FOOTBALL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 114, 30 September 1912, Page 7

FOOTBALL.

ITS DECADENCE DISCUSSED'. WHAT'S THE MATTEII? (By "Aristobulus"). "Babe" Hooker, an old Taranaki boy; lias returned from Queensland, where Ik: has bent located for some time past. While there he was a very bright star in the League football firmament, having captained the Queensland representatives against New Zealand and against New South Wales. B. O'Driscoll, another ex-Taranaki League footballer, played half-back for the Queensland Uugby Union representative fifteen against New South Wales this season. Over in Queensland the powers that be in Kugby matters take a sensible view of things, and allow a man to play either the alleged amateur game or the alleged \ professional code. If a League man tires of the Northern Union game and wishes to play under the amateur code, lie is not turned down. Now, if it were in New Zealand lie would be treated by the Rugby Union in the light of a Hindoo who had lost his caste. Come I to think of it, when all's said and done, why not let a footballer play under I which Hag he chooses, and let the respectiva controlling bodies have a reciprocal arrangement to observe each other's disqualifications? Seeing that tlie League game, as played in New Zealand, is, boiled down, 110 more professional than the Union game, what possible harm could result? As it is the liberty of the subject is, in a football sense, seriously infringed upon. King Kugby Union, whatever his compensating features, rules with a rod of iron. He is as autocratic as an enlarged edition of Speaker Willis. liis ritwes are absoMe ; his mandates will brook with 110 interference. It is for all the world : reminiscent of the Middle Ages when cor- j lain countries maintained a State re- I ligipn, and by "bell, book and candle"

I consigned all unbelievers to the outer darkness. Why should the Rugby J Union or any other body be allowed to ex-communicate a footballer because he may 'not see eye to eye with its idea. as to how "nigger" should be played? These lie thy k'ods, .0 Israel! A review' of intfTr-elnb football in Now Plymouth tides npt disclose a very satisfactory state of affairs, and the pro- ' spoct for the next season is anything 1 but bright. Football is surely at a low : ■ebb when New Plymouth, taking Ihe | Thursday as well as the Saturday com- ! petition, can muster only four senior ■' teams, one of which is practically confined to natives. As -,i matter of fact, ; leaving the natives Out of the question,'' it is doubtful whether at any time dur- • in« the season just "ended, New Ply-v mouth contained 45 playing seniors. Stars, for instance, never once had a full complement. Try what they would they could not get the men. What is •the trouble? With the Association game practically a, dead letter, and hockey almost f.i.!."d awav to nothingness it cannot lie put down to the counter-at-tractions of other field sports. Many persons, taking a somewhat superficial view of the position, attribute the slackness solely to the half-holiday split, i Even, however, if the El Dorado of their | hopes in the shape of a universal half- ' holiday is eventually attained, there are some who contend' that the trouble will not be completely set at rest. In the writer's opinion, the present declino_ of Rugby, locally, is due to a combination of three factors. First and foremost; of these is the need of reorganisation of Rugby control in the district, in so far as it affects New Plymouth. We cither require the headquarters of the Union at New Plymouth, or else a separate union for New Plymouth. In this scribe's opinion, the latter alternative is the better suggestion. A series of sub-unions answerable to the parent body—the ' Tarauaki Rugby Union—would, it is held, put the game on an infinitely bolter footing than obtains under the present' arrangement. Another contributing factor is the halfholiday muddle. Last.'but not least, comes the unfortunate fact; that many vourig fellows take on barracking but never don tlie jersey. Look around the terraces at any match and one will discern scores and scores of hefty young chaps who make looking on their sport. They like Rugby —probably never miss a match—but lack spirit and energy enough to take an active part in the game. Ask them to play and they will probablv exclaim: "Too much of a fag. What chance have 1 of getting in the reps.?'' They forget the fact that the great bulk of players never earn representative honors, but nevertheless find in Rugby a sport of the first water, and out of which they get the keenest enjoyment and exhilaration, however humble their position in a team. When the able-bodied youths of the Dominion grow too tired to take active participation in any branch of sport, and simply watch "the, other fellow," they should be compelled to devote every half-holi-day to held manoeuvres under the auspices of the compulsory military training scheme. '