s' line. I i,, i when an opening lame, very I i 1. ■ I \ ; pas-ing rush and a -tore re-ulte.l. or ; pretty strenuous light took plain unti tiny were riouis. (I. One thing -tom out very clearly though - the other sid; did II >t have the hall given to I hem. The oilier style ell’eiTed win the eon 'tent passing and running, and lie 1,0,1 . of get ting the last man in. Tin various tennis in their rospiviiv siyKdid play thoroughly, and the men uon ! ’ -1 in 11 v I re. im d into tip-top condi l ion .Vl any rale it was Usual to -••(• “ivp.' to,me ji!-lying with a delinii" sy- leu el tail in-. The culminating point o our football was reached in Ib'lKi whet the great iwuii whiel: visits d Austndi." that .season, and I suppose that a heller team, will he a long time arising As an attacking forte they v. ere supreme, anti their etjual has never heel seen in the Dominion, not withstand ing the 1 JTi teem which toured tin I'nited Knigdom. At IDlghv School there is a plait eommemoratiiig the mi of W ilium Wehh Ellis in picking up toe hall ant I running v ith it. That happened 11 i |S-j;h it is well for our piav r- to rememher that, the aetioi. ol running with the hull constitutes the pecidiai charm of llughy football. If one thinks linen over the foot hall season of ]i)'2J one eannot hut 1 1 • ■ 1 1 being struck witn toe fact that tuuniug with tl’.c hall i- a lost art. (lot saw two packs of forwards training and heaving- biting and lighting like a j ,i( - !r of doge- on a lame- to get the hall out to the hacks, when hey presto away ii went sailing merrily over i< the other side, kicked away as if it y.-ei'f a. hot potato. Then one saw the hall kicked hack again, and so on ad infinitum until the game got utterly wearisome. Of eatu'se, .-onie will say that it the new rule hn«.l not been in on<r:>lion the hall would have been kicked out oi pla.v. I’crluips so. Imt then the hall was heeled to enable the hacks tn make some use ol it. and too try to score tries, for I have already said that the players must: run to score. When then should it reipiiie any rule to a< t as a spur to men to run with the ball under their ana as- if their lives depended upon it The old player who coached me wag a famous, man of his day. and his rule wa> that having once got the hall, it should l,e kept by main force, and the other side had to take it by 4 force—not have it given to them. THE THRKE-QEARTKR LINE. The same scribe comments The three-quarter line is the l>n< k-lmne of a team. I’rop.-ily handled it should be one of the greatest scoring mediumwhich a fifteen possos-es. in deieiKe it can and -liould smother many an attack which would prove too solid for the full-hack alone. Every memher of tin- threc-ipinrter line must rememhi-r that lie has two entities. He i- part of a macldne. and in general his play -lionhi he in conihinatioti with the other two men inside, or all his elforts will he comparatively useless. On the other hand, he must never fail to -t 'tin- opportunity, when opportunity ali'ers of “going on ids own." A slav-i-l. adiiereneo to eomhinntion ruins hack play, making it mechanical and generally ineffective. On the other hand, too much individualism, especially. on the part ol men in the centre positions, will never win a match, except against mugs. The basis of all three-quarter play must be a combination with the five-eighths and half. The centre, however, should ho prepared to take a lone hand whenever anything is offering, and to back up his wing on all occasions. The sooner the centre realises his duty, and his

dual function, tho better, and if he cannot blend the two he should give up the inside position. The opportunities to a fast straight running centre, who i- :i reasonably decent kick, and can work with bis w.ings are enormous. Fit attack, even with a pair of unenterprising live-eighths alongside him. he can do a great deal provided they let him have the ball. In defence he can cover himself with glory. And lie should on occasion, never forget the South African’s maximum that, altc-r j all, in a wide-spread out field, it often j pays to sling the ball out to the winger j ns qni. kT.v as possible. To this end he j should practise the short cross kick, j and the foot pass. But he must know j his wing. When he receives the hall he must streak for the opposite goal-line. The more he runs towards the touch-line, generally speaking, the worse player he j-. If the defence is solid, and he ! ran make little progress, he must de--hie at (glee whether to transfer the ; ball in-idc or outside, or whether the ! next man can do any better at 1 all. There is much to he said, in certain circumstances, for "hanging on. lie should remember, too, that d the n an next door to him. w ith-cuL ion,a it. is not milch belter than the centre himself, he is little likely to attempt any more than is alreaiK beiiin done. This is the only time when a short kill; over (Ic opponent's heads and away from the full-back should he o,cd. But the kirk must he short or ! In- man behind it must be !a-t "11 ! Inmark and able to overhaul an opponent who has several yards start. I'ules' the man to whom the hall is trnusierred Is in a reasonable position to do something whs' not go on your own. II \ uti next door neighbour lias two opppnetil' waiting to pome e on him you ale throwing away a chance. And unless that man is a world heater, far better U, indulge in the sally vein self. And don't neglect the "dummy."