FOOTBALL.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2553, 14 July 1909, Page 2

FOOTBALL.

(Notes by “Full-Back.”)

The weather on Saturday was unfortunately a roipitition of that of the. previous week, and this was more particularly unfortunate in view of the importance of the fixtures that had been set down for that day. However, the representative games were gone on with and it was wisely decided to postpone all Cup fixtures. The state, of the grounds, No. 1 in particular, precluded any possibility of good football, but nevertheless there was an occasional glimpse of the standard of play that might reasonably have been expected under more favorable' weather, conditions. The Mangatu team that succeeded in making a draw of it with the Poverty Bay ‘‘selected,” is hay strong combination. It, is hard tofform any-estimate of their capabilities ‘on a dry day . but taking a line through the form shown on Saturday? I -.am inclined to think that they would have no .chance with the local men under such circumstances. ■ lAt the same. time, the performance of the men in the brand new scarlet jerseys of Poverty Bay was distinctly disappointing, and does not augur any too well for their success on tour should many or any of those playing' on Saturday be. chosen to travel. The forwards, although considered a strong combination, did not shine,too well m comparison with their opponents who almost invariably beat them in the 'close formation. Certainly in the loose some of our forwards shewed fairly good form, but their off or to in this” direction were time and again frustrated by the persistent off-side tactics of at least! one of their number. I refer to Stagpoole, who simply does not seem able." or is it willing, to keep befit rid the ball. He is a fast and hardworking player, lmt all his good work is- nullified by his repeated infringe-irjent-s -of the off-sidferule, which are a source of danger to thetpam with which he is playing. another player who' has the same fault, but not to anything like the same 'extent as Stagpoole. “Grin’s” time of offence seems to be more particularly when near his opponents’ goal, and'it may perhaps be attributable to over-anxiety to cross the line. His' fast following up, however, which is a most praiseworthy feature of his play, goes a long way 'towards redeeming his faulty tendency to offside.

E. Luttre’l, at full for the local team, gave a. wretched display, and quite the worst I have seen him give. He is, to my mind, a most promising lad, with any amount of latent ability, but; at present I am inclined to think he is suffering somewhat from that ailment so common amongst young footballers, who have achieved a certain amount of, perhaps premature, success. “Harry” Tocker was easily the best of the three-quarter line, and showed up well in both defence and attack. Bis try was a good effort, especially with a greasy ball. Miller was next, and although hardly so good as usual, he got through a 'lot of solid work. “Dick” Campbell, who is one of our most promising men in the position, had a,, day off, and did not seem at all comfortable on the wet ground. Cfrinlinton and Witty, the hvoeighths, did fairly well, but as I have mentioned, the off-side tactics of. the former marred his game to a considerable extent. Witty was responsible for some clever individual efforts, especially early in the game, but later on he seemed to he suffering slightly from “that tired feeling.”Flatman, at half, played a moderately good game, but got few opportunities .behind a beaten .pack. I venture to predict that the filling of the position of half-back is going to give the “rep.” selectors a heap of trouble, -r.s there is a remarkable dearth of capable men to fill the position. Had Bowman not been unfortunate enough to get injured there is little doubt that he would have been the only man in the running. The forwards certainly grafted hard, but every man appeared to be playing for himself, and' there was an utW absen.ee of any concerted movement or attempt at combination. P-aaka Turei played a great game on the line out, and got the ball away to his backs repeatedly. Another man that has been plaving well lately and again showed, up well was Beach/ The lightest man in the pack, he is a “heady” player, and uses his feet judiciously, dribbling nicely, which is more than can be said for several of the others, whoso chief aim appears to be to “boot” for all they are.,worth, caring little, where the bah goes. Bust, the Mangatu full-back/ was streets ahead of his vis-a-vis. He handled the greasy ball well, and his rush stopping work was excellent. Of the three-quarters, Fitzgerald was head and shoulders over his companions. Although a trifle on the slow side, he was remarkably safe, and his tackling and line-kicking were .of great assistance to his side. The five-eighths, Wogan and Borneo TV i Repa, were good, the former getting through a tremendous amount of work and making many good openings. ■Fisher, at half, seems a likely man. and although unable to handle the ball well on Saturday, was responsible for several-good pieces of play. The.forwards are a solid lot, but with the exception of one Or two, are rather on the slow. side. They packed well, and their hookers heat the Gisborne' pair often for possession. The result of the game, while it is, in a certain measure, a correct indication of the p'av, is rather hard lines on Mangatu, ns there is not the slightest doubt that Stagpoole was yards off-side when he kicked the hall down the field before Tocker picked up and scored. On the day’s play Mangatu .certainly deserved if win.

Tologa Bay, the unbeaten Coast team, had another victory over a ■scratch Gisborne fifteen. "While not wishing to. detract in the. slightest from the visitors’ victory, I am inclined to tliink that had the team originally chosen to meet them been able to take the field, the result might have, been different. Tologa have a number of good men in their ranks, and another opportunity of witnessing their merit will, later'on, be afforded to the selectors.

One thing is certain that there will he an abundance of good material for the selectors to, pick from, and although this may! mglce their task harder, still, if they exercise the discretion which may, be expected from them, there is little doubt that. a strong combination can be got together to uphold the honor of Poverty Bay. I am very v pleased to see that the Union have decided to once more draw tin/ attention .of referees to the absolute necessity of enforcing Rule 49, relating to players taking the field in the proper colors of their club. I mentioned • the matter in my notes last • week, and am glad to- see that the suggestion has borne fruit. The rule has been openly' set at defiance by several of the clubs, and it is just about time that the Union should take a firm stand in the matter and insist upon its enforcement. The rule, I might once again point out, states that “it shall be the duty of the referee, to order off the field of p ay any player not conforming with this rule.”