Association Football.

Free Lance, Volume III, Issue 111, 16 August 1902, Page 6

Association Football.

By Centre Forward.

The locaJ celebration of the Coionation did not interfere with the attendance of players and spectators at Mnamar on Saturday. There was little to pick between the two teams, gauged by the afternoon's play, but this is no criterion of the worth of probable lepiesentatives. The game killed time as, effect n eh as wandering in and out of lefieshment rooms and gazing on military displa\ s and junketing crowds would have done AJso, theplajois weie in nobody's w av The wind blew whither it listed as usual, and pi evented any particular player doing anything startling. Some good play was noticed a,t times, but it cannot be said the combination of tho 'lirobable" forwards was by an means up to the mark » » * Of the two goalheepers, Fitzgeiald easily out-classed Kober. Kobei'« saves are not very clean, and he very often mulls the ball, the result geneialy being to help the opposition. Of the full-backs, I should select H Renai and White. Although Amies was among the probables, Renai clearly established his superiority over him. Amies's strong kicking is a point in his favour, but for safety and promptitude Renai must be given first place Wellington is well off for half-backs this season, and, these being the most important division, Wellington's chances against' Otago Avould seem to be very rosy. My selection would be Nagle in the centre, E. L. Renai on the right, and Reynolds on the left, but Reynolds may find an opponent m "Joe" Taylor. Joe has hitherto always played in the centre and Reynolds inva.riabiv on the left. The selector's disposal of a position may affect the working of the team, and disorganise the respective tactics of a centre and left half. In the forward line, two claimants to representative honours must be excluded, owing respectively to inability to obtain leave and sickness. They are Mouatt and Philips. The only other centre forward woithy of consideration is Brodie. His only i fault is bad shooting. In the open he i centralises play with great effect, and i

makes a, good pi\ ot toi coiiibnidtion. He appeals to hesitate \\ lien m tiont of the goal, and when he does shoot his shots lack sting. = Wells, Smelhe, Hatliaway, and Moinsou, m my opinion, complete a good set of foi wards. Hathaway and Wells are : two fine outsiders, and centie the ball beautifully, and, m consequence, then centie font aid must be always leady to make himself equal to an> emergence . There can be no doubt about Morny son, but Smolhe's inclusion is pioblematicaJ. Howevei Smelhe is a ver\ con- > sistent playei, and takes a. kmdlv interest in the game. At times his passing is inaccurate, but, on the whole, he acquits himself creditably * * * By showing a detei mined hont, the Wellington Football Association piactically forced the hands of the Otago both to share the gate leceipt.s of tKe interprovincia] match to take vlaee in Dunedin between Wellington and Otago. As the ananged progiamme foi this season's' mterprovmcial matches had fallen through Wellington was anxious to a,nauge a fixture with Otago, but the latter*, decision to allow- the visitors no share of the gate made the local body arise in its wrath to face Otago's calm and selfish stand in the matter. * # * The giving away of the Blown Sine'. 1 to one centre because another does not play for it is ridiculous. Why should Auckland receive the shield when it never won it and why should WTelhii£ton suffer an injustice m not being given a chance for its possession P The bungle of the New Zealand Association m giving the shield to Otago last season, ond again slighting Welhnoton this season, clearly shows its mcompetency to grapple with such an import ant matter. The various Associations apparently arrange their own fixtures irrespective of the decisions of the New Zealand Association, and if the ruling body is ignored it should either make the* offending body bow to its mling 01 else lelinquish its control ovei that body. For a subordinate body to dictate and defy its superior is unreasonable, and unless the New Zealand Association arouses itself to a sense of its duty and importance, the ground will be cut from under its feet, and it must inevitably fall. The despatch of the lepresentativo tea pi will necessitate the raising of funds, and Treasurer Roberts will have to set to work to gather coin Las'-

yeai he was very successful m laising the wherewithal, a:id there is every pra&ipeet of success again attending hi's efforts this season. * + The introduction of the coupon system, as worked in English League fixtures, by the honorary treasurer, is one which is hkely to claim popular favour, haeh player, by application to the tiea&ureir, receives a coupon with four chances; to pick the winning teams in the senior championship matches each Saturday, with the respective scores in each match. The winner who fills in a coupon correctly each Saturday will received a sma.ll prize. The interest in the game which follows m the trail of this novel foim of prognostication is remarkable, and at tames exciting. The results will be announced at the smoke concerts held fy. en '_ Saturday evening. The selector (Mr Koberts) will announce the players to represent Wellington against Ota^o at the smoker this evening. * ■* * There was a peculiarity about the shape of the ball which was played with in the- Wellington-Auckland match in We'l-.ngton lavfc year. It was noticed tii at one of the quarters was perfect! v Hat and many were the conjectures as to the cause of the defect. On deflating it the other day, two bladders were discovered in the case, which accounted for the 'wimred bird" appearance as the ball was falling to the ground