Football Notes.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume X, Issue 3279, 10 August 1889, Page 2

Football Notes.

By Observer—The " Auous." A number of Eugby footballers, resident in Melbourne, have just visited Sydney, aud at the close of the trip a Mr Arnold, connectad with the Eugby game, would seem to have "run amuck" on the subject of the subject of the Australian game of football. But for this fact many would not have known that such a thing as a Victorian team of Eugby players existed. The gentleman named, who seems to have a florid imagination, stated that if in Melbourne a young man takes to the Rugby game of football, he was soon told by his employer that he need not return to work again. One might reply that the employer thinks his young man of more use to him whole than in nieces, and perhaps some such impracticable rotort were best, for Mr Arnold must bo an extremely sanguine man if he expected even a sympathetic Sydney audience to swallow so shallow an assertion. The truth is probably that the Eugby enthusiasts are somewhat disgusted with an apathy shown by Victorians towards their game, even in the presenco of such stars as tho Maori team, and have accordingly allowed their feelings to run away with their judgment as well as one or two other considerations that need, not bo particularly mentioned, They perversely admit any reason but the right one, viz., the marked inferiority of iheir game—in the estimation of at least three of the Australian colonies—as compared with Australian football, The Rugby players are not likely to help their game by making childish and improbable charges. Yet had it not been for Mr Arnold's outburst people here would scaroely have been aware of the fact that a few retired English and Now Zealand footballers had somewhat impertinently borrowed the name of Victoria as a title for their team, and taken it upon thomsolvos to represent tho Colony in tho football Sold, The team, by-the-by, sooms to havo been named Victorian on something of the lum anonkundo principle, because there is no Victorian in it, and it has never been, so far as anyouo knows, victorious.