FOOTBALL.

Otaki Mail, 2 July 1923, Page 4

FOOTBALL.

H. V/. DEFEATS MAO SIS. ALLEGATIONS OF UOUGII PLAY, j The Ivluotis, holders ui Ihe "asho-, 1 have come to New tsoutn \v ales ugu.u j Mis year to defend Wteir right to re- ] uiui lUeui. ru'ceuily, til me Siio.v ; Ground, New South w ales ileiuoii-hivt-! ctl that tile visitors will have to l'iay ; a little Letter luutbull it they want w ! take the coveted hashes'’'back to Ne .v : Zealand i»ays -a Sydney writer under’ date ol tue 17tlr insl). Though N.SAV. only won by tr ! points to S 3, the term “belter football' j is advisedly, lor a men can 1 i play Ins best looiball and.fight at. the j same time. It is painful enough to have lo n ten to such niaitlei's under any Uicun; lances, but when a visiting side' n mostly eoncemed, it. is io be more ic- : gret-ted. There w ere several occasion ; ■ yesterday when the reteree wool have been j u-til iort in ordering pit tv- I' ets trout lite Held.: and yet he didn't | In nis leniency during the early par | ol the game, lies the seal ol the t’e-- j| givt table "affair--” that dtaraeteii c j the later si ages of Hie game. .Mi i \damson seemed to have completely lost etnit I'd. And after vviiut bad been j said til. public and somi-utiblh. ivtne lions by .Maori spokesmen ttbuhit ‘ink- jj ing 'he' do leal as sportsmen,’’ one ran only wonder exactly what- constitutes ! spotstmansiiip. Is it vehement, do- j min'cialion of a referee hy the players . as tliev are striding back to the dress- 1 ing-room alter having been defeated i* j Is it repealed questioning ol the referee's decisions? Is it the flippant backattswerittg of the referee when lie has j occasion To speak to a player? j \nd is sportsmanship to be found > in the persistent punching of opponcuts, whether they have the hall nr ; 110 l v This, perhaps, wtts Hie greatest Plot on ui game of great, brilliance .-1111] speed. The Maoris have abolished. 1-hoy vny. the wing forward. Hut i'll hh' place they have to put what they call A. “rover!" who, the visitors claimed, was renllv an extra, hack. According 1,-, one plover's interpretation of hr own functions, the “rover” is still the some oh! wing forward, with roving , to commit all sorb; ol breaches. And all Ibis went on in frill v j, (V ttic la.aatl people who went I" mis great game. Tile referee didn’t x-e it. Bui at the interval he bdd oHiej;,|; ~| (1,,, r.itghy I'nion lltal if I '‘ penalised Hie Maoris for every hreac.lt il,ev eommiitcd he would have heeu . i,i,,wine Ids whistle all Hie time! 1 f >w were IM.ll,Ted's eyes badly r 11 1 — 1 0>f I, of them.? , . , , ~„ 1 li is a llinttsand pities that them . tiiisavoi'v ineidenls protruded ''tin made Ihemselve-- imlieeahte above hnh . Haul exposilion of Ibe learn:- n.s a whole. Fn rli tit lately. Htey were mn--1 ilied lo only a few of the players. \,i| 1 a,|- a niothenl do I believe fh:u > he , Maoris were (he only offenders : toil I thev were Hie chief offenders, f \i ihe eommencemeni of I'ne game I, side was given a routing reception. Enthusiasm was al fever beat, for tlio pood reports Hint hnd preceded jljp visitors, coupled with linppy memorips of last rear’s tests, had worked up ihe spirits' of the crowd.

' THE REPRESENTATIVE GAME. NOTES ON Tin: I'l .AY. I mrowlieima’s win against Mmmwntu in tlin rep. game on Saturday is particularly valuable from one point of view—if, comes n»; a prompt and complete justification of the policy of ceiling Die team together for a term before the rnalcli'. Country i earns atv j not in the same position, anti cannot be com pared with City Unions, wit ere the same necessity does not exist in lit is respect, for whereas the, City un- [ ion can get its rep. team together with | out difficulty on half holidays, and in ■ gymnasiums «i odd limes, the seat- . I'ereti country union finds this irn- ' possible. T! ;nt the- Country Union.- possess I men of great promise cannot be chrnied. but under the old arangcdnetsi, of the team meeting for the first, times .suffered doubly in that they were unable to put up the showing for their side that a term of concerted play ? 'wonid allow, end failing here, they failed also to catch .the eye of the ..All-Black selector who must judge 'choir ability on the. performance they put up under a severe handicap. How---ever good a man may be —indeed, however good a. team of individuals may be, they cannot.'playing a- individuals and no l as a team, give a high denmnsiraiion df fool*hall, and (his fuel lias had a bearing on die poor representation of Country Union.- in Ml-P.pKk teams. Every, player has little peculiarities of style ; and temperament which can only'bee disiowered hv playing alongside him - I me man is peculiarly filfed to deal with one siiuaiion and another with a. different one. and as in good football? it is the little things that count, at knowledge of all these points i ? essen-_> Hat. Even granted that each player; is highly efficient in bis particular? place in the game, the knowledge by,* players of one another as ami not merely as parts of a minchinet , r.-dahlishes an understanding which iy- 1 invaluable. . > I tornwhoniia’s move in ibis diivuiinn is one width might If - on sly copied by all Country i'nioy'. Mready a -irons movement is‘on fo>)>E i Inaugurated by tiie City Unions, U 1 j force amalgamation lteiweep Ihesy. j and *he best. argument in favour Tp , the suggested amalgamation' is (/W j / 1 < t that the averagi- coirntry miygn : put - up such a pitiable -ko'-vylig againsf -a Ciiv team in rep- fixhi/es. j In doing this the Country I'p/ons ; would tf merely fighting for fheir/verv existence, and a knowledge ox this fact it is’hoped, will prevent any back I , .sliding In this Union from’Thef policy j inaugurated before last, week’-/match, j Nothing would be more natural nor more fatal at the present .(tincture than an attack of “swelled heaoS.” and the Union will do well to reriVernbeT that it was tim “do or die” /feeling \ With which the team went onv-to the j i, field which wap in a great measure j i responsible for ihe win-and fb<m slight- < * esf, slackness may result in a Reserved defeat. ~ J Corning to the gan/e itself, /there Is i no question that jforowhenVta had 1 Wanawatu beaten in'every derfgirtrpent i of the game. ' The fjorewrier.vi.a hacks ' opened without cnfifidencc-. rumbling i the bat] rather badly on sefveral oc- | caglon=. hut after ihe first A a n rnln- i utes. settled down ‘and worked togeth- > er like clockwork. y Bat elector. Ihe • Otftk! five-eighths wa« easilv Vhe most t conspicuous hack on ,• the field, with > Udy and WelU a good -econjd. > Batchelor played .brilliantly from ; The word go, and ofh -peed./fine kick- ! ins, tackling. and'-.trickinesJ when he , got the ball were ; .u-efnl artor- in 1 lforowhenua's success. , J Udy. who has .played tnH-i>acP. for \ otflki during the’ season.yhaav be said j to have discovered bis (position as a l wing three-r?nfirt{i':, whew* he will "nave I oppbrUwiH- -r, bb f/per-d. -ackUng. Sand kicking tq 'full fidvaniage. He J and Wells between ihe/rh, easily -bared j the- honour, of-being the best . ihree(fuarter? on He is a'vonog player—one of-'-dasy year’s pin tors, and he has a long p.exxa'oi rep. footban before him. ' f WePs fully i’V-lifie ;i his inclusion tn the team. His hayed ling of the ball

~m e he sell led down In the truin' 1 , wn, fAuHles--. Me was :iI way s on ****• s|lU t \\ In-11 there wax nil opening and was at times. brilliant, showing up ,• oiis]iii nniii! v mi -I vernl of .visions. A-‘ nidi', t. Mi li 'iiaiii was welijda. ad. Although siii'lnnii" from a le',| iiand lift gave ample proof' of hi* old safeness in taking a ball, and lie n<n<r failed to get if away cleanly to till* pa,-p.; ir the hookers gave him lirdf a chance. Mein Johnson a* fiill-hin'l: did .-nine great work, llis line kiejsjng caved some awkward r-ituaHinns and hi* taci<lin". especially in the ln-t. spoil of Inc gnme which re.-ullyd in Mcuuiwatu a second score, was absolutely deadly. Time offer lime lie we* 'die' only rnnn between Man-awnfn nod a certain score and he efived the situation every 111110. In the forwards. Jacob unquestionniiiv showed up os the host rnnn on the held. Xever lr:=d,'<i. he never rni--*ed an opportunity, seeing in a. flash the right thing '<> do. arid done' : it. ffe made every u »* '-t 10= w and played a fine, sporting, nnwin-h miiiwy in every particul if. \rnong the rematr-b-r me ward* Movnihan showed up nm.st 0011spicnonslv. A tremendous worker, no was always to the front in every attack. whilst in his place as breakaway he wo* a- good as aii • xira wing >nrwivVd Tana, Howell. Rronghlon. Gardiner arid Ithodes all played storiinf gameo : hc .-r ■ fl ';r rushes hammering tb - M-mawntn defence ir, a frazzle. AVogefher on >*■ nrdav’s play it would v.e difficult o find a weak link in.the leani, ami tne selector Mr .1. T. O’Connor, lias every reason <o he satisfied with his indgrnem ft 'heir me’For M-i.Jwn: 1. My m Mi- p nwird was deadly, fading practically every rush, on lo'Horowhehon’s, »w rimry 11 ml saving from very nv.t rd position-, more than once. Carroll and Mullins as hooker, gw )},!■ I,ad. Carroll being parikuturlv good in Uns respect. IId'i’.vu wfth a reputation, and justified it. , , . , Mai re. who '■ How s place at h-U after Hip jaiiei- was knocked out p’ayPl | ''Odd game, slewing up eoiispie-u,*u-’y lint it must he mricmlwrcd that lie came on fresh among fired mnn. The only other Manawahi pl^v f ' 3 who caught tlio eye v.*;;••• f3roph%, played a safe ° l! •’ nre * - j rniarter.