West Australian (Perth, WA : 1879 - 1954), Tuesday 9 July 1935, page 11


SUBIACO HOLDS PROMISING LEAD.

League Football Competition at Interesting Stage; Lower Teams' Improvement will Mean a Keen Fight for the Four.

(BY 'FOLLOWER.')

CUBIACO has been notorious for its ^ eleventh hour recoveries, rendered necessary to a large extent by inconsistent play, towards the end of the sea

son, ova . uns year it nas maae an excellent start and' should be hard to beat for the premiership. That is not to say that the present team is a premiership side. Other clubs are sure to improve and Subiaco still has weaknesses which must be remedied before the second round. But the.fact remains that seldom has Subiaco occupied such a high position on the list half-way through a season. In 1933 the club won only three of its first nine matches and then made a wonderful bid for premiership, success, reaching the grand final and losing to East Fremantle. Subiaco last won the premiership In 1924. That year it had to fight hard for inclusion in the final four but managed to do so. Three victories in a row won Subiaco the premiership. In 1925 Subiaco won match after match so impressively that it looked likely to win the premiership again. This time, however, East Fremantle defeated it hi the grand final. Since then Subiaco has not trodden a smooth path, often though It has reached a semi-final. Men like Bowe, the Dailys, Green, Mersbn, the rovers, Strack and Richardson played good football on Saturday, but the club hopes for improved form on the part of Bant and one or two others. Apart from Mills, all Subiaco's men are fit. It is gratifying to note the successes of South Fremantle and Victoria Park on Saturday. South Fremantle has the makings of a good side; with such as White well to the fore, and better team-work would enable it to extend the best of sides. Subiaco will have no easy task against it at Fremantle Oval next Saturday. Victoria Park, too, should pick up from this stage. P. Fitzgerald will make a big difference to the team and when H. Davey, J. White, perhaps H. Grigg, and one or two others come into the side again its opponents will have cause to worry. Swan Districts also is improved. Thus the leading teams will not be able to look forward to matches against the lower clubs with serene indifference. They will have to play hard for their wins. Attendances at club games before Saturday this year were 23,000 higher than for the corresponding period last year, due, no doubt, to the reduction of ad'mission prices, improved team play and greater activity on the part of the clubs. Hopkins to Play. Claremont lost valuable ground as a result of its defeat by South Fremantle last Saturday, but it should not be unduly perturbed. F. Hopkins, the former West Perth half-forward, proposes to play with Claremont next Saturday and when he strikes form that side's attack will be much stronger. At first the West Perth Club was opposed to granting Hopkins a clearance, but the committee, realising that he would be lost to football altogether if he were not allowed to play with Claremont, adopted a generous attitude. On Saturday Hopkins was given a permit to play with Claremont but he did not strip that afternoon. He has been in training and said yesterday . that he would be available for selection next Saturday. Hopkins, a tall player who, on his best days, has given some brilliant exhibitions of high marking and long kicking, first played with West Perth at the age of 16. He kicked many goals for the club and in 1930 was the leading goal-kicker in the league with- a total of 79. Hopkins went to Melbourne and Canberra with the State team hi 1928, and to the Adelaide carnival in 1930. He has also played against Victoria and South Australia in Perth. He last played league football with West Perth hi 1933. J. McDiarmid, the burly West Perth follower, has. also been cleared by West Perth to Claremont, but it is not certain when he will play. McDiarmid was out ol the game last year and he now. finds 11 difficult to get into solid training. He hopes, however, to do so shortly and in about three weeks may strip with Claremont. McDiarmid has been an outstanding ruck man in this State for some years and J. McMurray, the Victorian

A. S. Parry, the East Perth rover, shooting for goal during Saturday's league football match between Subiaco and East Perth.

A. S. Parry, the East Perth rover, shooting for goal during Saturday's league football match between Subiaco and East Perth.

umpire, holds a high opinion of his prowess. McMurray was much taken with the form shown by Norman McDiarmid but added that he had yet to learn how to make the best use of his weight as his elder brother was able to do. Whether Jack can make a successful come-back remains' to be seen but, for Claremont's sake, it is hoped that he will. South Australian Changes. Following their decisive defeat at the hands of Victoria, the South Australian selectors probably will make several changes in the team . which will meet Western Australia in Adelaide on July 20. The league decided to have 25 men practising weekly for three weeks before the game against Western Australia. From the team which met Victoria three men have been dropped and the addition of seven others will mean an improvement in the side's physique. The following men were picked to train under, the State coach (V. Johnson) : — R. Johnson, Yates, Dermody, Hender, Holhngworth, West (Port Adelaide), Cockburn, Munro, Mackay, ,-Murdy, Rosewarne, Tully (South Adelaide), Bridgman, Drury (West Torrens). Burton, Martin (North Adelaide), P. McCallum, H. Page, Woodroofe (Norwood), Mattiske, Mesecke (West Adelaide), Day, Robertson (Sturt). Brock and Colver (Glenelg). Poor Team-work. Commenting on the Victoria v. South Australia match, Jim Handley said: 'The breakdown in the back line was principally due to lack of the close checking of individual- opponents. 'The defenders, attempting to mark against each other, allowed the opposing forwards too much latitude, and made the Victorian task of scoring goals easier. Even though the Victorians held a superiority in marking, they never attempted to mark if in an unfavourable position, but knocked the ball away to waiting team mates, who invariably allowed the one player to go for the ball. 'For the greater part of the game the work of the South Australian forwards resembled a style of play more suitable to back men. They generally played too close to their immediate opponents- — in-stead of breaking away to open spaces and depending on pace and position play to outmanoeuvre the opposing defence. The almost total eclipse of the centre line had most to. do with. the inefficiency

of the attacking section, as few opportunities were given them hi the right manner, for South Australia was generally on the defensive and had little chance of sending the ball advantageously to the forwards. Nevertheless, when opportunities were given, the forwards were frequently too slow hi passing the ball on to their men, who were making position within scoring range.' Players in Form, It is doubtful whether S. Daily has ever played a better game for Subiaco than that which was so largely responsible for the side's win over East Perth on Saturday last. From beginning to end Daily played at his top, never giving up, although the play became willing and strenuous, and showing remarkable skill hi the ah*. He was used mainly as a ruck man and as such he showed that he is of more value to the side, than when placed at half back or half forward. Daily's marking blocked a number of East Perth attacks, and it also enabled nun to feed the forwards and to kick three goals himself. He made the ball his object and seldom failed to dispose of it well, despite the occasions when he found himself hi the usual awkward predicaments. If he can reproduce that form hi Adelaide, he will be a matchwinner. Bowe's exhibition on Saturday was almost perfect. He placed the ball among the forwards time after time and beat his man pointless. It is a far cry to the counting of votes for the Sandover Medal to be awarded to the best and fairest player hi the league this season, but It is safe to predict that G. Krepp, the smart Swan Districts winger, will poll heavily. This young player has been an outstanding player for his side hi nearly every match and he made an excellent debut hi interstate football. He has excellent control of the ball and, like most of the Victorians, picks it up smartly on the run without having to tap it on and run around in futile circles before picking it up. Too many players waste valuable opportunities and time through failure to take the .ball hi then- stride, big and small men alike. It is a tribute to Krepp's ability that he shines hi a team whose passing is not up . to standard, and if the forwards would lead better, his work would be more effective. The Association Side. The West Australian National Football Association has selected a good side to meet a Goldflelds second eighteen on July 2.1 at Kalgoorhe. It is a fast team, and -if there is any fault to be found with it, it is that the half-forward line may be small. The team may be placed as follows: —

Backs: Weiland, R. Ryan, Oliff. Half-backs: Fisher, Dodd, Mose. Centres: Gaston, Gibb, . Cookesley. Half-forwards: Crouch, Zinnecker, Woodgate. Forwards: M. O'Brien, Hellmrich, BroRuck: Stanley, Barrett, Pola (rover). Reserves: Stehn and W. Fitzgerald. Following are the players to make the trip: — Age. H. . W. Ryan ? 25 5.9 11.4 Crouch ? 24 5.7} 9.12 Gaston ? 22 5.7 9.9 Brokensha .... 21 6.1 13.7 Gibb ? 24 5.7 10.8 Oliff ? .. 23 6..O4 13.4 ?Weiland ? 80 5.10} 12.2 Fisher ? 21 5.11} 11.6 Stehn ? 21 5.7 11.4 Cookesley .. .. 20 5.5} 9.10 Dodd.. ? 24 5.10 11.12 Woodgate ? 23 5.10 10.4 Barrett ? 24 6.11} 12.10 Pola ? 20 5.7} 10.3 Hellmrich .... 25 5.9} 10.6 Hose ? 23 5.11 11.4 Zinnecker ? 27 5.9 ' 9.11 Stanley ? 21 578 12.10 O'Brien ? 22 6.0 11.7 Fitzgerald .... 27 5.11 12.3 Averages: Age, 23 r height, 5.9}; weight, 11.4.