More Central Teams in the Combine Central-Western competition 1983...

People have been yaccking saying we did not include all teams in the preview of the Central competition in 1983.  Sorry but our YACCK team is working hard on it and here is a few more teams in that comp.....

Limehills.  Under new coach Neil Collie, and with three experienced players retired, Limehills is in a process of rebuilding.  Major loss is the former Southland captain and hooker Dave Saunders, He has finally given the game away at playing level at least, after many years of service to the province and more so to Limehills.  Lindsay White and Trevor Wilson have also joined him in retirement.
Gains include Ross Clark, Anthony Daizell, Wally Middleton and Stephen Clearwater.  Untility back and natural footballer Trevor Kean will be full-back John Lindsay, Dalzell and Clearwater will be the wingers, Andy Overton the centre, Greg Boyle and Roger Stevens the five eights and Geoff Keown will again be half-back.  Keown and Stevens are among the best pairings in the competition and much of the Limehills play will centre on these two.  Stevens and Kean will be the goal kickers.
Maitland Leith, a tall youngster, will be the No. 8 and two fit men, Russell Foster and Malcolm Day will be the flankers.  Russell Whyte, Middleton and Keith Finn will be the locks behind a solid enough front row of Ray Munro, Ross Clark (formerly of Ohai-Nightcaps) and hookers Michael Riordan and Neil Chilton.  Finn is one of the more experienced forward and can also play prop.
Drummond.  Former Southland half back John Patterson will coach Drummond which will field some experienced players eager to better the below par performances of recent seasons.  There are three promotions from senior reserve ranks and only one outside addition to the team.  The promoted players are Tim Boyle, Chris O'Connell and Dick McFarlane.  The team is a young one overall.  The outside gain is Mark Duffy (formerly of Central Pirates) a utility back.
After many years of service to the club two mid-field backs, Graeme Spittle and Kevin Munro, have called it a day and their absence will be felt.
Initally the team could line out with Russell McLean at full-back (can also play half-back) Dave Wilson and Gary Horner in the three-quarters, Mark Duffy, Howard Clark and Hamish Forbes as mid field or inside backs, Bill Cooper and Bruce Allison as half-backs.  Cooper and Allison can also play on the wings.  A former winger, Ewan Forbes, O'Connell and Ken Dykes will be loose forwards along with John Racz, Graham Cochran and Jim Lindsay will lock the scrum and the props will include Russell Horner, Paul Kincaid and John Kincaid with Brian Lindsay as hooker.  The Kincaids are also expert strikers.  John Kincaid will captain the team with Horner as deputy.
Waiau Star joint coaches Brian Hampton and Arthur Devery will field a young team this year.  Losses are few and most of the gains are from the ranks of the senior reserve teams.  At least three of the newly promoted players played for Western junior grades last season.  These are Bob Harpur, a centre, Graham Carr, a pacy flanker and Alan Harris, a prop.  Other promoted senior reserve players are Ken Beck (formerly of Riverton), Gerard Adams,  will fill in back berths, Chris Forde, John Ryley and Stephen Lee.
The team will have one or two players of experience including the former Riverton and Western loose forward Bede McKenzie who has proved a stalward of the club since moving to Tuatapere.  Among the players likely to be fielded are Ken Black at full-back Richard Henderson, Hoopi Borthwick and Frank O'Brien as wingers, Harpur is the probable choice at centre.  Rob Hoffman and Tony Holland will be the five-eights with Mike O'Brien the untility back.  Half-backs Peter Devery and Gerrard Adams will be in contention for that berth. 
McKenzie ,Chris Forde and Ted Guttrey will be on the list of loose forwards as will Graham Carr, Bruce Rodgers and Dave Norman. John Ryley, Robin Peters and the experienced Kevin Edgerton will be the locks linking with props Trevor White, Allan Harris and Stephen Lee who in turn will support hooker Neil McLeod.
Wrights Bush will again field a team with experience and skill but it is likely to be hampered through the absence of representative players during the club season.  Bush will field one of the tallest forward packs in the province with two 6ft 5in and two 6ft 4in men.
Alex Gray will again coach the team that is almost identical to that fielded last year.  Gray hopes the team that beat all Central teams twice with the exception of Central Pirates, but failed to take a trophy, can improve sufficiently to topple the best.
Out from last year are Michael Broad, Malcolm White (forwards) and Howard Tamariki in the backs.  Des gill a massive No. 8 is back after a break and promoted junior Herbie Brown and David Holden will fill the five-eights berths.  Holden played for Central last year.  The Southland fullback Ian Clarke with the three-quarters being Jim Sinclair, Gavin McPherson and Barry Howden.  In top form in pre-season games Walter Hirawira will be the centre outside Holden and Brown.
Bruce Winter will gain be the pivot at half-back and Stewart McNaughton will be another utility player at home at fullback or on the wings. 
Gill will be able to give extra lineout strength to a team already well endowed in that department.  Former All Black Leicester Rutledge and  Graham Marshall will operate in the loose while the tall McDonald brothers Colin and Brian  McDonald will lock the scrum, Brian has been selected for the Southland Invitation XV to play Doshishda University, of Japan on Sunday, largely on the strength of his fine showings last year.
Hooker Alister White will have props Tony Carmichael, Ken Rolfe and Alister Wilson to form a solid front row.  John McNaughton is the utility forward capable of playing prop or in the loose. 
Otautau will again field a strong, fast backline but the forwards should be stronger and heavier than in previous years.  That means the team will post the strongest threat to Central Pirates for leadership in the combined competition.  Last year Otautau was second and was the top Western team.  Otautau has a new coach, Bill Mackintosh, who has a strong nucleus from last year.  There have been few changes but once again Alan Dickson as goal kicker should be advantageous.  Losses include lock Stewart Baird who has retired after solid service.  Peter Drake a prop is up from senior reserve and two other players out last year are back into the pack.  One of these if lock Norm Wilson and the other is Ray Laurie, a prop.  The team will lineout with Tony Watt at full-back, Stewart Clark, paceman Warren James, Ian Brown and Peter Morris as three-quarters, Gerry Brown a capable centre is there again outside Bruce Keen and Alan Dickson.  Geoff Carleton is another capable five-eight.  Kevin Hamilton the former Central Pirates, half back, will fill that berth. 
Ken Taylor, at No. 8, Earl Drake, Donald Clark and captain Phil Lindsay will be the loose forwards.  Casey Baird, Norm Wilson and Peter Drake will lock while Barry Brown, Laurie and Alan Ryan will serve as props.  Ray Evans and Graham Millar will be the hookers. If these forwards give the backs steady and clean ball, Otautau could again prove to be one of the most attractive teams to watch.