CAN DEVONPORT?

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 67, 10 June 1927, Page 7

CAN DEVONPORT?

Shore Will Face Hot Proposition in To-Morrow’s Big League Game PONSONBY SHOULD WIN, BUT—THE star attraction at Carlaw Park to-morrow will be the match between Ponsonby, which is at the head of the championship table, and Devonport, which has been showing improved form during the past few weeks.

nEVONPORT showed good form last U Saturday when it met and defeated Richmond by a margin of five points. But it will have to improve on its showing last week to be able to upset

ponsonby, which was not up to its usual standard on Saturday when the “Ponies” met and defeated Athletic on No. 2 ground. As far as Ponsonby is concerned, it must be noted that it had several men orf the injured list, who will most likely be ready to don the jersey again this Saturday, notably Moore, Payne and Langley. Grey, who was played at full last Saturday, will go up to centre and Gardner, who played centre, will go on the wing in place of Hutt, who will go back into his usual place in the forwards. Usher will be the other wing. With Delgrosso and Riley at five-eighth and Tim Peckham at half, this will make a fine back team, and with Lawry to get the ball, Ponsonby will take a lot of stopping. WHAT OF DEVONPORT? Shore, on the other hand, has a good hard-working set of forwards, who will keep the others busy, but has not the backs to finish off the movements. The Devonport men are particularly weak on both wings, which a pity, as their inside backs are good, especially Cleaver, Hemmingway, Seager and Webb. The latter was played at fullback last week most of the game, and did remarkably well in this position, but what a difference he made to the backs when he changed places with Preston at half. It is hard to understand why this man is not played up closer to the pack when Shore, has a man like Perry to fill the full-back position.

| On the games played to date it looks , .is if Ponsonby should win, but Shore I! S as . a ver *y “in and out” team , ancl it it is in the humour on the day i it may make a good game of it. Wanted to know—will the referee again play a solo on his whistle with Lawry and St. George raking? MARIST AND CITY This game, to be played on No. 2 ground, should be a close, hard game City will be fairly weak with Davidson and Bass missing from the ranks through injuries. On the other hand, Marist is at its strongest on its “hoodoo” ground. This team never seems to play a good game on this ground, but may do better this week, seeing that it is well up in the competition table. The trouble with Marist appears to be that it is too interested in the game on No. 1 when it has a match on the adjoining ground. It was noticed in Marist’s last match when the ball was hooked from the scrum by Johnson and delivered by Sweeny to the five-eighth that all the backs had been watching the other game, and a good movement was missed. NEWTON AND ATHLETIC The other game 'between Newton and Athletic will be played on the Domain. On the games played to date, the for-

mer should have no difficulty in defeating its young rivals, even if as reported Dufty and Clarke are still on the injured list, and will be unable to play. Mothing succeeds like success, and Newton is in the happy position of having plenty of material to work on, while on the other hand Athletic have none to spare.