League Rugby.

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 765, 11 September 1929, Page 15

League Rugby.

Notes Sind Comment.

I ast Saturday saw the curtain down on the 1929 represen - , r i,i?e season, and for next Satur. the League fans will be treated to another round of the Roope Rooster competition.

Followif 1 " is the draw for next Saturday:— marista v. tity. Ponsonby v. Klchmomfl

A Misjud9 ment T he Marist v. City game will bn the feature mutch for Saturday. PotiI'lhy and Richmond will meet in a Curtain-raiser. It certainly appears . another misjudement on the part t he Auckland Rugby League to have the games arranged in this fashion for. while Marists and City rail well be relied upon to produce h-ieht and spectacular football, it is d,ubtful if their display will be fav„ured with the classy football of Richmond and Ponsonby. Then there is tierhaps more interest being taken in {ho latter game. Richmond with all its new converts, is a much strength,ned side and managed to put Shore down in line style last Saturday. Ponsonby as the winner of the championship competition, cannot as yet, be deprived of the honour of being the dncst team at present taking the Held. CompUm‘ s There were murmurings of complaint in certain quarters at Carlaw Park on Saturday over the gate charge of two shillings. But any clear thinking and true League fan would hardly object to such a trifle. The garpe was the classic of the year and had a sort of international flavour, and those present certainly got their money’s worth. Then it has to be taken into consideration that on such year as this, tlm New Zealand Cuun- ,■ 11 of the League, which controls this annual fixture, has it as its only scarce of income. And the council does not make a fortune out of it. for the cost of bringing players from the South, and the burden of loss of time which lyins out at 10s a day for each player, means the expenditure of an enormous amount of money. * * *

Treated Too Weil Although the New Zealand Council is not so very financial and is wanting all the funds possible, ft receives scant consideration from some of the members of the Auckland League and its subsidiary bodies. An incident occurred last week which certainly did not reflect credit upon the junior League. This was when complimentary tickets which had been issued were returned to the council with a request that they be replaced by double tickets. Request may not quite describe the action, for it was certainly more like a demand. The council very obligingly forwarded the doubles, but not without Us members talcing strong exception to the letter received. Mr. Stallworthy rightly

mUtee bo^iiu' 8 Entertainment Comcon . “ Instructed to brine down a. Stowq C i r " inc the of compliweU on i' kets \ n tlle future. It is t n on thcs cards that the iunif.r nexfUm!”! n , ot - be treated so well deed V—f’ and ltK members may lucet onilS fortunate when they tet one complimentary pass. * v * Pr l esident a ne ei ?u e °J) Mr ' Cyril Sadden, zSlMirtV f he Counci! Of the New CaHaw P a , su ?' Jlr - J *s. Carlaw, of best 1-n ark fame - and one of the S'.l'” personalities connected . h'ume, was appointed to the chair at the dinner given to the two evening Ve sides last Saturday * * * iti^thll 6 I " < bL s T e Eouucil's next meetITfftb® method of selecting the New ve»,V lnd , S,de to to "r Australia next cussed* 1 '" ayS a problom > will be dlsTallentyre Excluded Supporters on the West Coast are n .P,! n ‘*-rms over the sudden exclusion So,,A e V‘f forward Tallentyre from the South Island pack. Tallentyre went to Christchurch to join the team—and ]V as rejected with scant explanation, r r e +v. ent ixV ll ‘l telegram to the president „ the Coast League: -‘Did not I £L '' a '^ T * at son (Otago selector) said Spencer of Canterbury was nrst man. Could not find Worrall (Canterbury selector).” Sixteen men were selected for the Southern team. Tallentyre being the fifteenth and Spencer the sixteenth. Only 15 men were taken on tour. The "W est Coast League control intends to refer the question to the Zealand League Council. Jt is just as well for the North Island that Tallentyre did not lend lus weight to the Southern pack, if the form of his district-fellow, Calder, was an indication of the Coast ability. Playing the Game In the players who took the field in tho North v. South Island game, there is undoubtedly the nucleus of a fine All Black combination which shouid fare well across the Tasman. While North can produce very racy backs. South has the solid forward m its midst and. together, a fine side will be produced. But for all players who consider themselves in tho running for New Zealand honours, they must not lose sight of the fact that the League has suffered one illfated tour and to take precautions against another, will make sure that every player selected will be capable of playing the game both on and off the field.

Australians* Tour The Australian Leaguers have opened their English tour with rattling performances against Rochdale and York. Three fairly solid engagements lie before the Kangaroos this month. On September 14, they play Batley (Widnes), on September 21, Broughton, and on

prised even his old . Auckland friends by the speed and dash he showed on Saturday, especially I when ho came galloping up with the South Island backs to score a snappy try. He “missed” in 1926, b u t judging by tho way he is playing, 1930 may be his lucky year.

September 28, Wakefield (Keighley). The first test will be played at Hull on October 5.

Better Than Ever Townsend, the ex-City hooker, sur- !

From Backs to Forwards Eckhoff, who played a great game for the South as breakaway in the inter- j island match on Saturday, has had a j football career well spiced with variety. Originally a Kugby player, he played for Otago against Auckland at Eden Park six years ago, and if memory serves aright, Jim O Brien played against him that day. Up to last season, Eckhoff was known as a good solid inside back, but when he took up the breakaway game, he flew into the New Zealand team just as Cliff Porter did in the Rugby Alt Blacks. Eckhoff played against the Englishmen last year, and judging by his game on Saturday, he is still well in the running for a New Zealand team.