LEAGUE STAR SUSPENDED

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1070, 6 September 1930, Page 1

LEAGUE STAR SUSPENDED

AT PLEASURE OF COUNCIL PENALTY IMPOSED ON C. DUFTY LONG CAREER IN N.Z. FOOTBALL CRADDOCK DUFTY, famous Auckland and .New Zealand Rugby League representative fullback, has been suspended from playing Rugby League football by the Council of Management of the New Zealand Rugby Football League, "at the pleasure of the council.”

This informatiou is contained in a letter Mr. G. F. F. Harrison, secretary of Dufty's club, the Ellerslie United League Club, received today from the Council of the New Zealand RugbyLeague, through the secretary of the Auckland Rugby Football League. The letter which the Auckland League received from the council and was sent on to Mr. Harrison, is as follows, dated September 5: I have to advise you that at last night's meeting of the . Council of Management of the New Zealand Rugby Football League, Mr. Craddock Dufty, of the Ellerslie Club, was suspended at the pleasure of the New Zealand Council. This means that during the term of his suspension, Mr. Dufty is no longer eligible to playin competition football under the jurisdiction of your League. Yours faithfully. For the N.Z.R.L., W. O. CARLAW, Hon. Secretary. in his covering letter, Mr. Ivan C'ulpan, secretary of the Auckland Rugby League, informed the secretary of the Ellerslie Club that Mr. Dufty would not be - eligible to play today in the club’s match with Ponsonby in the first round of the Roope Rooster competition. The following six members of the Mew Zealand team which recently returned from the Australian tour attended tile meeting of the New Zealand Council on Thursday evening: C. Dufty, C. E. Gregory, M. Wetherill, H. Brisbane, A. W. Seagar and S. Clark. The council's letter does not, of course, reveal the reason for the presence of the other five members of tl\e team at Its meeting. ELLERSLIE CLUB’S POSITION The council’s discussion was taken in committee, and when approached by a Sun man yesterday, Mr. C. A. Snedden, chairman, of the council, stated that not. even the finding of the committee cpuld be made avail able for the Pl'ess. : He said that Hie Auckland League was being advised of the council’s decision, but the secretary of the Auckland body, Mr. Ivan Culpan, when asked lor a copy 0f y the council’s letter, pointed out that he could not very well make it public till it hafl gone before the members of his committee. He thought it was the place of the council to make any statement necessary on the position. The secretary of the Ellerslie Club, however, readily released a copy of the correspondence this morning. Mr. Harrison said that the council's decision had caused some surprise among the members of his ' team and club, and that Dufty’s position might affect EUerslie’s match with Ponsonby this afternoon. The Ellerslie Club is meeting at f’arlaw Park .before its match this afternoon, when the position will be reviewed! The reason for the suspension of Dufty has not been given by the council. It is freely rum ireci in football circles in. the ■-.ty, however, that the action taken follow* certain incidents subse-

quent to the return of the New Zealand team from Australia.

Of the six players who attended the council’s meeting on Thursday evening, Seagar, Gregory and Clark played lor New Zealand against Auckland on the Saturday following the return of the Kiwis. The team manager, Mr. W. J. Taylor, in an interview on that day, said that of the others, Wetherill and Brisbane had medical certificates stating that they were unfit to play in the match.

The team which eventually took the field for New Zealand on that afternoon included two men who had gone

GAME’S GREATEST FULLBACK The “hush-hush” policy of the New Zealand Council in refusing to make public even a brief statement of its decision arrived at in .committee on Thursday evening is the more hard to explain as it is now revealed that the decision was one of great interest to the League followers who will go to Carlaw Park this afternoon to see the Ellerslie-Ponsonbv match. Dufty, at his prime a few years ago. was generally regarded as the finest fullback the League game in New Zealand has known, and one of the best in the world. In fact, he came out with the honours slightly in his favour in three great duels with the English crack, Jim Sullivan, when Parkin’s team was in New Zealand in 1925. He is a nephew of the famous Rugby player of the same name, and “Give it to Dufty” goal-kicking repute. He is 20 years of age, and lias thus seen the best of his football days. He turned the scale at list. Sib. when he left on the recent tour of Australia. He has been an Auckland representative for many years. He toured Australia in 1925 and England in 1926. He has worn the All Black jersey practically continuously for the past six or seven years. Dufty played in 12 of the 1-3 matches on the recent Australian tour, and was the side’s most prolific scorer. He was responsible for 61 points in all, his unerring boot running up 5S of them.