Please wait. Contacting image service... loading

Article text

League Opposes Moves
To Give Special
Players' Awards
(By "FORWARD.")
Two separate proposals that Sandover Medal
winners and leading goalkickers each year should
receive special recognition by the W.A.N.F.L. were
rejected by the league council last night.
At the next meeting of the
council, however, delegates
will consider another proposal
aimed at suitable recognition
of long service by players.
The latest proposal, submitted
as a notice of motion by Mr.
J. Dolan (East Fremantle),
provides that all who have
played for ten seasons (no
fewer than ten games in each)
or, alternatively, who have
played in 200 games, shall be
given a free life pass to all
league matches.
Eligibility would he restricted
to the period from 1945 in
clusive.
The league rejected the pro
posal of Mr. P. J. Fogarty
(Perth) that a free pass for life
to all league matches should be
given to all past and present
Sandover Medal winners.
Excluded
Mr. Dolan said that if Sand
over Medal winners received
special recognition, half of the
players in a team would auto
matically be excluded from a
chance of participation.
Records of previous winners
of the award showed that no
player forward of the centre
line had won the medal since
its inauguration and it had
been won only once by a full
back.
The system of selection, too,
was poor, said Mr. Dolan, and
often the voting was only
guesswork by the field umpire.
He was prepared to admit, he
said, that all of the Sandover
Medal winners were great
players.
"But what about the cham
pions of other years who did
not win the medal," said Mr.
Dolan.
Not Recognised
He mentioned the centre-line
players. Jack Guhl and "Pops"
Heal. the rovers, Larry Duffy
and Herb Screigh, and asked if
Terry Moriarty, of Perth was
a better centre-half-back than
Alan Shepherd.
"In my opinion the best West
Australian player since World
War II was Les McClements,"
said Mr. Dolan. "He won the
Tassic Medal but could not wini
the Sandover Medal.
"Jack Sheedy won his club's
fairest and best award but
polled poorly for the Sand
over Medal. Merv McIntosh
won the Sandover but did not
win his club's fairest and best
trophy."
Mr. R. C. Smith (East Fre
mantle) submitted the motion
that the league should give
some recognition to champion
centre-forwards such as George
Doig and Bernie Naylor.
Trophy Promised
He said that the "Football
Budget," the official organ of
the league, had agreed to give
an annual trophy to the leading
goalkicker.
"I think it is wrong that these
players with wonderful records
should go out of the game like
the snuff of a candle," said Mr.
Smith.
He was supported by Mr.
Dolan, who said that the
centre-forwards were "the
glamour boys of football."
They played the game fairly,
were models of physical fitness,
and were ornaments to the
game.
Mr. Lowry (Swan Districts)
took an opposite view. "I think
we are getting in too deep with
these ideas," he said.
"If we give awards to for
wards, it will not be long be
fore we will have to do some
thing for centremen or other
players."
Opposition
Mr. K. Miller (vice-president)
also strongly opposed the pro
posal.
No other State gave an award
for the leading goalkicker, he
said. Such an award struck
at the roots of the game,
which was essentially a team
game.
In addition to this, the scope
of such an award would be
narrow, because only two -or
three men in any year would
have a chance of winning it.
"Naylor is the best West Aus
tralian forward I have seen,"
said Mr. Miller, "but how
would he have fared if he had
been playing in 'a weak side?"
State Team
Selection
The State team to meet Vic
toria at Subiaco Oval on July
17 and 20 will be announced
on July 3. This was decided
by the league council last
night.
The selectors are Messrs. L.
Lowry, G. V. Fogarty and J.
O'Dea.
Mr. Roy Kemp (Claremont)
was appointed manager of the
West Australian team.
An application by South Ade
laide to play a match in Perth
at the end of the season was
referred to the clubs:
The secretary of the league
(Mr. R. Hill) said that Octo
ber 16 was the only date on
which a match couid be
played.
That was the Saturday after
the grand final.
The president of the League
(Mr. R. P. Rodriguez) said
that the 1956 carnival would
probably be played in Perth.
Clearances Again
Refused
The applications. for clear
ances by the East Perth play
ers, Colin Sainsbury and Jack
Leadbitter, both of whom had
made previous applications for
transfers, were again refused by
the league permit committee
last. night.
Sainsbury applied for a clear
ance to Swan Districts and
Leadbitter for a clearance to
Perth.
Brian Tobin, the West Perth
backman, was refused a trans
fer to East Perth.
Tobin stated that he consid
ered he would have a good op
portunity of playing regularly
with East Perth.
Ned BUtll, who played with
East Perth last year, was clear
ed to Merredin. where he will
play with the Railways team.
$