Too Much Whistle at Carlaw Park

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 55, 27 May 1927, Page 6

Too Much Whistle at Carlaw Park

REFEREES MUST ACT By “VETERAN” T AST Saturday’s a a t Carlaw Park was certainly marred by too much whistle, and the cause, as usual, was the scrums. It was a common thing time after time, when a scrum was ordered by the referee, to hear the whistle blown three or four times for breaches by the hookers. These men are keen to get the ball, ns it was recognised that the team that secured the ball would win. With two first-class hookers in the teams it was only to be expected that there would bo heaps of trouble unless something was done to prevent it. All this trouble and whistle could be easily avoided. It only requires the referee to take a firm stand. In my opinion this is where the fault lies in the hands of the referee. Any player causing a breach and continuing to do so can be ordered off the field, but in senior -football in

particular the hookers are allowed tc cause the same breach from whistli to whistle, and still no direct actioi is taken to prevent Why does the referee not take a definite stand and call the two captains together and inform them that if the same thing continues the offenders will be ordered from their position?

And if the same thing goes on, either order the hookers to be removed or off the ground altogether. There is nothing more annoying both to spectators and the other players than to have a scrum formed three or four times for the same breach. A BLOT ON THE GAME

There is no doubt the scrums are a blot on our ever-popular game, and until the referee takes a Arm stand this blot will continue to exist. There is also another fault which the referees are allowing to become too noticeable in the game, and this not only applies to Carlaw Park but to all games. That is the failure of the referee in the play-the-ball rule. It is laid down definitely in the rule-book that when the ball is to be played it must be played immediately. It is a common sight to see a player go down with the ball and wait till his men are in position before he attempts to play it. This is a bad practice to allow, and should be penalised at once. No rule was ever made to read that one man could hold up a whole team. Nothing is more annoyA?** to a * eam forwards to break M l h * OU * h with the ball at toe, and the ■ * mi ~ back to go down on the ball and H be allowe <i to stay there till his mates M into position again.