FOOTBALL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 128, 21 May 1908, Page 4

FOOTBALL.

TALK WITH TIIK milTlSll SKIPPER

<M.-,ii uu 1., , i lllu „- 1 , 1 , u1 . u , 1 . ;ls lu '"iti, i."'. 1 "; 1 ':" 111 V , ' UUU Ua,u Spared ■ ltU » team. Mr. i\ MH . »>S s.nd he v,uu..l prefer nut tu »ii<l°r ' X '"""" n "' o !' iiu °n 0" ilu- m..i-

■'<»ur tt-am a, ~ 1( ,. 1m ." hj (, „ aii| latui-r a young on,-. with- tl„. ~X i . inio-i ■others i aill allolfl tIR , ol t"- team—2!l years."

n '»' a team have you , I should -ay while it n ,igl lt n , lt '- '\ .*, gr, ' at ;l:iluu »l '" brilliau,-v t ' -uIJ be a -uu.l team i,i every v,a,. - have a in-ticr selection of f„"i v.-ud-. ehoo-v from than la-t lime. 11,,-v -re a ,eriK-eal,l c and fairly fa-, l„'i while we have fairlv clever Kick- i'„.' an- a sound 'lot. and wt - are iortunate in having the serving ol two excellent full-oaeks-.J. c. \. i) v ] i( , ~, Welsh international, anil E. .). jacket! ' (English international)." Further thin this Mr. Harding ,le,-liiied t„ go. What sort of a game nill you play? "We shall probably mile-., we see sonie reason i„ ail,-,- it --play the Kngiisn ;ish formation, tin- same .a,! iii 1:W-|° If circumstance;, iiau.uit iL we inav possibly pull a 10U1-,(- ut men out lor de fen,iv„ purpos.-. I suppose y.oii knoiv tliree lent matches have been decided on' "No, have theyf How do you view the prospect, of the three testst"

"I am quite satisfied with the alteration," Mr. Harding replied, with a smile, "only 1 did not mind onlv the one mateh."

Why I "I think three tests jiwt as likely to give fair results as one." More so? "Quite so." Did many of the men play against the All Black in England 7 "Most of us have played against the. All Blacks either with i-lul), county, or country teams. Two of the members were the Welsh team at Cardill." Who are thev?

"Myself and F. .1. Williams, another forward. Most of us have a fair knowledge of the New Zealand game—but I bhould not like to sav thev know al! about it. Dr. McEvedv, our vice-cap-tain, is himself a N'ew'Zealander, and knows a good deal alwut it." Though Mr. Harding would make no definite statement of the weights of the men, he gave an indication of the weight of the forward division. After seeing the weights of the Wairarapa-Bush team which they meet next Saturday at Masterton, the of which average 12st 131b, he said that his forwards averaged about the same as those who would oppose them in the first contest. TALK WITH THE YICJ-^APTAIN.

Dr. McEvedy left New Zealand for England some eight veal's a"i>, but was a nieinUr of the ll.il-J ieatn. ' He is a ■laiive of Nelson, and. while refraining from criticising the team at any length, -.lid he thought they were about u i to the .-.line standard a- the last team.' Dr. McEvedy wa. a-ked how Adams, oilray, and Jlacpher-on, the late ()lii".» University three-ijiiarter line, were shaping at Home. The vice-captain is a memlier of Guy's Hospital team. He saw MacPherson play in the last match ot the season against Guys, and though he -haped fairly well, he" was obviously out of form. He was not nearly a« goo I a- Palmer, another Duuedin nian. who. prior to going Home, played, he thought, in the University second team. Palmer played a great game as wing Hire"-quarter, whereas Macplier-im r-eenied to be slow and in nothing like hi- Ih-i form. fiilray struck him a* Wing a -oiind player, and very little el-e. and the impression he gave wa. tii.it lie wa- mrwle-bousd. He though! that wa- Cilray's failure', due to insulli fient training. Adam- had not arrived Home when the team left. Speaking with reference to the recent vi.it of tlie New Zealand profe-ionai (•miii. he .aid thev were not nearlv in tfo- -nine ela-s as the All lil.ick-. ' 0. Sinithand.M 'tiger apnea red to be the <mly two men on the .j,|,. amoug-t the bark-. H,. roithl not -peak from h-iving -ecu them, only from what he had heard, but the general opinion was that the-.-were nothing like the All Blacks, (if i-oiir-e they were handicapped („ a ecr 1,111 extent owiti'j. to the dWcii'iit »tvle of game placed.

I It may H-.t be out ~, pi,,,, !,, U U,. jfii- t.i-i»=.rtuii];v ~,t suggesting to Hi-' K.uti.all authorities o;;e or two dangers lo tliv game in thi, country, hi "the tirs-t iilju-, It is more than ] irol K il l |.. that ! Ulll.-., .-,011,1. (klUge nja|il , j n t | u . I rule- which will make the- play nioi'j ! "11.-U and interesting, tin- professional game may obtain a firm looting. The advocate- of a maintenance of th» exiting rules inu-t remember that some of 1ii0,,. m 1,., are i„ tlnm-elveb railk-ill alteration- of ilk' old rule- of Ku.d.v football as it used to bo played, and that the true conservative attitude is that which insists on making football a matter of as few rules as possible. and not of as many rules ah possible. -■*s in the game itelf the nav of salvation lies through simplicity* so in the government of the game What lias to be guarded against is over government and the undue predominance of finance in the of tin- governing; iiodio-. l'ootball is but a game, and it is only so long as it is a game that it is nationally valuable and worth preserving. Simplification everywhere—Unit should be the aim of the'football authorities.—Dominion. We have heard here the old fallacy that tae Maori is "all right on a winmug wide, but no heart in a lysine game. The ii nest "back to the wi)P games we have situ have been played by men of Maori blood. The Mauri, all through his history, has been full of heart, and always eager to lie in the tmck oi the light, whether in war or I'la J. Jhe whole secret is in the lcadiii" Without confidence in hi« leader, the -Maori sll "l'lv will Dot put forth the reserve that is m him. Wit], it llutlliu ,, appall, hnu. it has 1,,,.,, l | ic . ll:U ural aptitude of the Maori lor back plav- !»■ does not take so kindlv to forward Play, in -pit,. „,' | )ri | liam t,u,.ptioi,sthat 1,,., gn.-n iu particular "dod"v :; characteristic and some of i'- orHn'il features to New Zealand football,°prc"lely a- lamiliarity with the Zulu -upi'.ied the lioer burgher with sonic of his -.inie-t „ ar tactics. The „„„ t reinark•'l'le dodgers have 1»,,. u Maori ~r ]aU-ci-ie player,, who-e ancestors wer" t'reai |H-riormers will, the long spear, and in,- "dodgmesi" of the New Zoil.nd back player i- always looked ~„• "•>t-de ':• -*>«•«- Zealand as a natural '•haracteri-tic. The New Zealand loo' ■ l-il.er of to-day i- carrying on the tra'lilioii- of which Warbrick. Cage. Taiaio.i. and others were earlv exemplar.—l Aianau'atu limes.

I •'Hullo. 'Mona,' have you got your I «a-,ong yet? was the manner in wluV, ■lack-on. the burlv O.rnishinan. renewed 1»- acquaintance with "Mona '• Thom-0,, »f All Jilaek fame, when the Allied--lined with the ISritM, tea,,, \ ,„„!. ■■'« Hie .New Ze,li„ ll l,.r-. face ',l,„v„,| that be appie, lated tin-j„kc. U,-. !)| v)n m.i- al-j singled out for notice. "En-. I;in.i for ever.'' -limited an iinmi«rani '',"•' il|! ' li "- r - '""l "a- greeted "will, l\ 'man, koniiiii. I'rniii a patriotic '.li!ri-!.nri|,er. There »■,„ U(> ,„.,rk.-«l ilcmnn-lratnm mi the part of the public. A- -oon a- the g.iugwav wa- down, .Mr. llinoii .-.ml th.. other tillicials liuardeil Ihe .\tlieiiic. and extended an informal «<.|,-..i,.e to the team. The vNitoiv. )c| I'.v the captain and manager, then dc--i ended t„ the wharf, where they ner-

•j.-e.-t,.,l with cheer-, and they then pro. ■•■•■. led to their quarter- at' the (Iran,l 'f..fl. followed b> a |„„„ i,..,;,, ~, .„|.

"Kill.' J'.l-it.HMiii: 4 -v-nil-n ; , m |. V ||, : '>;,'. liip._ Imrr.ili:- I!,.- Unr!,., ,- y ,„ » ■'■>■■ ! ; M. II u,.- (,„.,( lo lolling "t'<- ! :" '■') ■ ">II-■!il-ion of tin. <illi"hii i...-r,ii„r, ~i il„. T.nvii H.ill. \V<.|lii, M t„,i. -.lii-n tin- \i-itor- stoml "11 di.iir- ami ■■■•"•■ >■"' "• tlx-Ir f.-djii-. i„ ;,„ ~v ;r.~-ii.. ..Il'ioicjll 11.-t ;11i.,L-ctlii.|. ni..Fii.Tii...!-. utiiiiiHT. It in..v I- -tat..,!. :.,r •:„■ l...nrii: ~!" tin- imiiiitiiit,.,| \Yw /.Mlin.i.-i-. ih.ii tli- wonl- (Yinni urn l.ul, ..iv WVMi. miiil the li.in.l.iti..ii i-. -Willi- I'i.r i-v.-r!" '