ASSOCIATION.

Otago Witness, Issue 2895, 8 September 1909, Page 60

ASSOCIATION.

i By Left Wing.

r £t was -an equitable and sportsmanlike - Becision that the Christian Bros, and Nor- | . *hern B should be declared joint winners ; 'of the Third Grade competition. The I I teams have now played two drawn games i > in the effort to decido the supremacy, and j it is fitting -that they should share the j f coveted distinction. The positions of the j teams engaged in this competition are as . follows : —

Alliance 10 3 7 8 81 8 The two final drawn games between Northern B and Christian Brothers are not included in the above records. Culling Park was in gcod condition for the Third Grade final, but combination! was spoilt bj a strong north-east wind 1 blowing across the ground. Northern, who < lost the toss, kicked off with wind and" • eun in their favour, and immediately attacked. Play was for a considerable time very even, and hovered about half way, ' 1 until Greers' forwards broke a-way, and! j M'Donald sent in a long- shot, which Hcgg , safely fielded. Northern by strenuous g jilay invaded 'Greens' territory, and, forced | •three coiners in quick succession, but failed 1 to score Play from this stage to halftime was mostly of the big-kicking variety. a due mainly to the wind, though Northern v •evera' times hovered round Greens' goal. l Half-time, no score. From the kick-off J Greens' etrenuously attacked, but Northern ' backs proved equal to the strain. From a ' pass fiom his right winger Connor drove J .wildly at goal, placing the ball outside. v 'A free kick in front of Greens' goal o placed them on the defensive, but the fcall was kicked over the bar. Greens c then retaliated, and Hogij was called upon c to save -twice in quick succession. Play t of a very uninteresting nature followed, t being practically all line work. Greens v got decidedly the best of it through the p weakness of Northern's left half. O'Con- p nell next lost a chance, and Hogg again o etopped a hard shot from Fitzgerald. In t< ffehe last 10 minutes Northern several times {] feroke away and looked like scoring, but t shesitanoy in front of goal proved their -undoing. Shorly after this the whistle q sounded, and a very fast and even game without either side scoring. Mr M'Gi'llivray controlled the gome to the satisfaction of all. P The proposed visit of an Otago team to ° Wellington in quest of the Brown Shield; !■; has been abandoned. The uncertainty of " da/tee, the lateness of the season, and the inability to secure a sufficiently strong side *'• •comprise the reasons. A capital back r team was available, but the forward line '' was not representative, of O-tago's best. F 'Am? nothing but Otago's best had much I chance against Wellington. The intima- t tion will be received in Wellington with- i out the shedding of tears. Evidently they c are being surfeited with Brown Shield matches this year. Last Saturday's issue v «Df the Post has the following: — J The news that Otago has definitely for- v "warded a challenge for the Brown Shield i ■will not bo very welcome to a large I .number of AssociatioD followers, who f .would like to see the end of these Brown ' t Shield matches. Not that they are ncr- I vous about the ability of Wellington to ' r Tetain the shield, bit' it makes the final j, struggle for possession very belated. The g challenge itself was belated— it was not leoeived till Monday, just two days be- J ( -fore the date by which it could he y officially received. Even now there seems I to be a doubt as to whether the chal- [ lenge is quite in order— -the point will j doubtless be settled at an early meeting j of the New Zealand Council. Congratulations to the Christian Bros. A, A rffrh© nave won the Schools' Senior Cup V (losing only one match during the season), *nd to the High School A, winners of * the Schools' Junior Cup. School teams * *re reminded that entries for the five-aside r oompetitions, which take place on Septem- a *per 25, dose on Saturday, 11th inst. &, Arrangements in connection with the *

visit of the Otago schools'- team to Wellington dare cost 'practically 1 completed, thanks mainly to the exceptional services of the secretary, Mt Meckay. The necessary funds are. if not in hand to the last pound, within sight. Messrs Mackay and Watt will take charge of the team as manager and coach respectively. The team will leave Dunedin on Tuesday next by the fimt express, returning' by the. second express tie following Tuesday. There is a likelihood of a game in Chrietchurch with the combined Canterbury schools on the way up. The touring- team will be as follows : — Goal, Burke ; full backs, Roughan, Alloo; halves— Baton, Nicholson, Orr; forwards — Booker, Bailey, M'DonaJd, Holmes, Dey; reserves — Brown, Hutton, Mason. The way now seems clear for the holding of the match between the ancient and modern Northern representatives ,on September 18. Sundry scions of the old stock have been applying themselves diligently to the old methods of training. Northern ground 1 , if in condition, will doubtless be the venue. It has been suggested that a reunion might be held 1 in the evening after the game. The trouble between the professionals and the English Football Association is mainly c matter of money. The E.F.A. lays down that the maximum wage which any club may pay to its player is £4 per week the year round. The wealthy clubs could pay more, and would do go for epecial ability bat for the Association's limitation. As a matter of fact, it is well knowp that in spite of the regulation clubs- find "ways of offering special inducements to good players. The players, of course, have all along 1 fought for the abolition of the fixed maximum. A Players' Union was formed, and this union alHeid iteelf -to the Federated Trades' Association, which espoused its cause. The E.F.A. issued an ultimatum to the effect that ail players who refused to resign from the Players' Union would be disqualified. It appears that the majority of the players obeyed the command, but evidently not aJi. Arguing the matter from the E.F.A. standpoint "Tityrus," in the Athletic Newe, pictures the advantage tho professional player possesses. The secretary of the Players' Union had complained that the men were merely "puppets" in the hands of the association. "Tityrus" replies: — But mark the life of the "puppet"! A footballer of clses is in receipt of £4 pen: week not only in the playing season, but throughout May, June, July, and August. For three of these months at least the "puppet" can 50 away to Scotland and fish the burns or amuse himself in any way that commends' itself to his taste. He can earn his own living- and save £4 per week, but the one point remains that so far as his club is conoerned he has full pay and three months' good holiday. I don't know of any other profession where men of the rank of footballers have such glorious liberty as this. This is glorious . opportunity. _ During the football season the players are carried about in cobton wool, fed, housed, sursed, doctored, and coddled until their life is one of comparative j luxury. AH that is expected from the modern football player of the professional gejwa is that he shall always play his best and that he shall be always loyal to his club. From what one hears. lam afraid that many footballers have in the past not fulfilled these duties. The Otago touring team met the Christian Bros' A team at Montecillo on Thursday, when the latter won by 3 goals to 1.

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