FOOTBALL.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXX, Issue 5438, 21 June 1929, Page 2

FOOTBALL.

FIXTURES FOR TO-MORROW. REPRESENTATIVE TRIALS. The first trials of the Paeroa Rugby Union’s present season will take place at the Domain on Saturday, when A and B senior and A and B junior teams meet. All the players chosen have naturally been more or less outstanding in their work this year, and will be on their metal on Saturday to play their level best, remembering that places in the representative teams are at stake. In the list of players selected appear many new names among those who have in the past proved themselves worthy of selection. This new blood, fighting for recognition, will keep the games moving. In the schoolboys’ matches, to be played to-morrow morning, United plays Paeroa A at the Domain at 10.30, and Hikutaia plays Paeroa B at Hikutaia. The Paeroa B team will leave at 10.15 by bus. Following are the trial teams : — Seniors. A Team—Full-back, R. Rare (Suburbs) ; three quarters, McCollum (Pi-' rates), Bax (Pirates), Swann (West); five-eighths, McCollum (Pirates), McGarvey (Suburbs) ; half-back, H. A. Moore (East) ; rover, Nield (West) ; forwards. C. Vedder (Suburbs), F. Fitch (East), Tohu (lock) (Suburbs), Killgour (Pirates), Thomas (Suburbs), Killgour (Suburbs) Taylor (West). B. Team.—Full-back, D. Fraser (West) ; three-quarters, McNeil (East), Pullar (Pirates), Bennett (Suburbs) ; five-eighths, Royal (Suburbs), Mcßae (Suburbs) ; half-back, McKinnon (West) ; rover, Coldicutt (Pirates) ; forwards, E. Neil (East), N. Neil (East), Henderson (lock) (West), Beagley (West), Johnson (East), Duncan (Suburbs), Wyatt (Suburbs). Emergencies : Backs, Harper (Suburbs), Poland (West), Kusabs (East); forwards, Hamilton (West), Knight (West), Murray (East), Brown (West). Juniors. A Team.—Full-back, Bare (S) ; three-quarters, Curtis (E), Poland(W), Masters (E) ; five-eighths, Mead (E), Murphy (S) ; half-back, Hale (W) ; rover, Wall (E) ; forwards, Currie (W), McLeod (S), Gamble (lock) (E), Robinson (S), Miller (E), Ashcroft (E), Power (W). Emergencies : Nield (W), and Har greaves (W). B Team. —Full-back, Heslop (S) ; three-quarters, Tresidder (E), Potter' (S), Wilkinson (E) ; five-eighths, Kaio (W), Duffy (W) ; half-back, Catlin (S) ; rover, Morrison (S) ; forwards, Williams (W), Hohvell (E’», Capill (lock) (E), Thomas (S), Duffy (W), Smith (S), Clayton (E). Emergencies, Swift (S), and Gwilliam (W).

CRITICISM OF PLAYERS.

(By “Onlooker.”)

A good, even game was witnessed last Saturday in the Suburbs v. West match.

Tohu drop-kicked a nice goal, and is playing a good game this season ; he takes a ball very well. T. Killgour wants to learn the offside rule and he would then be a good forward. The Suburbs forwards all played a hard game. G. Royal played his best game this season, but he is inclined to give bad passes. Rare played another safe game.

The West team played very well and put up a good fight, Taylor played a good game, but needs to harden up a lot yet. Swann was kicking well, and should be an asset to the reps., as lie is a good goal-kicker. McKinnon played a good, game and should show up well in the trial game. East v. Pirates was a good game. McNeil, playing on the wing, is imnroving every game. McQuarters has played, better football; he has gone off a iot this season. Treanor was safe, but too slow. E. Moore still comes to light with his drop-kick, which very often puts his side on the winning list. Bax played a very safe game for Pirates and is a good line kick. Pullar is a better full-back than threequarter. - The McCollum brothers again played well. Pirates need a good leader. . The players selected for the rep. games require plenty of hard training, as there will be quite a lot of hard games for them this season. PAEROA RUGBY UNION. The regular meeting of the Paeroa Rugby Union management committee was held on Monday night, Mr J. Walmsley, in the unavoidable absence of Mr J. M. Crosby, presiding over Messrs W. Neil, J. W. Pratley, H. Robinson, and E. Shaw. Registrations. The application of West Club for the regrading of P. Poland from senior to junior was granted. It was decided to notify the secretary of Suburbs Club that the application for the registration of L. Fisher must be in writing. General. A letter from the Morrinsville Club asking for suitable referees for the Peace Cup matches was forwarded on to the Referees’ Association. The meeting decided to take no action on a circular letter from the Thames Union concerning the Peace Cup. The lowest tender for the conveyance of representative teams —that of the Waihi-Paeroa Transport Co.’s—was accepted. Messrs J. C. H. McDonald, W. Neil, and J. Walmsley were appointed voluntary gatekeepers for Saturday next. Mr Shaw reported that he had made satisfactory arrangements foy jerseys on Saturday.

The secretary vzas instructed to prrchase a football, to purchase some ribbons for official colours for Saturday, and to write thanking Mr L. Gibb for taking the position of official timekeeper for the season. The secretary was instructed to for

ward a letter of thanks to the Thames Rugby Union for the letter of information concerning boundaries. The following is a copy of the letter from the Thames Rugby Union referred to above :—

“I have to acknowledge receipt of your favour of the Sth to hand, and in reply thereto would like to explain the position more clearly. “After the conference in Paeroa a certain resolution creating a neutral zone for this season was passed by this union and duly forwaidcd to your union. Under date May 31 you acknowledged receipt of this resolution, and in the latter portion of the second paragraph of your letter the following words were used: “But before the season 1930 opens careful consideration of the accepted boundatifs of both unions should be definitely and harmoniously determined on.” The resolution carried at a meeting of my union on June 4 was in reference to this paragraph, which infers that ’be boundary question be reopened in 1930, the resolution intimating that as far as this union was concerned that the boundary agreed on in 1921 would be strictly enforced, and that as far as this union is concerned all discussion on the question of the boundaries was closed.

“I trust that this explanation clears the matter. For the balance of this season a certain neutral zone is in existence, but after that the boundaries agreed on in 1921 must stand.”

OBSTRUCTION & ITS PENALTIES

The following is from a paper read to members of the Wellington Referees’ Association by Mr D. McKenzie, resident of the N.Z. Referees’ Association :—

Law 19 (a) reads : “No player running for the ball shall charge an opponent also running for the ball, except shoulder to shoulder. A player who is not running for the ball must not charge or obstruct an opponent not holding the ball.” Law 19 (e) reads : “A player not himself running for the ball must r.< t wilfully charge or obstruct an opponent who has just kicked the ball.” There are penalties provided for breaches of both these sub-sect ior.:s of Law 19, an z d they will be referred to in due course in my paper.

It will be noticed in both cases that the words “charge or obstruct” are joined together' in the one sentence, conveying the idea that to all intents and purposes they are the outcome of the one offence.

The first thing to make clear or determine upon, in my opinion, is : What does obstruction in the playing of Rugby football really mean ? To help me to a determination, I got hold of a dictionary and discovered that “to obstruct” means several things, namely, “to block up,” “to hinder,” “to interrupt,” “to retard,” “to render slow,’’ “to stop,” “to impede,” “to oppose.” And then a little further investigation enabled me to discover that “to impede” was “to entangle .the feet,” “to stop the progress,” “to hamper” ; and “to retard” means “to prevent from progress.” It seems, therefore, that the term “obstruction” may be held to cover a lot of happenings in the game of Rugby football if one is so minded to make that term do so.

On the line-out a player secures possession of the ball and places it between himself and one of his own side in such a position that none of the opposition can play it. This action undoubtedly "stops the progress” of the ball towards either goal, ahd is obstruction according to the dictionary interpretation A player is dribbling the ball, and an oppounet, in seeking to stop his progress, bumps into him so that his feet become entangled one with the other, and he falls to the ground. This is another instance of obstruction according to the dictionary. A player following up after the ball • meets two opponents between him and the player with the ba,ll in his possession. They do not interfere in any way wtih the charging player, but as the latter has to fun round them to reach the man with the ball they undoubtedly “hinder” him in bis efforts to reach the ball.

The ball is coming out of the scrummage to the half-back, and the ’.ringforward, in following through, finds an opponent has detached himself from the scrummage, and to avoid running into him is “retarded” in his desire to prevent the half-back from passing the ball. A dribbling rush is in progress - you don’t see many really good ones these days—and a fine movement is developing. An opposing back, with true heroism, drops down on the ball at the risk of a kick from one or other of the dribbling forwards, and stops the progress of the play towards his goal-line. He undoubtedly “interrupts” the movement, and the act is one of obstruction according to the dictionary., These instances could be multiplied —probably members are thinking of others as I am talking. If they are, my wish is that they will make notes of them*so that they can be referred to in the discussion following my statements.

The item that caused this paper to be written, however, should be referred to before I leave this phase of my subject. The ball and several players are on the ground, and one of the players reaches out and places his leg on the ball, effectively “hampering” any of his opponents from playing the ball.

A passing rush is in progress. When the five-eighths gets the ball the opposing wing three-quarter runs in between the centre and wing three-quar-ter, and continues in that position. He undoubtedly does that to “hinder” the wing three-quarter from taking part in the rush.

A forward follows through a kick fast, and gets on to the opposing back as soon as he handles the ball; He pushes him over, effectively preventing the back referred to any opportunity of making progress with the ball.

Do these things I have drawn attention to come within the meaning of . W ■■ “obstruction” according to the rules of Rugby ?