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RETROSPECTIVE
THE SEASON'S PLAY.
FORM OF-THE TEAMS.
Aifother season of popular winter
pastime has been brought to a close, "and
the interest in tfce game has increased to
ah appreciable extent. The play of the
various learns during the season has,
shown a marked improvement since «3ic
reopening of -the league contests after the
period of enforced idleness during the
war, i>ut) the play by no means reached
thei pre-ivar standard. Some idea, of the
popularity of game may be gained
from the fact 4hat_ during the previous
four matches of £ne final -round there
was a "total afJendance ot 107,000, and
the total gat® receipts amounted, to. £4783.
On Saturday, as stated elsew&ere, the
gate was a record. It lias been many
years since tike contest in the minor round
has -been so keen, as it Tvas not .until the
final Saturday, of 'the round that the
composition of the four 1*0 have: the right
to contest ilie premiership -sras decided,
while ihe major round has produced some
of tiifi most exciting contests ever wit
nessed. 1 The admission of Crlenelg into
•the league this season made for the good
of tlie game, and timugh the seasiderB
were "unable trj score a win in the minor"
round, they put up several very - fine bat
ties, and brought .a numbei' of their sup
porters into closer relationship with the
Ibague game. Glenelg's inclusion, snade
eight contestants for tUia premiership in
stead of sera. AH Vkat the "Tigers,""
as the Gieneig players arc called from
the colors oi' their guernseys, require ie <
a little more wcightl in the ruck, and
i,ht$- vriU prove formidable rivak of the
best in the seasons to mae.
<j forts, the premiers. fcave oniy been
defeated three times this season. In
Uie minor rounds" tfce^- -w-ere beaten ijj
SoTih Adelaide and ICoiwood, and in the
rir.il round Norwood first ran them to
a draw and at the next meeting defeated
tbem rather ^asily. Ports have in
truth been the most, consistent team for
tn© season, and it was iHting that, they
should wind tip \ritli the premiership
nonors.
Before the system of selecting the four
leading teams "to contest the final round
for tbe premiership the team which
won ttLp preateFt n'^mbor of games, for
the season weie proclaimed premiers
It was possible, and has taxipcned. t±)at
a team which ia<j a number of successes
in the early part of the season and
then went "off" toward the eiid and
sustained several <5er«n'- by otiter teams
lower m the list still .wfire able to claim
the premiership, but while under the j
prtaejit system the team winning the
greatest numue: of watches still have j
tile rignt to the minor premiership, they
could lose the "major" in the .final
round. This would have happened 'had |
Norwood defeated Port on Saturday, 'but]
Port were consistent and deservedly won]
Doth tue minor jnd the major honors. |
Norwood weie hardly as consistent, as'
Port Adelaide, and it has been remarked'
in these columns previously that they ,
would play & wonderful game on Sat- j
[Urday and the reverse the following
week. 'lihjSj to some extent, was ac
counted for nj the fact that thev were<
playing on Uteir own small oval one,
day and the following day on a. larger
oval, wHich made .a dilterence to their
system of play. All through the season
tney have been the best ihdgh* marking
team in the league, and had it been
their lot to meet Port or any other
team on a smaller oval than the Ade
laide Oval a different complexion might
nave "been placed on ui© game.
ifa this connection it mignt be as well
to .. recall tea suggestion, made in .opt
lootuau page tune ago chat tie
league should standardise tne ovals and
not allow a team to piay on ,a ground
that did not coniorin 111 every paiiicuuu1
lothe standard. - ' -
■Sou'jii -iaeiaide 'were Taiiver- unfortunate'
in' not having to meet Port in tlie tail
game. They met Norwood when tne r»d
lejss were jii tlie prnk ot condition, and
just failed to win the right to meet' Port'
Adelaide. South must have the record
this -season for <the number of tbeir nar
row <leieatfc. \\ jtih the exception of the
loss at Alberton against Port at the iat;
er part of the minor rounds. die blue and |
niutes have been defeaed only by the nar: j
rawest margins. They have 'been a hap-1
py -family. for <tbe year, aaid-there> has'
never been the faintest rumlMe of discon-'
tent in their ranks. Skipper Steve JMxSj
•liee is recojpiised.as t£ie most gentlemanly
of leaders in whom the roat oi the com
bination has had unbounded faith. The'
team -uosseseed a wonderful -amount- of <
pace, and towaixl the cud of the season |
developed great cstaj'idfc poweis. " Thsir
cj'ctem also wae good, and all the circum-'!
stances weighed, they wer^ practically no
thing behind either Port or .Norwood. j
Ports triumphed -over Isocwood by eight
points in a game dn which the points were
38 to 21. and the redleg? wert victorious
over the blue and wiiites with. the. points.
at 42 to 37. The "diliereiice epeaks ior
iteelf.
Sturt proved a disajspointinc combina
tion. They .possessed weight, 'high-mark
ing ability, and one. of the fajst. jacks in
the league, but though. they finallv got
into the four they never seemed to know
where there were. They started the season
well, but they failed badly at times to
ward the end. " When they had to alter
their system through the joes of a man they
seemed to go to pieces. Their whole
centre line "ivas the chief weakness, and
they must have seriously felt the loss of
Bruce, one of" the bust "wing jnen they
ever had.
Xoxth were a' decidedly unfortunate
team this season. '. Their lamentable weak
ness was the forward division, and there
they failed badly. The .loas of Wedge^r,*1
who.- had he continued -with the <tea&&
would-have been amona the leading, goal?
kickers, and poesMy have .taken the.iajgj
into - ithe "bin four'* was .a eerioug ohe:
The unfortunate illne^ of this sterling
young rfayer -made a big difference to the
eife He did not come into the same un
til about four or five -weeks after t$ie sea-7
eon opened, and was oaly four goals be
hind the leaders when he waa stricken
down. Another lose of a severe nature teg
iNorfch -was occasioned by the injury sus
tained. by JFues, who earned tlie right ±o be
recognised.as the crack -jpigman of the
State, . ^ortih.. however, not by anyt
mean^ip to file 1020 standard. the incli-s
vidua.1 -iJbrilKancy being absent'. ■ The de
fence division of the red and whites* wa#j
etoouf: the most consistent, aa & whole;;;
of an? team in-the league. - ,»•
'XWrens were a well balanced combina-i
tipn, but -while they possessed Individual
brilliancy they had no weight/ox height.
They were handicapped against more
weighty and high marking teams, -aj.3
though as the season advanced ■ ■ tlieV
brought in one of the best high mark6j
the League has seen in that projmsirig!
player Mills. One mau does not maked
a team, --however, and all Mills* higta
marking and .Hartley's brilliancy eoulda
not counteract the absence of the other^
needs. . "i'orrens always put up a gooii.;
game on.their own. ground, but, as with)
Norwood when off the email oval, theyj
were at a disadvantage, 'ihey may do;
better at Thebauon next season. The!
team is to be complimented upon their
wonderful improvement in general tac.
tics, .aiid they. can be commended on
the cleauess of their football.
West Adelaide were disappointing.
TUey gave promise of better things, tiut
failed to produce the combination which
was expected of them. They possessed
men of the finest football -stamp, but
somehow failed to. strike form or com
bination. They had the best goal shoots
ers in the fctate, and when they got
possession put <on more goals in propor
tion to the number of scoring shots
than any other team. Ihey • scored 112
goals against 107 bchinds.
■ A„ lamentable feature of the game still
continues to i*e noticeable, and that , is
the tendency of c-lubs to rush to the
country for new" players, instead of look
ing to thg lads of their own district.
.Not much encouragement" is given to the
jumure when they see the committee ot
the .League .clubs passing them by for
men who are "railed" miles frequently
to prove "duds." If a country player
wants to play with a-League team , let
him come to-the city, and live -and prove'
himself in the junior teams first. At
least two teams handicapped themselves
by bringing men down at the week-end
wtio proved failures owine to not having
trained in the team during the week.
Xhe season just closed has provided
incidents for many 'pleasant remember
ances, and the football loving public
should be profoundly giatetul io the
splendid fellows of pivery team /who:
have onselSshly contributed so much, to
thcir enjoyment.
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