League Rugby

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 977, 21 May 1930, Page 15

League Rugby

Notes and Comment.

Club Football Again After the intervention of one week's I representative football the Auckland Rugby League’s senior competition will j bo resumed on Saturday, the draw for which is: City Rovers v. Marist 0.8. Ponscnby United v. Newton Rangers. Ellerslie v. Devonport United. Kingsiand-Athletic v. Richmond Rovers. Battle Royal Promised The City-Marist match will be j played at Carlaw Park, No. 1, at 3 p m., j and promises to be a battle royal. Both jteams are undefeated on. the playing j field so far this season, although Marist j has lost one match on protest, and j Ellerslie drew with City on opening ‘ day. Both teams have first-class back j divisions, and given a fine day a good j display of the code should bo presented Ponsonby will meet Newton on No. 2 j area at 3 p.m.. Ellerslie will play j Devonport at 'Devonport, and Kingsiand will meet Richmond on the Do- j main. i Goodwin Out Goodwin, the young Ponsonby for- j ward, who was injured during the Pon- j son by-City clash on Saturday week j last and admitted to the hospital with j

5 only discharged on 1 Saturday. He has been advised that it will be inadvisable for him to play again for some time, and thus he may not be seen in action I again this season Pat Skelton and Thompson, w li o were injured on the same day, will probably not have

recovered sufficiently to play for Ponsonby on Saturday, but should be fit again for the match after. The Old Hands Again Another Ponsonby man, Riley, who has been on the injured list, appears to be well again and will most likely be included in Saturday’s team. The Ponies, however, will have a big gap in their ranks to fill up, and to do so they will have to call on some of the older players who have not played .so far this season. It is on the cards, therefore, that on© or other of Ussher, Gardiner and Mclntyre, or all three will be called on to wear the club colours again. “Dooley” Moore, who was cleared last week by the A.R.L. judicial committee, will not be able to play on Saturday, owing to Illness in the family, but he will be available after that date. The Northland League authorities would be well advised to see that in future the numbers bn their representative jerseys are bigger than they were on Saturday. It was often hard for the spectators to fqllow the players. A Little Disappointing The representative match, Auckland, v. Northland, on Saturday was a little disappointing as far qs the standard of football displayed was concerned. It was a willing fight from the first, and one which abounded in fast moving. and often fine individual efforts. ►Still, there was lacking the finer points of combined team work which is expected in representative football. * * * Only Two “All Blacks” It can be said, in reviewing the performances of tho individual members of both teams, that there were probably only two men who definitely proved that they were up to “All Black” standard playing, namely, M. Wetherill and E. Meyer, the opposing captains. Both must be well in the running for the Australian trip. Clark, the Auckland forward, played a game which must merit for him further consideration, and it would be little surprise to see his name in the tourist band when the final selection is made, if he maintains Saturday’s form throughout the trial series. Moisley and Simons News of the doings of the ex-Auck-landers, Moisley and Simons is contained in a recent Wellington ex-

change in a report of a match there: “Simons and Maisley combined well for Newtown, the understanding between them being j the result of past j play in Auckland, i Moisley is a tack- ! ler from whom j local players can i take a much- j needed lesson, j

When he tackled it was a case of ■ ‘g-et up and play the ball.’ ” Why Some Were Missing When the Auckland team was announced by the representative of the selection committee to the council of the New Zealand League last Thursday evening, it was stated that the selectors had considered only those players who had attended the practices and those who had reasonable excuse for not attending. This stand, which is a commendable one on the part of the selectors, may serve to explain the absence of several wellknown players from Auckland ranks. Reputation alone should not be enough to win any .man a trip to Australia. 1 and thus the sooner the stars realise I this the better it will be for them. i Next Trial at Auckland The next Auckland trial for the j. selection of the North Island team will take place on Saturday week, when ' Auckland will be called upon to an- r swer the challenge of South Auckland } for the Northern Union Challenge Cup. ! -fc>> then the season will be so much older, ;ind thus a better display of the code_can be expected. On Friday, Mr. I “• Iv - -'-‘sher, the Xorth Island Velec- ! .or. will leave Auckland for Welling- j ton to view a trial match there on i ►Saturday between two teams of Well- ; ington players. The former Auck- ■ hinders, Moisley (Marist) and Simons j (.Devonport) are playing in the capital 1 city this season. Clark, the big City forward who created such an impression on Saturday for the representative team is only in his second year of senior grade football. Two years ago he was playing for the Parnell senior B team. Managers for Big Tour Nominations for the positions of ! managers for the New Zealand team m Australia close with the New Zea- s land council -on Thursday. The Auck- j land League will make its nomination, or nominations this evening, the cus- • tom in the past having been to send a team manager and a financial manager. The "West Coast League has submitted the names of Mr. J. JJ. Wing- 1 ham (chairman of its own manage- !

ment committee) and Mr. Nelson Culpan (Auckland) the treasurer of the New Zealand League, for the respective positions. Mr. Wingham was team manager and Mr. Culpan financial manager of the last New Zealand team in Australia, in 1923. Slazey Injured The brilliant Otago fullback, Klazey. who has created a big impression in : the matches he has played in Auckland in the last two years, particularly in 1928. had a knee injured in a recent match in Duedin. as a result of which ! it is reported that he will be out ol action l'or the remainder of the season This is unfortunate both for Blazey and New Zealand, as the Otago crack had a first-class chance of a trip to Australia wit hthe Dominion team. Inter-Island Curtain-raiser The New Zealand Council last week i recommended its players’ committee ! to consider the staging of a curtain- i raiser to the North v. South Island j match on June 14, between teams ! of Auckland. South Auckland and North Auckland players. Thirty j players are to be selected for this match, and they.will include the emer- j gencies of the inter-island game * * * The Game in Wellington Starting the season under unauspi- i cious conditions did ljot detract from the display, of football provided on League Park on Saturday week last, when Newtown defeated a strong Petone team by is points to 16, says a Wellington writer who has viewed almost every League match in Wellington for the past few years, yet never lias he seen a clearer or brighter display of the code as on that day. * * * West Coast Doings “West Coasters will be pleased to know that the code has had its best annual meeting since, its start,” says a Southern writer, “the most gratifying feature being the announcement that League now possesses its own ground, which is being named Wingham Park as an acknowledgment of the sterling

service shown by the West Coast League president, Mr. J. D. Wingham. In his remarks, Mr. W ingham said that the area had been acquired after 12 years’ hard work and saving by League enthusiasts. and it was tb £5 first time this hed been uccompl: shed by any

sports body on the C<]»ast. The Coast was represented by fi *e players (Calder, O’Brien, Griffiths, Doogan and Mc--121 wee) in last year’s South Island team, and expected to be represented in the touring team to Australia this season.” * * • Webberley, the City forward, is now playing for the Marist team. * * * Question o.f Reserve Grade Tho recent refusal of the management committee to regrade from senior to senior B grade a Richmond player has revived the question of the introduction of a reserve senior grade in Auckland. If a senior B player plays more than two matches for a senior A team, he requires to be regraded before he can play for the senior B again. The idea of the reserve grade is that players pass without any barrier from the first to the reserve team and viceversa, and it is a system which obtains in both England and Australia The senior B grade in Auckland is nothing more nor less than a second grade with a glorified name. * * * Information from Sydney The officials of the City club have, sent to Sydney for information on the running of the reserve grade there, and when this comes to hand the question will be brought before the management committee of the Auckland Rugby League. The usual practice is for the reserve teams of each club to play as curtain-raisers to the clash of the first grade teams. Thirteen players alone are selected for the first team and any deficiencies made up from the reserve side. Under this scheme the first team is kept at full strength all the time. If a player is out of form temporarily he is played with the reserves, and comes up again if and when he strikes form. Under the senior B grade system this fine adjustment is not possible. Players left on the line for a week or so tend to drift off to other clubs where they are certain of a game. * * * There has been some talk in football circles of Re veil, the City player, rejoining Ponsonby. He has, however, decided to stay with his club.