Personalities In N.Z. Sport

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 725, 26 July 1929, Page 7

Personalities In N.Z. Sport

Cliff Porter Has Had His Share of Ups and Dowjis in Football

Travelling back to Sydney from Brisbane yesterday by airplane to arrange for massage and other expert attention for his badly-battered team, Cliff Porter might well have reflected on the ups and downs of his chequered Rugby career. Six or seven years ago he was a Rugby nonentity. Then be swiftly became world-famous as leader of the invincible 1924 All Blacks. The years moved on, and Porter again drifted back into the semiobscurity of club football, lie wasn’t good enough for the team that went to South Africa last season, but he staged sufficient of a come-back to head the stay-at-home All Blacks against, the visiting New South Welshmen. This year came his triumphal return to international football overseas as 'leader of the 1929 All Blacks to tour Australia. But ill-luck again dogged Ids footsteps, as it did in 1924, when he was unable to lead his team in the four internationals. Without risking a doctor’s refusal, he came out last Saturday on his own initiative to lead his team against Australia. Beaten a 3 his team was, the old-timer showed a glimpse of his old and terrible form—memories of the marauding free-lance who left a vivid impression of his mighty prowess in Australia in 1924. At the height of his career Porter Tanked with the great wing-forwards in Maoriland Rugby history, with "Off-side” McKenzie, Dave Gallaner, George Gillett and J. H. Parker. He Ucame a wing-forward because he was an exeremely bad five-eighth; and because he was captain of his team, and couldn’t very well be put out, as he deserved to be on his merits! It was Mr. Harold Murphy, of Wellington, Wellington Rugby Union committeeman and prominent official of the Athletic Club, who induced Porter to play as wing forward. The future All Black captain had strong objections to being moved to another place.

In point of fact, but for the circumstance that Porter was captain of the Athletic team, his form at five-eighth would have been enough to have caused the club to drop him altogether. It was Murphy who saw that the individualism, kicking powers and enterprise of Porter which made him an unreliable link in the chain of backs would be valuable in the wing forward position and who persuaded him to fill the place which made his name. Porter’s reluctance to quit the fiveeighth line is understandable, for he had always been a back, lie began his football as first five-eighth for South Wellington School when it won the primary schools championship, and ho played for the Wellington schoolboy reps. Going on to Wellington College, he held the same position there and subsequently in Old Boys’ Club. This was during the war y%ars and he gained a place in the Wellington rep team of those days, when the age limit for the senior competition was in force. After the end of the war, Porter went to Waira.rapa, where he did not play football, then on to Horowlienua, where he came back to the game. His return to Wellington was to enter business with his brother in 1923. Early in the season his play left his clubmates so dissatisfied that they determined to move him from the line of backs. His first game, against Marist, was one of the most brilliant exhibitions ever seen on Athletic Park and prompted one writer to state that he would be an All Black before the year was out. The prophecy was fulfilled, for Portei' was chosen for the third test against New South Wales at Athletic Park. Bert Cooke, who had a still more phenomenal rise from the junior ranks in Auckland was an emergency in that match. The Porter of those days undoubtedly was a football genius. If a back dropped a pass in attack he was there to snap up the ball, if the fullback misjudged a high kick * Porter would be there to snatch the leather and find the line, while his speed round the scrum and way of emerging from the ruck with the ball were unrivalled. Curiously enough, he has remained an indifferent five-eighth, and whenever forced to play in this position through emergencies, even after bis experience in intern taionals, has played a poor game.