FOOTBALL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVII, Issue 16, 19 September 1913, Page 3

FOOTBALL.

RUGBY v. THE LEAGUE GAMI

At the dinner and smoke concert tendered to the Australian and New Zealand teams and the reunion of exrep.eseirtative players and members of the Otago Referees' Association, held in the Art Gallery Hall, Dunedin, on Saturday evening, seme rather remarkable admissions were made by prominent lights in the Rugby world of Australia and the Dominion. It will bo noted from the following excerpts of the speeches in the Dunedin Star that the "killing by kindness" euro has not been tried in Dunedin yet, which probably accounts for the reported non-success of the new Rugby. Also that from Sydney the reliable statement about the altered status of the old Rugby will be something of a shock to the "true blue" football-presbyterians in the Scotch city.

"Imagine The Position in N.S.W."

Mr Morgan, manager, in his toast of "The Australian Team," said the team, with the exception, of one or two, were the youngest team that had ever left the shores of any country to play Rugby football, and the reason for that was because of the inroads the professional game had made on their players. The people in New Zealand, perhaps, did not fully realise the position of the Rugby game, particularly in New South Wales. There they used to have fine crowds, like the one they saw at Carisbrook that afternoon. When New Zealand played in New South Wales in 1907 they had the record crowd of 53,000 people on the Sydney cricket ground. He supposed that if New Zealand were playing in Sydney to-day the crowd would probably only total 3000. Without any further words from him they could exactly imagine the position of the Rugby game in New South Wales. His remarks, of course, only applied to the crowds. So far as the players were concerned, in his opinion they were in. a far better position to-day than they had ever been—(applause)—because they had the better class of men in the game. They were in it for the love of the game, and not for what they could make out of it, (Applause.) The New South Wales Rugby Union once could count its thousands, now only its single pounds, but he. believed that the time was coming when New South Wales and Queensland would again' be in the same proud position that they were in a few years ago. "Ought to Help Themsslvas."

Mr F. H. , Campbejl #(ex-presiden t (if |. the. o,tagp r; Rugby Union), in the course of his i remarks said that open football was wdmt the public wanted, la to the professional game, he said lie had to repeat what he had said over and over again, viz., that the New 'Zealand Union were not doing what they should to protect the interests of the good old Rugby amateur game. They were too slow; they were getting like that conservative body at Home—the English Union. They, were a finebody, but they had grown up lii. .New.. Zealand, and if the Home people'would no;t move with the times then they should, go on their own heue, and dp, without them. Mr Morgan had said! that the public would go to the professional gamo in New Soiith Wales, and not to'Rugby. Why? They would go to what pleased them best, and it did not matter whether it was amateur or, professional so long as they saw the. best. He did not think that professional football could be clean, because with the money element in it they could not get true sport. Ho was proud to say that in New Zealand t%y had always played the game in the proper spirit. They put down professionalism,, and they were proud qf their association with amateur sport; but he thought that there were ways in which the game could be improved, and if the English Union would not help them then they ought to help themselves. He thought that they should try and meet the wishes of the public, who wanted a more open game. The professional game had been kept out of Dunedin simply from the fact that the Rugby Union had control of all the ground?.

Who Should be Considered? Mr R. Martin, replying to Mr Campbell's remarks in reference to their severance from the English Union, said he thought it would bq a great misfortune if ever that came to pass. Rugby was becoming a' world-wide game, and they must have a controlling body. They should not be ashamed to take a lead.or to be controlled from Home. He thought that too much attention was given to the spectator and not enough to the player. The game was for the player.

Suggested Improvements. Mr Thompson said lie was pleased to hear Mr Campbell speak on the abolition of the wing forward. Another improvement would be a rule preventing a player dropping on the ball at alb It stopped a lot of good play. There was also room for improvement in line-out play.