ROOPE ROOSTER

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 455, 10 September 1928, Page 6

ROOPE ROOSTER

Newton Wins Feature Game; City Thirteen Lacks Consistency

DEVONPORT HAS CLOSE CALL

PLAYING a solid game, brightened by the speedy Hardgrave in a brilliant solo run, tlie Newton Leaguers clinched a victory against City in the big game in the first round of the Roope Rooster competition on Saturday. Recently, City has risen to great heights, but on Saturday it failed to maintain consistency and went down to a better team, on the day, by 25 points to 16. By defeating Richmond on No. 2 area by 14 points to 9, the Marist thirteen is still in the competition. On the Ellerslie ground Devonport had a close call in its match against the Ellerslie Leaguers, and only managed to leave the field winners by a mere one-point margin.

Two years ago the City Rugby League senior thirteen took part in a feature game on the main area at Carlaw Park. Since then, until last Saturday, the Red-and-Blacks had not had the privilege of a 3 o’clock game at the code’s headquarters, and this fact alone spelt hard luck and a bad handicap to them in the early stages of their clash with Newton. By spasmodic flashes they showed they had the goods, but throughout it is doubtful if they played the class of football they did the previous week, when they defeated Richmond. Newton, a hard team, weathered to the atmosphere which surrounds the main area where large crowds are,, in

better general than a player. Much of his usual tricked got his side into trouble. At times he did not give the solid five-eighth, Amos, a fair chance, and consequently the outside backs were very ragged in their play. Dufty was back in the Newton fold with as much dash as ever. He played five-eighth, but for* the most part seemed content to use his boot instead of getting his rearguard in action. Murray, at fullback, was outstanding, and he made some wonderful saves. He takes a ball well and next season, with more experience up his sleeve, will no doubt be very prominent in senior football. On the day, Newton’s two crack forwards were Clarke and Hall, while for City, McLaughlin and .T. Hadley were seen doing a lot of the hard work.

attendance, did by no means play brilliant League, but its forward division, favoured with more weight than its opponents, rocked in the hard, solid play, which always tells a sad tale for a weaker team. Also, the Newton forwards, followed up well, and their bustling tactics worried City on many occasidns. But apart from this, the speedy Hardgrave and the nippy winger, Little, simply played havoc with the City rearguard by their brilliant bursts of speed. Hardgrave was playing centre-threequarter, and time after time he was seen to secure in a passing bout, shoot out to the wing and then rush round to secure the winger’s pass, a move which proved difficult to cope with. Perhaps City’s biggest handicap was the fact that it did not get a great deal of the ball from the scrums, and consequently it was really difficult to say just what the City back line is like on a hard attacking passing bout. City had a junior player hooking, and he was certainly outclassed by the representative player Somers, although this junior, under the adverse circumstances, played well. After Saturday’s game it is quite evident that “Gig” Wetherill is rapidly reaching the stage when he is a