The 1928 Auckland Rugby League season was its 19th. Devonport United won the Senior A Championship for the first time under the Devonport United name, though they had won it twice before as North Shore Albions, prior to the merger with Sunnyside. Marist Old Boys won the Roope Rooster Trophy for the first time. This was their second major trophy after winning the championship in 1924. They also went on to defeat Devonport to win the Stormont Shield.

Season news and summary

Senior competition

The senior club season featured over 110 matches through various competitions and did not finish until late October when suburban cricket competitions had already begun. Grafton Athletic won the Senior B Division competition going undefeated season after they had been relegated the previous season, though they were beaten in the promotion relegation match with Ellerslie meaning they would have to stay there for another season.

Point Chevalier Point Chevalier (; commonly known as Point Chev and an original colonial name of Point Bunbury after Thomas Bunbury) is a residential suburb and peninsula in the city of Auckland in the north of New Zealand. It is located five kilometres to ...

defeated

Grafton Athletic Grafton Athletic was a rugby league club in Auckland. They competed in the Auckland Rugby League competition from 1914 to 1920 as Grafton Athletic, and as Fire Brigade in 1921–22 before they folded. Club history Formation Grafton were formed ...

in the Stallard Cup final which was the Senior B knockout competition. The season was notable for the number of teams which played sides from other areas. Ponsonby, Richmond, Parnell, and the Northcote and Birkenhead Ramblers all played sides from north Auckland and the

Waikato Waikato () is a local government region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato District, Waipa District, Matamata-Piako District, South Waikato District and Hamilton City, as well as Hauraki, Coromandel Peninsul ...

Mt Albert Club formed

Mt Albert held their first meeting at St George's Hall in Mt Albert on the evening of the 3rd of April. Ralph Wilson chaired the meeting and George Rhodes, chairman of the Auckland Rugby League was present. It was decided that they would form a club in the Mt Albert area though they did not decide on a name at this time. They would enter teams in the third and fourth grades. During the season Auckland Rugby League made a grant of £3 to Mount Albert for a dressing shed.

Representative program

It was a very busy season, with ten representative fixtures including matches against the touring

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

team.

Ernie Asher Ernest "Ernie" Asher (21 April 1886 – 10 April 1973), also known as Te Keepa Pouwhiuwhiu, was a New Zealand rugby union and professional rugby league footballer who played representative rugby league (RL) for New Zealand Māori and New Zealan ...

, Edwin Vincent Fox, and

Bert Avery Herbert "Bert" Avery (1895–1966) was a New Zealand rugby union and professional rugby league footballer who played representative rugby league (RL) for New Zealand. Early years Born in 1895 in Whakapirau Northland, Avery originally played r ...

were appointed selectors for the representative team for the season.

Annual general meeting

At the annual general meeting of Auckland Rugby League it was noted that out of the 28 playing days during the 1927 season thirteen of them were played in wet weather; however, crowds were still good and they were happy with the growth of the game. Further developments at

Carlaw Park Carlaw Park was a multi-purpose stadium in Parnell, a central suburb of Auckland, New Zealand. It neighboured the Auckland Domain's Northern end. It was primarily used for rugby league and had a peak spectator capacity of around 28,000 in the 1 ...

were planned, consisting of "conveniences for ladies…extra accommodation… for players, and three more dressing rooms" at a cost of £60. There was a lengthy discussion about Ellerslie's application to join the A Grade. They had won the B Grade competition and defeated the last placed Grafton from A Grade. The annual general meeting was held at the Auckland Chamber of Commerce on Swanson Street.

Thistle Cup

The Management Committee announced at the midway mark of the senior club season that the Thistle Cup would be awarded to the A or B grade team that had scored the most points in the second round of competition. If two teams were tied then the trophy would be awarded to the team which had scored the most points for the whole season.

Ground availability

An ongoing issue for many clubs in Auckland was the availability of playing fields as the number of teams grew. During the season Northcote opened a new field at Stafford Park which is still in existence adjacent to State Highway 1 just north of the

Auckland Harbour Bridge The Auckland Harbour Bridge is an eight-lane motorway bridge over the Waitematā Harbour in Auckland, New Zealand. It joins St Marys Bay on the Auckland city side with Northcote on the North Shore side. It is part of State Highway 1 and th ...

. Devonport also had a deputation present at the Devonport Borough Council meeting on 10 May to ask about the shortage of grounds in the area. The club asked for permission to use some of the spare cricket grounds for matches. Mayor E. Aldridge said there would be a ground available at Stanley Bay.

Rule changes

After Round 5 the issue of time keeping in matches at

was raised at the weekly Management Committee meeting. The bell had been rung in the match between Richmond and Devonport at

before the ball was dead which was against previously arranged rules. Agreement could not be reached on whether the timekeeper or referee should be responsible for calling time. In the end it was decided that official timekeepers should attend the Referees' Association meeting for instructions. It was noted that the dead ball area on both fields at

had been reduced from 12 yards to 8 yards in accordance with the laws of rugby league. A rule change came into effect during the season after the annual meeting of the English Rugby League. They decided that no forward at any time in the scrum could have both feet off the ground. Also forwards could not drop to one knee to attempt to hook the ball. The game in New Zealand would adhere to these rules.

Richard Stack benefit matches

Richard Stack in hospital after having his leg amputated following an accident playing rugby league

The opening weekend of the season saw four first grade matches played at

, though these matches were not part of the competition. The round was dedicated to Richard Stack (commonly known as Dick Stack) of the Newton Rangers who had suffered a broken leg in the Stormont Shield final the previous season and the injury was so bad

Auckland Hospital Auckland City Hospital is a public hospital located in Grafton, Auckland, New Zealand. It is the largest hospital in New Zealand,Largest hospital in New Zealand...' - News-Medical.Net, Tuesday 29 June 2004 as well as one of the oldest medical fac ...

staff were forced to amputate it. This meant that he was unable to continue in his profession and so the league fundraised so that he was able to start his own business. A total of £500 was taken at the gates. The day also featured a program of boxing matches with the prizes donated back to Stack. After all the accounts were balanced it was worked out that the fund for Stack totalled £610 12/3. An oddity of the games themselves was the low scoring nature and that all four losing teams failed to register a single point. Given the timing in the season and the fact they were for charity and competition points they were largely treated as practice matches with the

City Rovers The City Newton Dragons are a defunct New Zealand rugby league club that was based at Victoria Park, Auckland. The club was created in 1948 by a merger of two original clubs, the City Rovers and Newton Rangers. Both the Rovers and the Rangers pa ...

side using 18 players.

Monteith Shield (First Grade Championship)

Monteith Shield standings

{, , - , {, class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" , - !width=175 , Team !width=20 abbr="Played" , Pld !width=20 abbr="Won" , W !width=20 abbr="Drawn" , D !width=20 abbr="Lost" , L !width=20 abbr="For" , F !width=20 abbr="Against" , A !width=20 abbr="Points" , Pts , - , style="text-align:left;", Devonport United , 12, , 9, , 0, , 3, , 224, , 149, , 18 , - , style="text-align:left;",

Richmond Rovers The Richmond Rovers Rugby League Club is a rugby league club based in Grey Lynn, New Zealand. The premier team is called the Richmond Bulldogs and compete in Auckland Rugby League's Fox Memorial competition. Early history The club was formed i ...

, 12, , 7, , 1, , 4, , 143, , 132, , 15 , - , style="text-align:left;", Newton Rangers , 12, , 7, , 0, , 5, , 143, , 138, , 14 , - , style="text-align:left;", Ponsonby United , 12, , 5, , 2, , 5, , 154, , 144, , 12 , - , style="text-align:left;", Marist Old Boys , 12, , 5, , 1, , 6, , 154, , 170, , 11 , - , style="text-align:left;",

, 12, , 4, , 0, , 8, , 144, , 164, , 8 , - , style="text-align:left;", Ellerslie United , 12, , 3, , 0, , 9, , 102, , 162, , 6 , -

Monteith Shield fixtures

Round 1 saw the newly promoted Ellerslie upset Ponsonby 15 points to 8. This was Ellerslie's first ever match in the first grade. The season was ceremonially kicked off by Miss Peggy Rhodes, daughter of George Rhodes, the chairman of Auckland Rugby League Management Committee.

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

Round 4

It was decided by Auckland Rugby League after the 3rd round that they would no longer play curtain-raiser matches by Senior A Grade teams at 1:30pm. This was due to players having difficulty getting to the ground on time as they often worked on Saturdays and had to travel from the outer suburbs. A recent example had been the Newton Rangers v Devonport match where several Newton players had arrived late and the match was so late kicking off that the second half lasted only 25 minutes instead of 40. Leslie Letton, a well known rugby player transferred from rugby union where he had been playing for Marist, and scored 2 tries for Ponsonby on debut in their 18–14 loss to Marist.

Round 5

Round 6

The match between Richmond and Ellerslie was played on the Kings Birthday holiday as part of the celebrations.

Round 7

Following the conclusion of the first round, ''

The New Zealand Herald ''The New Zealand Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Auckland, New Zealand, owned by New Zealand Media and Entertainment, and considered a newspaper of record for New Zealand. It has the largest newspaper circulation of all newspaper ...

'' published the individual points tallies of all the point scorers. This was the first time this had been done. Taylor of Richmond led the standings with 46 points, Len Scott of Devonport had 33, while

Craddock Dufty Calvin Thomas Craddock Dufty (10 March 1900 – 1 August 1955) was a New Zealand rugby league player who represented New Zealand. Early life Dufty had sisters; Louisa Esther (1901-26), Annie Elizabeth (1902-62), Jessie May (1909-37), and Gwendol ...

of Newton was third with 26 points.

Round 8

Round 9

Round 10

Round 11

Round 12

The New Zealand team was playing the 2nd test against England in Dunedin this weekend so all the Auckland players in the New Zealand side were unavailable for their club sides.

Round 13

Round 14

Roope Rooster Knockout Competition

Marist won the Roope Rooster for 1928 after defeating Ponsonby in a closely contested final. It was the first time they had won the trophy in their history.

Round 1

Semi Finals

Extra time was played in the Ponsonby match with Newton. Craddock Dufty was tackled into touch going for a try and the match ended a 5–5 draw with a replay required the following weekend.

Semi Final Replay

Final

Stormont Memorial Shield

Marist won the Stormont Shield (named after their former teammate) for the first time when they defeated the Monteith Shield champions Devonport with a late try by 9 to 8.

Labour Day Tournament

The ‘Labour Day Tournament’ was played over two days (the official holiday, and the following Saturday). It featured Huntly from the Lower Waikato competition and Pt Chevalier who had won the second grade competition. Marist won the trophy despite having to win two games on the first day, and two more on the second. For their efforts they were awarded £50 in prize money. Future international Ted Mincham made his debut for Richmond and scored a try.

Round 1

Semi Finals

Final

A Division B Division promotion-relegation match

For the second year in a row Ellerslie United and

met in a match to decide who would play in the Senior A Division in 1929. Ellerslie scored a converted try in the closing stages of the match to remain in the A Grade.

Top try scorers and point scorers

Top try and point scorers for A Division, Roope Rooster and Labour Day competitions (the three competitions all A Division teams competed in). {, class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: center;" !Rank!!Player!!Team!!Tries , - , 1, , Len Scott, , Devonport United, , 19 , - , 2, ,

Roy Hardgrave Roy Arthur Hardgrave (28 July 1906 – February 1982) was a rugby league player. He represented New Zealand rugby league team in 3 tests in 1928. In the process he became the 189th player to represent New Zealand. Hardgrave also played for Ne ...

, , Newton Rangers, , 13 , - , 3, , George Perry, , City Rovers, , 11 , - , 4, , Lawrence, , City Rovers, , 10 , - , 4, , Hec Brisbane, , Marist Old Boys, , 10 , - , 4, , George Batchelor, , Marist Old Boys, , 10 , - , 7, , Dick Moisley, , Marist Old Boys, , 9 , - , 7, , L Taylor, , Richmond Rovers, , 9 , - , 9, ,

Ivan Littlewood Inglis Ivan Irwin Levers Littlewood (20 October, 1902 – 26 July, 1951) was a rugby league player who represented New Zealand for the first time in 1925. In so doing he became Kiwi 181. He also represented the Lower Waikato, South Auckland ( ...

, , Ellerslie United, , 8 , - , 9, , J Payne, , Ponsonby United, , 8 , - {, class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: center;" !Rank!!Player!!Team!!Tries!!Con!!Pen!!Drop goal!!Points , - , 1, , L Taylor, , Richmond Rovers, , 9, , 19, , 17, , 2, , 103 , - , 2, , Frank Delgrosso, , Ponsonby United, , 4, , 13, , 10, , 0, , 58 , - , 2, ,

, , Newton Rangers, , 0, , 22, , 7, , 0, , 58 , - , 4, , Len Scott, , Devonport United, , 19, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 57 , - , 5, , Charles Gregory, , Marist Old Boys, , 1, , 19, , 3, , 0, , 47 , - , 6, , Alf Scott, , Devonport United, , 3, , 16, , 0, , 0, , 41 , - , 7, ,

, , Newton Rangers, , 13, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 39 , - , 8, , George Perry, , City Rovers, , 11, , 0, , 0, , 1, , 35 , - , 9, , Laurie Barchard, , City Rovers, , 0, , 11, , 6, , 0, , 34 , - , 9, , Allan Seagar, , Devonport United, , 6, , 6, , 2, , 0, , 34 , -

Norton Cup (B Grade standings and results)

Norton Cup standings

, 12, , 10, , 2, , 0, , 145, , 69, , 22 , - , style="text-align:left;", Otahuhu Rovers , 12, , 7, , 1, , 4, , 123, , 115, , 15 , - , style="text-align:left;", Kingsland Rovers , 12, , 6, , 0, , 6, , 128, , 105, , 12 , - , style="text-align:left;",

Mangere United Mangere United is a community football club football (soccer) club in Mangere, Auckland, New Zealand. They are currently a member of the Auckland Football Federation. In 2018, Mangere United went in a partnership with fellow South Auckland cl ...

, 12, , 5, , 1, , 6, , 139, , 90, , 11 , - , style="text-align:left;", Parnell , 12, , 5, , 1, , 6, , 118, , 127, , 11 , - , style="text-align:left;",

, 12, , 4, , 1, , 7, , 104, , 138, , 9 , - , style="text-align:left;", Northcote & Birkenhead Ramblers , 12, , 1, , 0, , 11, , 52, , 168, , 2 , -

Norton Cup results

Round 1 saw the opening of the new municipal ground (Stafford Park) at Northcote prior to Northcote and Birkenhead Ramblers match with

. The ground was opened by Northcote Mayor A. E. Greenslade who kicked off the ball to start the match. During the season Otahuhu asked the Otahuhu Borough Council for permission to take up a collection at the Princes St. Reserve and they also asked the council if they would erect a building. The council agreed to the collection but declined in regards to the building. Prior to the Round 11 matches Wirenui Mapi, the halfback of the Mangere team died after a short illness. The team wore white armbands for their match with Newton in honour of him. Grafton Athletic won the competition after an undefeated season. {, class="wikitable mw-collapsible" , + class="nowrap" , 1928 B Grade Results , - , ! scope="col" , Date ! scope="col" , ! scope="col" , Score ! scope="col" , ! scope="col" , Score ! scope="col" , Venue , - ! scope="row" , Round 1 , 28 April , , Parnell , , 13 , , Mangere , , 5 , , Carlaw Park # 2, 3:15pm , - ! scope="row" , – , 28 April , , Northcote , , 10 , , Point Chevalier , , 9 , , Stafford Park, Northcote, 3pm , - ! scope="row" , – , 28 April , , Otahuhu , , 13 , , Grafton , , 15 , , Otahuhu Reserve, 3pm , - ! scope="row" , Round 2 , 5 May, , Grafton , , 12 , , Parnell , , 12 , , Auckland Domain # 1, 3pm , - ! scope="row" , – , 5 May , , Mangere , , 8 , , Kingsland , , 6 , , Auckland Domain # 3, 3pm , - ! scope="row" , – , 5 May , , Point Chevalier , , 5 , , Otahuhu , , 5 , , Point Chevalier, 3pm , - ! scope="row" , Round 3 , 12 May , , Grafton , , 12 , , Kingsland , , 5 , , Auckland Domain # 6, 3pm , - ! scope="row" , – , 12 May , , Otahuhu , , 14 , , Northcote , , 0 , , Victoria Park, 3pm , - ! scope="row" , – , 12 May , , Point Chevalier , , 8 , , Parnell , , 14 , , Point Chevalier, 3pm , - ! scope="row" , Round 4 , 19 May, , Grafton , , 11 , , Mangere , , 8 , , Auckland Domain # 1, 3pm , - ! scope="row" , – , 19 May , , Kingsland , , 30 , , Point Chevalier , , 7 , , Auckland Domain # 5, 3pm , - ! scope="row" , – , 19 May , , Parnell , , 7 , , Northcote , , 5 , , Victoria Park # 2, 3pm , - ! scope="row" , Round 5 , 26 May , , Northcote , , 5 , , Kingsland , , 6 , , Stafford Park, Northcote, 3pm , - ! scope="row" , – , 26 May , , Otahuhu , , 8 , , Parnell , , 5 , , Otahuhu Reserve, 3pm , - ! scope="row" , – , 26 May , , Point Chevalier , , 5 , , Mangere , , 11 , , Point Chevalier, 3pm , - ! scope="row" , Round 6 , 2 June , , Mangere , , 13 , , Northcote , , 5 , , Victoria Park, 3pm , - ! scope="row" , – , 2 June , , Otahuhu , , 3 , , Kingsland , , 8 , , Otahuhu Reserve, 3pm , - ! scope="row" , – , 2 June , , Point Chevalier , , 0 , , Grafton , , 12 , , Point Chevalier, 3pm , - ! scope="row" , Round 7 , 9 June , , Northcote , , 2 , , Grafton , , 24 , , Stafford Park, Northcote, 3pm , - ! scope="row" , – , 9 June , , Otahuhu , , 7 , , Mangere , , 5 , , Sturges Park, Otahuhu, 3pm , - ! scope="row" , – , 9 June , , Kingsland , , 19 , , Parnell , , 10 , , Auckland Domain # 2, 3pm , - ! scope="row" , Round 8 , 23 June , , Point Chevalier , , 17 , , Northcote , , 3 , , Point Chevalier, 3pm , - ! scope="row" , – , 23 June , , Grafton , , 15 , , Otahuhu , , 0 , , Auckland Domain # 2, 3pm , - ! scope="row" , – , 23 June , , Mangere , , 32 , , Parnell , , 18 , , Mangere Trotting Club, 3pm , - ! scope="row" , Round 9 , 30 June , , Otahuhu , , 22 , , Point Chevalier , , 9 , , Sturges Park, Otahuhu, 3pm , - ! scope="row" , – , 30 June , , Grafton , , 13 , , Parnell , , 8 , , Auckland Domain # 6, 3pm , - ! scope="row" , – , 30 June , , Kingsland , , 6 , , Mangere , , 3 , , Otahuhu Trotting Track, 3pm , - ! scope="row" , Round 10 , 7 July , , Grafton , , 8, , Kingsland , , 3 , , Auckland Domain # 1, 3pm , - ! scope="row" , – , 7 July , , Otahuhu , , 8 , , Northcote , , 6 , , Victoria Park, 3pm , - ! scope="row" , – , 7 July , , Point Chevalier , , 8 , , Parnell , , 5 , , Outer Domain, 3pm , - ! scope="row" , Round 11 , 14 July , , Grafton , , 3 , , Mangere , , 3 , , Carlaw Park # 1, 1:45pm , - ! scope="row" , – , 14 July , , Parnell , , 18 , , Northcote , , 3 , , Victoria Park, 3pm , - ! scope="row" , – , 14 July , , Point Chevalier , , 19 , , Kingsland , , 8 , , Point Chevalier, 3pm , - ! scope="row" , Round 12 , 18 Aug , , Otahuhu , , 14 , , Parnell , , 8 , , Auckland Domain # 5, 3pm , - ! scope="row" , – , 18 Aug , , Kingsland , , 16 , , Northcote , , 5 , , Outer Domain, 3pm , - ! scope="row" , – , 18 Aug , , Mangere , , 6 , , Point Chevalier , , 7 , , Victoria Park, 3pm , - ! scope="row" , Round 13 , 25 Aug , , Grafton , , 11 , , Point Chevalier , , 10 , , Victoria Park # 2, 3pm , - ! scope="row" , – , 25 Aug , , Mangere , , 27 , , Northcote , , 3 , , Auckland Domain # 2, 3pm , - ! scope="row" , – , 25 Aug , , Otahuhu , , 25 , , Kingsland , , 21 , , Auckland Domain # 6, 3pm , - ! scope="row" , Round 14 , 1 Sep , , Grafton , , 9 , , Northcote , , 5 , , Victoria Park, 3pm , - ! scope="row" , – , 1 Sep , , Mangere , , 18 , , Otahuhu , , 6 , , Auckland Domain, 3pm , - ! scope="row" , – , 1 Sep , , Parnell , , WBD , , Kingsland , , LBD , , Outer Domain, 3pm , -

Stallard Cup Knockout Competition

In the first round of matches the referee (Mr. Hill) in the Otahuhu v Kingsland game stopped play early and awarded the game to Kingsland due to the rough play of the Otahuhu side. There were several fights during the match and the referee had difficulty keeping spectators off the field. According to the writer in the NZ Herald this “was not the first time the spectators at Otahuhu had made trouble, and they were really the cause of the players getting out of hand”. The final saw Grafton and

tied at the end of normal time necessitating two extra periods of five minutes before Monaghan of

kicked a penalty goal to win the cup. This handed

their first ever senior trophy. {, class="wikitable mw-collapsible" , + class="nowrap" , 1928 Stallard Cup Results , - , ! scope="col" , Date ! scope="col" , ! scope="col" , Score ! scope="col" , ! scope="col" , Score ! scope="col" , Venue , - ! scope="row" , Round 1 , 8 Sep , , Point Chevalier, , 15 , , Mangere , , 8 , , Carlaw Park # 2, 1:45pm , - ! scope="row" , – , 8 Sep , , Grafton , , 10 , , Northcote , , 2 , , Auckland Domain # 1, 3pm , - ! scope="row" , – , 8 Sep , , Otahuhu , , 5 , , Kingsland , , 8 , , Otahuhu, 3pm , - ! scope="row" , Semi Final , 22 Sep , , Point Chevalier, , 13 , , Parnell , , 6 , , Point Chevalier, 3pm , - ! scope="row" , Semi Final , 22 Sep, , Grafton, , 18 , , Kingsland , , 10 , , Carlaw Park # 1, 1:45pm , - ! scope="row" , Final , 30 Sep , , Point Chevalier, , 15 , , Grafton , , 13 , , Carlaw Park # 2, 3pm , -

Other club matches and lower grades

Lower grade clubs

Grades were made of the following teams with the winning teams in bold: *Second Grade: Akarana, Devonport United, Mangere United, Newton Rangers, Northcote & Birkenhead Ramblers, Ponsonby United, Remuera, Richmond Rovers (Won by Devonport who were 6 pts clear of Remuera, Ponsonby and Newton), (Newton won the knockout competition) *Third Grade Open: Grafton Athletic, Devonport United A, Devonport United B, Ellerslie, Glen Eden, Kingsland, Mount Albert United, New Lynn, Northcote & Birkenhead Ramblers, Otahuhu Rovers, Parnell, Ponsonby United, Richmond Rovers. The championship was won by Richmond who finished 2 competition points ahead of Mount Albert. Richmond also won the knockout competition. *Third Grade Intermediate: City Rovers, Devonport United, New Lynn, Newton Rangers, Newmarket, Point Chevalier, Ponsonby United, Remuera, Richmond Rovers (Won by Richmond who were unbeaten with 15 wins, 8pts clear of Ponsonby. They had scored 308 points and conceded only 28. They also won the knockout competition. The Richmond team had been together for four seasons and won the competition each year as they progressed from sixth grade to third. They had only lost one championship match in that time). *Fourth Grade: Akarana, City Rovers, Devonport United, Ellerslie United, Northcote & Birkenhead Ramblers, Otahuhu Rovers, Point Chevalier, Ponsonby United, Remuera, Richmond Rovers (Won by Richmond, 2 pts clear of Remuera, Richmond also won the knockout competition) *Fifth Grade: Akarana, Grafton Athletic, Brown Brothers and Geddes, Devonport United, Mount Albert United, Richmond Rovers. (Won by Akarana, 6pts clear of Devonport), (Devonport beat Richmond 15–7 in the knockout final) *Sixth Grade A: Akarana, Devonport United, Ellerslie United, Kingsland, Marist Old Boys, Newmarket, Northcote & Birkenhead Ramblers, Otahuhu Rovers, Richmond Rovers, Point Chevalier (Won by Point Chevalier, 6pts clear of Richmond, Richmond won the knockout competition. *Sixth Grade B: Akarana, City Rovers, Devonport United, Marist Old Boys, Newmarket, Newton Rangers, Point Chevalier, Richmond Rovers (Won by Point Chevalier, 5 pts clear of Marist, Marist won the knockout competition. *Primary Schools: Ellerslie, Mangere, Mount Albert, Newmarket, Newton, Onehunga, Onehunga Convent, Otahuhu, Otahuhu B, Papatoetoe, Richmond (Otahuhu won the final of the school knockout competition after defeating Onehunga Convent 13 to 3). Richmond were awarded the Davis’ Points Shield for most junior grade wins. They gained 75 points, with Devonport finishing second.

Exhibition matches

Richmond travelled north to play

Hikurangi Hikurangi is a settlement in Northland, New Zealand. The city of Whangārei is 17 km (11 miles) to the south, and Kawakawa is 39 km (24 miles) northwest. The Glenbervie Forest is southeast of the settlement. State Highway ...

in the first rugby league match in the area. The local rugby team had become dissatisfied with their treatment by the rugby union and had switched to the league code. Richmond won the match in poor weather by 5 points to 0.

Ponsonby Tour Matches v Hikurangi

Hikurangi tour to Auckland

{, class="wikitable mw-collapsible" , + class="nowrap" , List of exhibition matches , - , ! scope="col" , Date ! scope="col" , ! scope="col" , Score ! scope="col" , ! scope="col" , Score ! scope="col" , Venue ! scope="col" , Attendance , - ! scope="row" , Exhibition Match , 7 July , , Hikurangi, , 0 , , Richmond , , 5 , , Hikurangi , - ! scope="row" , Exhibition Match , 8 Aug , , Hikurangi Juniors, , 13 , , Richmond B , , 17 , , Hikurangi , - ! scope="row" , Exhibition Match , 15 Sep , , Hikurangi, , 23 , , Parnell , , 6 , , Hikurangi , , 400 , - ! scope="row" , Exhibition Match , 6 Oct , , North Auckland, , 9 , , Auckland Selection , , 33 , , Whangarei , , 1,000 , - ! scope="row" , Exhibition Match , 13 Oct , , Northcote , , 5 , , Hamilton , , 3 , , Carlaw Park # 2, 3pm , - ! scope="row" , Exhibition Match , 20 Oct , , Mount Albert 3rd Grade , , 5 , , Huntly Juniors , , 15 , , Carlaw Park # 1, 1pm , -

Representative season

Auckland v South Auckland, 16 June, 1928

The first representative fixture of the season was played against

South Auckland South Auckland is an imprecisely defined urban area of Auckland, New Zealand, with a young population, a relatively large Polynesian and Māori demographic, and lower incomes than other parts of Auckland. The name ''South Auckland'', though n ...

for the Northern Union Challenge Cup which the visitors had won from

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...

in 1927.

won the 1928 match by 22 points to 3. The game was played in poor weather and was notable for the number of serious injuries with Stan Prentice of

breaking his nose, W. Smith of

Huntly Huntly ( gd, Srath Bhalgaidh or ''Hunndaidh'') is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, formerly known as Milton of Strathbogie or simply Strathbogie. It had a population of 4,460 in 2004 and is the site of Huntly Castle. Its neighbouring settlement ...

suffering a severe back injury, and Stan Raynor of

breaking his ribs. All three of them were taken to

. A midweek trial match was played between the Possibles and Probables in order to select the

team which was due to play the touring England side later in the season. Auckland v Canterbury, July 21, 1928

trounced

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the primate of ...

in a Northern Union Cup match by 66 points to 22 with winger

(son of former Kiwi Arthur Hardgrave) running in five tries. The match was played in good conditions for the most part and was witnessed by a large crowd of 15,000. A North Island v South Island trial match was played at

. The North Island team fielded a large contingent of Auckland players including

, Hec Brisbane,

Maurice Wetherill Maurice Wetherill was a New Zealand rugby league player who represented New Zealand from 1924 to 1930 and was Kiwi number 156. Early life Maurice Wetherill was born in Auckland on 15 January 1898, the son of Maurice Charles Wetherill and Mar ...

, Stan Prentice, Frank Delgrosso, A. Scott, Lou Hutt,

Wally Somers Walter Thomas "Wally" Somers was a New Zealand rugby league player who represented New Zealand. Early life Walter Thomas Somers was born on June 14, 1899. He was the son of Amy Maria (Lawrence) and Daniel Somers. He had two sisters, Eileen Eliz ...

, and Jim O'Brien (Marist). The North Island team was far too good, winning 44 to 8. The following week a Probables v Possibles match was played as part of the selection process for the

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

team to play against the touring

side. The two teams featured the following Auckland players (Probables):

, Len Scott, Hec Brisbane, Allan Seagar,

Tim Peckham William Frederick Peckham, better known as Tim Peckham was a New Zealand international rugby league player. He played 2 tests for New Zealand in 1928 becoming the 198th Kiwi in the process. He also played representative rugby league in the 1920 ...

, Jim O'Brien (Marist),

Trevor Hall Trevor Hall may refer to: * Trevor Hall (musician), American singer, lyricist and guitarist * Trevor Hall (album), ''Trevor Hall'' (album), an album by Trevor Hall * Trevor Hall (rugby league), New Zealand landlord, salesman, and professional rugby ...

, Alf Scott, (Possibles): J Beattie, W Hanlon, and E Cleaver. Auckland Province v England, August 8, 1928

A match was also played by Auckland in Whangarei. This was the first time an Auckland representative team had played in Northland and they were up against a fledgling North Auckland side. The area was relatively lowly populated and it was thought that they could not sustain both competitive rugby union and rugby league sides. Auckland win relatively convincingly and rugby league was to continue to struggle in the area for some time. The final match of the season saw

go down to

both physically and on the scoreboard by 21 points to 7. The

team was below strength.

Representative fixtures and trials

Auckland v South Auckland (Northern Union C.C.)

Auckland trial match

Auckland v Canterbury

Auckland v South Auckland

Inter Island Match

New Zealand Trial Match

England Tour Match

The entire Auckland Provincial team were Auckland club players aside from Joe Menzies

England Tour Match

Auckland v Otago (Northern Union C.C.)

North Auckland v Auckland

Auckland v South Auckland

Auckland representative matches played and scorers

{, class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: center;" !No!!Name!!Club team!!Played!!Tries!!Con!!Pen!!Drop goal!!Points , - , 1, ,

, , Newton Rangers, , 5, , 3, , 14, , 0, , 2, , 41 , - , 1, ,

, , Newton Rangers, , 6, , 13, , 1, , 0, , 0, , 41 , - , 3, , Claude List, , Kingsland, , 6, , 6, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 18 , - , 4, , Len Scott, , Devonport United, , 5, , 5, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 15 , - , 5, , Frank Delgrosso, , Ponsonby United, , 3, , 0, , 6, , 0, , 0, , 12 , - , 6, , Allan Seagar, , Devonport United, , 4, , 3, , 1, , 0, , 0, , 11 , - , 7, , Ernest Ruby, , Devonport United, , 3, , 3, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 9 , - , 7, , Hec Brisbane, , Marist Old Boys, , 1, , 3, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 9 , - , 9, , Alan Clarke, , Newton Rangers, , 4, , 2, , 1, , 0, , 0, , 8 , - , 10, , Stan Prentice, , Richmond Rovers, , 4, , 2, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 6 , - , 11, , Lou Hutt, , Ponsonby United, , 5, , 1, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 3 , - , 11, , J Payne, , Ponsonby United, , 4, , 1, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 3 , - , 11, ,

, , City Rovers, , 2, , 1, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 3 , - , 11, ,

, , Newton Rangers, , 5, , 1, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 3 , - , 11, , Dick Moisley, , Marist Old Boys, , 1, , 1, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 3 , - , 11, , Jones, , Richmond Rovers, , 1, , 1, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 3 , - , 11, , Ralph Jenkinson, , Richmond Rovers, , 1, , 1, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 3 , - , 18, ,

, , Ponsonby United, , 3, , 0, , 1, , 0, , 0, , 2 , - , 18, ,

, , Newton Rangers, , 4, , 0, , 1, , 0, , 0, , 2 , - , 20, , Jim O'Brien, , Marist Old Boys, , 3, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0 , - , 20, , Alf Scott, , Devonport United, , 1, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0 , - , 20, , Charles Gregory, , Marist Old Boys, , 1, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0 , - , 20, , Neville St George, , Devonport United, , 1, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0 , - , 20, ,

Horace Dixon Horace William Oscar Dixon (1 February 1899 – 7 March 1978) was a New Zealand rugby league player who represented New Zealand. Playing career Dixon played for the Devonport club in the Auckland Rugby League competition and represented Auckl ...

, , Devonport United, , 1, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0 , - , 20, , Trevor Hanlon, , Richmond Rovers, , 1, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0 , - , 20, , B Davis, , Ellerslie, , 1, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0 , - , 20, , Rhodes, , Newton Rangers, , 1, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0 , - , 20, , Bill Hamilton, , City Rovers, , 1, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0 , -

Auckland players selected for New Zealand

The following Auckland players were selected in the New Zealand team to play the first test versus England at

: C. Dufty (Newton), R. Hardgrave (Newton), C. List (Kingsland), L. Scott (Devonport),

(City), Stan Prentice (Richmond), F. Delgrosso (Ponsonby), Lou Hutt (Ponsonby),

(Newton), J. O’Brien (Marist), Reserves:

(Ponsonby), and T. Hall (Newton). New Zealand won the test by 17 points to 13 in front of 27,000 spectators. Brisbane who had not been considered for the first test due to injury was selected for the second test to be played in Dunedin and replaced L. Scott in the side.

Annual general meetings and club news

Details of annual club meetings were as follows, along with notable news during the season. * Akarana League Football Club held at Carlaw Park. They stated that the 1927 season had been successful with two of their three teams winning their grades. * City Rovers Football Club held at Carlaw Park. * Devonport United League Football Club held at the Buffalo Lodge Rooms on 19 March. During the season Devonport asked the Devonport Domain Board for permission to use the football ground for a match on 23 June and for the authority to charge spectators for entry. Permission was granted provided the charge did not exceed 1 shilling. * Ellerslie United League Football Club held at their training shed opposite the Ellerslie Railway Station on 26 March. * Glen Eden At the Auckland Rugby League's weekly Management Committee meeting in April they decided to give financial assistance to the Glen Eden Club toward paying off its ground. *

held at Leys Institute in Ponsonby. * Kingsland Rovers Football Club held at Buffalo Lodge Rooms on 25 March. * Mangere United Football Club held at Cook's Hall on 26 March. During the season Wirenui Hapi the halfback of the Mangere senior team died after a short illness. The Mangere team wore white arm bands on the jerseys for their round 11 match at Carlaw Park against Grafton. * Marist Old Boys held at Donovan's Gymnasium in Parnell. * Mt Albert held their first ever meeting at St George's Hall in Mt Albert. It was decided that they would form a club in Mt Albert although they did not decide on a name at this time. They entered teams in the third and fourth grades. During the season Auckland Rugby League made a grant of £3 to Mount Albert for a dressing shed. * New Lynn League Football Club held at Foresters’ Hall, New Lynn on 28 March. * Newton Rangers Football Club held at Nairn's Tea Rooms on Karangahape Road. * Northcote-Birkenhead Ramblers League Football Club held at Foresters’ Hall, Birkenhead on 22 March. * Parnell League Football Club held at Donovan's Gymnasium in Parnell. It was noted at the meeting that Parnell had lost its ground as the council was going to put roads through it. They were going to make arrangements to use the Auckland Domain for training purposes. * Point Chevalier League Football Club held in the Point Chevalier Hall. * Ponsonby United Football Club held at The Leys Institute in Ponsonby. Ponsonby were being called “Ponies” in the newspapers during the season. They played the newly formed Hikurangi during the season and also toured the area with a senior and junior team. * Richmond Rovers Football Club became the first team to play a rugby league match in Northland when they met the Hikurangi side. Their coach for the season was Ben Davis. *Auckland Rugby League Primary Schools’ Management Committee. It was stated that eight teams were entered in various competitions in 1927. *Junior Management Committee held at Gray's Buildings on 27 March. *Referees Association held at the League Rooms on 26 March. During the season they asked that a written report submitted by its members should suffice for players ordered from the field, rather than requiring them to attend judicial inquiries as it was difficult to attend.

References

{{reflist

External links

Auckland Rugby League official site
Auckland Rugby League seasons Auckland Rugby League