1918 Auckland Rugby League season

The 1918 Auckland Rugby League season was its 10th since its inception in 1909. It was again severely affected by the ongoing war with several hundred players serving overseas and 44 killed who were named in the annual report.[1] North Shore Albions withdrew from the competition early in the season and on other occasions teams played short-handed. There was also a truncated representative program with only a trial match and one full Auckland representative match versus Canterbury, which was played at the Auckland Domain in front of 10,000 spectators.

The senior grade featured six teams. Ponsonby United won their second consecutive title with an 8-win–1-loss record. Ponsonby then traveled to Christchurch to play Sydenham for the Thacker Shield and they won 11 points to 0. City Rovers won their second Roope Rooster title with a 6–3 win over Maritime following their first win in 1916.

Senior games still regularly attracted strong crowds. The round 4 matches at Victoria Park drew an estimated crowd of 6,000.[2] While 4,000 attended the round 5 matches, 5,000 the round 7 clash between City Rovers and Grafton Athletic at the same venue,[3][4] and 6,000 witnessed the round 9 match between City Rovers and Ponsonby United.

At the season end many one off matches were played between various teams. One of the more notable ones was a match between the Auckland Star staff and The New Zealand Herald staff. The game was won by the Auckland Star by 8 points to 4.[5] These company type fixtures were to become a regular feature of Auckland Rugby League for decades to come.

Competition news

Maritime, Mangere, and Big Store football clubs form

The Maritime club applied to join the Auckland Rugby League with the nomination of a senior team. This was accepted by the league.[6] They finished the season with a 1 win, 7 loss record.

The Mangere club applied for affiliation and the registration of 23 players at the Auckland Rugby League meeting on 17 April. This was granted by the league. They were to play in maroon and gold originally as requested but before the season started asked to wear blue instead.

The Big Store Football Club nominated a team to play in the league which was accepted and their colours of blue and white were approved.[7]

New league rooms

At the conclusion of the season the league opened their own league rooms on Swanson Street. The rooms were used for the first time with the Auckland Rugby League executive meeting on 23 October. The rooms consisted of "a large billiard room and League office, and a room for clubs to hold their weekly meetings in". It was stated that players did not formerly meet "their fellow players during the summer time, but with this club now on a sound footing they will be able to meet each other and spend enjoyable evenings which should bring about a better feeling between the different teams".[8]

Death of George Cook in World War 1

On January 14, 1918 George Cook died in France during World War 1. Originally he was a rugby player who played for many seasons for Horowhenua before moving to Wellington where he played representative rugby there too. He switched to rugby league in 1912 playing for Wellington and there gaining selection for New Zealand to play New South Wales. Cook moved to Auckland in 1913 and joined the Newton Rangers. He played in 9 matches for them and scored 33 points making him the second highest scorer. He was selected for Auckland and played in 6 matches scoring 4 tries. In 1914 he joined the Otahuhu United club where he played 9 games and scored 29 points which was the 3rd most in the competition. Cook enlisted in the New Zealand Māori (Pioneer) Battalion in 1917. Cook died on October 12, 1918 from Broncho-pneumonia while at the No. 7 Canadian General Hospital in the field in France.[9] He was buried at Étaples Military Cemetery in Étaples, near Boulogne in north-west France.

Representative match

Auckland played a representative match for the first time in a few seasons. They had taken a hiatus during the war years but they played a trial match between and A and B team before a match with Canterbury at the Auckland Domain. The match attracted an enormous crowd of 10,000 and Auckland won easily by 45 points to 9.

First grade championship

The season began with 2 preliminary rounds before the competitions began proper on 18 May. Around 5,000 spectators attended the first round matches at Victoria Park and Devonport Domain. North Shore Albions played the preliminary rounds, round 1, and defaulted their next two matches before withdrawing from the competition.

Teams

The competition featured 6 teams.

• City Rovers (red and black)
• Grafton Athletic (black and white)
• Maritime (white)
• Newton Rangers (red and white)
• North Shore Albions (green and white)
• Ponsonby United (blue and black)

Final standings

Team Pld W D L F A Pts Ponsonby United 9 8 0 1 103 53 16 Newton Rangers 9 7 0 2 123 37 14 City Rovers 8 5 0 3 73 85 10 Grafton Athletic 8 2 0 6 94 125 4 Maritime 8 1 0 8 45 110 2 North Shore Albions 3 0 0 3 2 30 0 Ponsonby and Maritime both had default wins over North Shore Albions. Newton had a default win over Maritime (R9). These results are included in the standings. Preliminary Round 1 North Shore was struggling to field a team owing to the impact of the war on their playing numbers. They only managed 11 players for their match with Maritime who were also fielding a weakened forward pack. 4 May Newton 15–8 City Victoria Park 1   3:00 Try: Pitman, Bill Williams, George Iles Con: Phil Castles 2 Pen: Phil Castles [10] Try: Bill Davidson, Jim Rukutai Con: Bill Davidson Referee: T Hill 4 May Grafton 12–2 Ponsonby Victoria Park 2   3:00 Try: Karl Ifwersen, Nicholson, Campney Pen: Karl Ifwersen 2 [11] Try: Artie Rae Referee: Vause 4 May Maritime 4–2 North Shore Victoria Park 3   3:00 Pen: Dufty 2 [11] Pen: Parker Referee: Eddowes Preliminary Round 2 North Shore defaulted their match with Grafton. Ponsonby achieved a milestone of sorts becoming the first club to reach 1,000 first grade points during their match with Newton. They began the game with 983 points all time and progressed to 1,004 by the end of the match. It had taken them 72 matches to reach the mark. 11 May City 8–3 Maritime Victoria Park 2   3:00 Try: C Mitchell, Bill Davidson Pen: Stanaway [12] Try: A Cross 11 May Ponsonby 21–3 Newton Victoria Park 1   3:00 Try: A Maddison, Dougie McGregor 2, Artie Rae 2 Con: A Maddison Pen: A Maddison Drop: J Minogue [13] Try: Wally Somers Referee: F Thompson 11 May Grafton WBD-LBD North Shore Victoria Park 3   3:00 [13] Round 1 18 May Ponsonby 17–9 Grafton Victoria Park   3:00 Try: Jim Clark, Eric McGregor, Thomas McClymont Con: A Maddison 2 Pen: A Maddison 2 [14] Try: Tremain Pen: Karl Ifwersen Attendance: 5,000 Referee: A Ball 18 May City 15–13 Maritime Victoria Park   3:00 Try: Bill Davidson, C Mitchell, Doran Con: Bill Davidson Pen: Jim Rukutai 2 [15] Try: Hutton Con: Dufty Pen: Dufty 3 & 1 mark Attendance: 5000 18 May North Shore 2–30 Newton Devonport Domain   3:00 Pen: Parker [16] Try: Phil Castles, J Keenan, Ronald Lovett, A Thomas, unknown x 4 Con: Len Farrant, unknown x 2 Round 2 North Shore lost by default to Maritime. In the City v Grafton match the City player Mitchell was ordered off by referee Vause for disputing a decision. He wrote a letter of apology during the week and the league ordered him to appear on Saturday to receive a “severe citation” [17] 25 May Ponsonby 8–7 Newton Victoria Park   3:00 Try: William Southernwood, Eric McGregor Con: A Maddison [18] Try: J Keenan Con: Bill Williams Pen: Phil Castles Referee: A Ferguson 25 May City 11–10 Grafton Victoria Park   3:00 Try: Tom Haddon, Paki, I Hogan Con: Stanaway [19] Try: Dougie McGregor, H Simpson Con: Karl Ifwersen Pen: Karl Ifwersen Referee: Vause 25 May Maritime WBD-LBD North Shore Victoria Park   3:00 [20] Round 3 North Shore once again defaulted and the withdrew from the first grade competition leaving 5 teams. 1 June Newton 18–2 City Victoria Park 1   3:00 Try: George Iles, Leonard Newdick, W Miller, J Keenan Con: Arthur Isles 3 [21] Pen: Ernie Asher Referee: F Thompson 1 June Grafton 28–2 Maritime Victoria Park 2   3:00 Try: H Simpson 4, Dougie McGregor 2 Con: Karl Ifwersen 3, Dougie McGregor 1 Pen: Karl Ifwersen [21] Pen: Dufty Referee: T Hill 1 June Ponsonby WBD-LBD North Shore Victoria Park 3   3:00 [21] Referee: E Dempsey Round 4 8 June Ponsonby 20–7 City Victoria Park 1   3:00 Try: W Hanlin, Eric McGregor 2, Arthur Cadman Con: A Maddison 3 Pen: A Maddison [22] Try: G Reed Pen: Jim Rukutai 2 Attendance: 6,000 Referee: William Wynyard 8 June Newton 16–0 Maritime Victoria Park 2   3:00 Try: Wally Somers 2, A Thomas, Mansill Con: Arthur Isles Pen: Bill Williams [23] Attendance: 6,000 Referee: Tyson Round 5 Sheehan was ordered off for Maritime in their match with Ponsonby for striking Matthews. 22 June Newton 13–2 Grafton Victoria Park 1   3:00 Try: J Keenan, George Iles, Arthur Isles Con: Arthur Isles, Phil Castles [24] Pen: Karl Ifwersen Attendance: 4,000 Referee: W Murray 22 June Ponsonby 21–6 Maritime Victoria Park 2   3:00 Try: Arthur Matthews 2, Eric McGregor 2, unknown 1 Con: A Maddison 3 [25] Try: George Davidson, Hogg Attendance: 4,000 Referee: A Ball Round 6 29 June Ponsonby 18–7 Grafton Victoria Park 1   3:00 Try: Cadman 2, W Hanlin, Thomas McClymont Con: A Maddison 3 [26] Try: Tremain Con: Karl Ifwersen Pen: Karl Ifwersen Attendance: 5,000 Referee: A Ball 29 June City 11–7 Maritime Victoria Park 2   3:00 Try: C Mitchell 2, R Clarke Con: Jim Rukutai [27] Try: Kent Pen: Dufty (and 1 mark) Attendance: 5,000 Referee: A Ferguson Round 7 6 July City 25–15 Grafton Victoria Park 1   3:00 Try: Bill Davidson, Ivan Stewart, Clarke 2, Tom Haddon Con: Bill Davidson 2 Pen: Bill Davidson 2, Jim Rukutai [28] Try: Karl Ifwersen, Dougie McGregor, Tremain Con: Karl Ifwersen 3 Attendance: 5,000 Referee: Vause 13 July Newton 11–10 Ponsonby Auckland Domain   3:00 Try: George Iles, J Keenan, Ronald Lovett Pen: D Miller [29] Try: William Southernwood, W Edwards Con: A Maddison 2 Attendance: 7,000 Referee: Hill Round 8 20 July City 2–0 Newton Victoria Park 1   3:00 Pen: Harry Francis [30] Attendance: 4,000 Referee: Wynyard 20 July Grafton 12–11 Maritime Victoria Park 2   3:00 Try: Tremaine, Pullen Con: Karl Ifwersen 2 Pen: Karl Ifwersen [31] Try: A Cross, Dufty, penalty try Con: Dufty Attendance: 4,000 Referee: Dempsey Round 9 27 July Ponsonby 2–0 City Victoria Park 1   3:00 Pen: A Maddison [32] Attendance: 6,000 Referee: A Ferguson 27 July Newton WBD-LBD Maritime Victoria Park 2   3:00 [32] Round 10 3 August Ponsonby 7–6 Maritime Victoria Park 1   3:00 Try: Eric McGregor Con: A Maddison Pen: A Maddison (1 mark) [33] Try: Hogg, George Davidson Referee: A Ferguson 3 August Newton 28–11 Grafton Victoria Park   3:00 Try: Ronald Lovett, F Gregory, A Thomas 2, J Keenan 2 Con: Ronald Lovett, Phil Castles 2, Arthur Isles, J Keenan [33] Try: Karl Ifwersen Con: Karl Ifwersen Pen: Karl Ifwersen 3 Referee: Wheatley On 21 September a match was played between the Auckland Rugby League referees and officials of the league. The referees won by 14 points to 4 with it being refereed by Jim Rukutai.[34] Roope Rooster knockout competition Round 1 10 August City 15–10 Ponsonby Auckland Domain   3:00 Try: R Clarke, Harry Francis, C Mitchell Con: Ernie Asher Pen: Ernie Asher 2 [35] Try: Eric McGregor, Artie Rae Con: W Hanlin Pen: A Maddison Attendance: 6,500 Referee: Thompson 17 August Maritime 16–11 Grafton Victoria Park   3:00 Try: Hogg, George Davidson, Lunn 2 Con: Stallworthy, Dufty [36] Try: Karl Ifwersen Con: T Taylor Pen: Karl Ifwersen 3 Attendance: 3,000 Semi final 24 August Maritime 13–8 Newton Auckland Domain   3:00 Try: Tom Sheehan, Hogg, Dufty Con: Stallworthy Pen: George Davidson [37] Try: W Miller, Jack Keenan Pen: Arthur Isles Attendance: 5,500 Referee: A Ball Final 31 August City 6–3 Maritime Auckland Domain   3:00 Try: Maurice Wetherill, Huatahi Paki [38] Try: George Davidson Attendance: 7,000 Referee: W Wynyard Top try scorers and point scorers The following point scoring lists include both Senior Championship matches (including preliminary rounds) and the Roope Rooster competition. For the 5th time in 6 seasons Karl Ifwersen topped the point scoring lists with 66 points. This gave him 287 points from 6 seasons. While Eric McGregor (brother of Kiwi Dougie McGregor) of Ponsonby United topped the try scoring list with 10. Newton Rangers had 4 tries and 2 conversions unattributed while Ponsonby had 1 try unattributed which make the point lists for those teams slightly incomplete. Rank Player Team Tries 1 Eric McGregor Ponsonby United 10 2 Jack Keenan Newton Rangers 8 3 H Simpson Grafton Athletic 5 3 C Mitchell City Rovers 5 5 Bill Davidson City Rovers 4 5 George Iles Newton Rangers 4 5 Thomas Newton Rangers 4 5 R Clarke City Rovers 4 5 Arthur Rae Ponsonby United 4 5 George Davidson Maritime 4 5 Hogg Maritime 4 5 Karl Ifwersen Grafton Athletic 4 5 Tremain Grafton Athletic 4 5 Dougie McGregor Grafton Athletic 4 Rank Player Team Tries Con Pen Mark Points 1 Karl Ifwersen Grafton Athletic 4 11 16 0 66 2 A Maddison Ponsonby United 1 16 6 1 49 3 Dufty Maritime 2 3 7 2 30 3 Eric McGregor Ponsonby United 10 0 0 0 30 5 Jack Keenan Newton Rangers 8 1 0 0 26 6 Bill Davidson City Rovers 4 4 2 0 24 Thacker Shield Ponsonby United travelled south to Christchurch to play a match with Sydenham for the Thacker Shield. They were victorious and brought the shield to Auckland. 31 August Sydenham 0–11 Ponsonby Sydenham Park, Christchurch   3:00 [39] Try: Artie Rae, Bill Walsh, Arthur Matthews Pen: A Maddison Lower grade clubs The lower grades featured teams in the 2nd grade (5), 3rd grade (5), 4th grade (9), 5th grade (11), and 6th grade (4).[40] Big Store Mangere Manukau Northcote Ramblers Otahuhu Parnell Richmond Rovers Sunnyside (based in Devonport) Post and Telegraph Thames Old Boys Exhibition matches Richmond and the Post and Telegraph 4th grade teams traveled to Thames to play an exhibition match on 12 October. Post and Telegraph had been winners of the championship with Richmond the runners up. Date Score Score Venue 12 Oct [41] Post and Telegraph 12 Richmond 10 Thames Representative fixtures On 7 September a trial match was held between two teams picked by the selectors at Victoria Park in order to select the Auckland representative team. The A team was Minogue, Bill Walsh, Thomas McClymont, Clarke (Ponsonby), McGregor, Karl Ifwersen, Bailey, Ernie Herring (Grafton), George Iles (Newton), George Davidson (Maritime), Jim Rukutai, Tom Haddon, Francis (City, while the B Team was George Paki, Ivan Stewart (City), McGregor, A Maddison, Cadman (Ponsonby), A Thomas, J Keenan, Bill Williams (Newton), Pullen, Simpson (Grafton), Bert Avery, A Cross, Sheehan (Maritime), with W Hanlin (Ponsonby), Stallworthy (Maritime), Clarke (City), and J Keenan (Newton) named in the reserves. The following weekend Auckland played Canterbury at the Auckland Domain and were victorious by 45 points to 9. Trial match 7 September A Team 36–15 B Team Victoria Park 1   3:00 Try: George Davidson 2, Clarke, Karl Ifwersen, Dougie McGregor, unknown x 7 points Con: George Davidson 2, Dougie McGregor 2, Phil Castles Pen: Karl Ifwersen, Phil Castles [42] Try: Mitchell, A Thomas, Bert Avery Con: J Keenan Pen: J Keenan Referee: Murray Auckland v Canterbury The match saw 10,000 spectators attend and took in 300 pounds in gate takings. 14 September Auckland 45–9 Canterbury Auckland Domain   3:00 Try: George Davidson 5, Karl Ifwersen 2, Tom Haddon 2, George Iles, Thomas McClymont Con: Karl Ifwersen 4, Phil Castles, Ernie Bailey [43] Try: unknown Pen: Mitchell, Smythe 2 marks Attendance: 10,000 Referee: A Ball Auckland representative matches played and scorers No Name Club Team Play Tries Con Pen Points 1 George Davidson Maritime 1 5 0 0 15 2 Karl Ifwersen Grafton Athletic 1 2 4 0 14 3 Tom Haddon City Rovers 1 2 0 0 6 4 George Iles Newton Rangers 1 1 0 0 3 4 Thomas McClymont Ponsonby United 1 1 0 0 3 6 Phil Castles Newton Rangers 1 0 1 0 2 6 Ernie Bailey Grafton Athletic* 1 0 0 0 2 8 George Paki City Rovers 1 0 0 0 0 8 Dougie McGregor Grafton Athletic 1 0 0 0 0 8 Bill Walsh Ponsonby United 1 0 0 0 0 8 Jim Rukutai City Rovers 1 0 0 0 0 8 Bill Williams Newton Rangers 1 0 0 0 0 8 Ernie Herring Grafton Athletic 1 0 0 0 0 Ernie Bailey had begun the season with North Shore but after they withdrew their senior team from the competition he transferred to the Grafton Athletic team. References "Review of Last Season". The New Zealand Herald. LV (16812). 1 April 1918. p. 7. Retrieved 26 January 2020. "Ponsonby Beats City/Ponsonby V City/Maritime V Newton". The New Zealand Herald. LV (16866). 10 June 1918. p. 8. Retrieved 18 August 2019. "Newton Defeats Grafton". Auckland Star. XLIX (149). 24 June 1918. p. 3. Retrieved 18 August 2019. "City Defeats Grafton". The New Zealand Herald. LV (16896). 8 June 1918. p. 7. Retrieved 10 August 2019. ""Star" V "Herald"". Auckland Star. XLIX (233). 30 September 1918. p. 3. Retrieved 10 August 2019. "Auckland Rugby League/Meeting of Committee". Auckland Star. XLIX (86). 11 April 1918. p. 7. Retrieved 26 January 2020. "Auckland Rugby League". Auckland Star. XLIX (92). 18 April 1918. p. 2. Retrieved 26 January 2020. "Auckland Rugby League Meeting of Executive". Auckland Star. XLIX (254). 3 February 1918. p. 6. Retrieved 26 January 2020. "Cook, George Gray – WW1 16/1299 - Army". Archives New Zealand. p. 15. Retrieved 11 January 2021. "Newton V City". The New Zealand Herald. LV (16842). 6 May 1918. p. 3. Retrieved 16 August 2019. "Grafton V Ponsonby/North Shore V Maritime". The New Zealand Herald. LV (16842). 6 May 1918. p. 3. Retrieved 16 August 2019. "Competition Continued/City V Maritime". The New Zealand Herald. LV (16848). 13 May 1918. p. 7. Retrieved 10 August 2019. "Competition Continued/Newton V Ponsonby/City V Maritime". The New Zealand Herald. LV (16848). 13 May 1918. p. 7. Retrieved 10 August 2019. "Cup Matches Begin/Ponsonby V Grafton". The New Zealand Herald. LV (16854). 20 May 1918. p. 6. Retrieved 18 August 2019. "Cup Matches Begin/City V Maritime". The New Zealand Herald. LV (16854). 20 May 1918. p. 6. Retrieved 18 August 2019. "Cup Matches Begin/North Shore V Newton". The New Zealand Herald. LV (16854). 20 May 1918. p. 6. Retrieved 18 August 2019. "Northern Union Meeting of Executive". Auckland Star. XLIX (128). 30 May 1918. p. 2. Retrieved 4 February 2020. "Championship Matches/Newton V Ponsonby". The New Zealand Herald. LV (16860). 27 May 1918. p. 7. Retrieved 18 August 2019. "Championship Matches/Newton V Ponsonby/Grafton V City". The New Zealand Herald. LV (16860). 27 May 1918. p. 7. Retrieved 18 August 2019. "Championship Matches". The New Zealand Herald. LV (16860). 27 May 1918. p. 7. Retrieved 18 August 2019. "Championships Continued/City V Newton/Grafton V Maritime". The New Zealand Herald. LV (16866). 3 June 1918. p. 8. Retrieved 18 August 2019. "Ponsonby Beats City". The New Zealand Herald. LV (16872). 10 June 1918. p. 7. Retrieved 18 August 2019. "Maritime V Newton". The New Zealand Herald. LV (16872). 10 June 1918. p. 7. Retrieved 18 August 2019. "Newton Defeats Grafton/Grafton V Newton/Ponsonby V Maritime". The New Zealand Herald. LV (16884). 24 June 1918. p. 7. Retrieved 18 August 2019. "Ponsonby V Maritime". The New Zealand Herald. LV (16884). 24 June 1918. p. 7. Retrieved 18 August 2019. "Ponsonby Beats Grafton/Grafton V Ponsonby/City V Maritime". The New Zealand Herald. LV (16890). 1 July 1918. p. 8. Retrieved 18 August 2019. "City V Maritime". The New Zealand Herald. LV (16890). 1 July 1918. p. 8. Retrieved 18 August 2019. "City Defeats Grafton". The New Zealand Herald. LV (16896). 8 June 1918. p. 7. Retrieved 10 August 2019. "Newton Beats Ponsonby/A One Point Win". The New Zealand Herald. LV (16902, 15 July 1918, Page 7). 15 July 1918. p. 7. Retrieved 4 February 2020. "City Defeats Newton/A One-Goal Victory/Newton V City/Grafton V Maritime". The New Zealand Herald. LV (16908). 22 July 1918. p. 7. Retrieved 18 August 2019. "Grafton V Maritime". The New Zealand Herald. LV (16908). 22 July 1918. p. 7. Retrieved 18 August 2019. "Ponsonby Defeats City/Two Men Ordered Off". The New Zealand Herald. LV (16914). 29 July 1918. p. 7. Retrieved 18 August 2019. "Ponsonby Beats Maritime/Well-Contested Game/Ponsonby V Maritime/Grafton V Newton". The New Zealand Herald. LV (16920). 5 August 1918. p. 7. Retrieved 18 August 2019. "Referees V The League". The New Zealand Herald. LV (16962). 23 September 1918. p. 8. Retrieved 18 August 2019. "The Roope's Rooster Contest/City Defeats Ponsonby". The New Zealand Herald. LV (16926). 12 August 1918. p. 7. Retrieved 10 August 2019. "Under League Rules/Maritime Defeats Grafton". The New Zealand Herald. LV (16932). 19 August 1918. p. 3. Retrieved 18 August 2019. "The Roope Rooster Contest/Maritime Wins Semi-Final". The New Zealand Herald. LV (16938). 26 August 1918. p. 2. Retrieved 10 August 2019. ""Roope Rooster" Final/City Wins From Maritime". Auckland Star. XLIX (209). 2 September 1918. p. 7. Retrieved 10 August 2019. "Ponsonby Beats Sydenham/Eleven Points to Nil". The New Zealand Herald. LV (16944). 2 September 1918. p. 7. Retrieved 10 August 2019. "Northern Union/The Last Preliminaries". Auckland Star. XLIX (113). 13 May 1918. p. 7. Retrieved 18 August 2019. "Football". The New Zealand Herald. LV (16980). 14 October 1918. p. 3. Retrieved 10 August 2019. "Selector's Test Match/Auckland Team Chosen". The New Zealand Herald. LV (16950). 9 September 1918. p. 3. Retrieved 10 August 2019. "Auckland Defeats Canterbury/Forty-Five Points to Nine". The New Zealand Herald. LV (16956). 16 September 1918. p. 3. Retrieved 10 August 2019. External links Auckland Rugby League Official Site