The 1917 Auckland Rugby League season was its 9th. Due to the large number of players now serving in the First World War it was agreed to relax transfer rules to allow players from stronger teams to join weaker teams to even the competition. It was noted how many men from various clubs had been killed in battle by the beginning of 1917. They were Cecil Walker, Doug Dawson, T Marshall (Grafton Athletic), Charles Savory, Frank McWhirter (Ponsonby United), Graham Cook (Ponsonby United), N Vause, Victor McCollum, Alf Gault, T Lambert, E Tiernan, F Stubbs, W. G. Handle (Ponsonby United), B Hart, Frederick Gladding, A Powley, Chas Mann (North Shore Albions), William Moeki, G Jones, W Harris, Sam Magee, S Greer (City Rovers), Alan Miller, Charles Sinton, and Leslie O'Leary (Sunnyside). City Rovers had 'sent' ninety men to war by this time and twenty-one had been wounded and five killed. The Sunnyside club had only nine members left and one of those who had gone to the war (William O'Shaughnessey) said that in the trenches he had made a list of league players from various clubs which totaled 120. All three of the Sunnyside secretaries had enlisted and the executive was also gone. Ponsonby had also had over eighty of its members join the war effort.
Thirty three teams entered the six grades. This was down on previous seasons due to the number of men who had gone to fight. In the senior grade there were still six teams entered, with five second grade teams, five third grade teams, nine fourth grade teams, six fifth grade teams, and four sixth grade teams. The season was notable for the fact that Otahuhu was forced to drop out of the first grade competition after round 4 as it struggled to field senior players. Grafton Athletic also fell by the way-side soon after for the same reason.
Ponsonby United won the first grade championship for the first time in their history. They also won the Roope Rooster trophy for the first time with a 12–6 win over City Rovers in the final. By winning both competitions they became the second Auckland senior club to win multiple trophies in the same season following on the footsteps of City Rovers who had won both titles the year prior.
News Club teams by grade participation Team1st Grade2nd Grade3rd Grade4th Grade5th Grade6th GradeTotalCity Rovers1111217Newton Rangers1111004Otahuhu Rovers1101104North Shore Albions1010114Ponsonby United1101003Northcote & Birkenhead Ramblers0010102Grafton Athletic1001002Thames Old Boys0101002Richmond Rovers0001012Telegraph Messengers0000112Pupuke0010001Sunnyside0001001Total65686435
Pupuke club On May 17, 1917 the Pupuke rugby league club was granted affiliation with the Auckland Rugby League at their weekly management meeting. They entered a single team in the 3rd grade competition. The Observer newspaper reported that “Takapuna is the latest recruit to Northern Unionism. Forty-three lads there have formed a club to be known as the Pupuke Club. One team has been entered in the third grade competitions to play in all red jerseys”. In 1921 a club was formed in the same Takapuna area and played until 1925.
Representative season At the season end rather than a strong representative program which had been a feature of earlier years several charity and exhibition matches were played instead. These included a match versus the victorious Auckland Rugby Union club champions Railway. The team in its entirety switched to the rugby league code. They played matches with Ponsonby United and City Rovers at the end of the season. The team would go on to struggle for numbers itself in 1918 before eventually amalgamating with Grafton Athletic.
Victoria Park In 1916 the fence around Victoria Park had been removed by the council which made it very difficult to collect gate revenue. The league had however secured land which would be developed as Carlaw Park with the aim being to secure the ground and gain revenue from ticket sales in the future.
First grade championship The 1st grade championship had been competing for the Myers Cup from 1910 to 1914 but after the beginning of the war the league decided to not award trophies though the grade competitions were still competed for as normal. Twenty three first grade season matches were played which was less than previous seasons but because both Otahuhu and Grafton Athletic were forced to drop out of the competition due to a lack of players as a result of so many leaving to join the war effort. After their Round 4 default to North Shore where only two Otahuhu players turned up they decided to amalgamate senior teams with Grafton. This was short lived however as Grafton themselves only lasted until Round 7 when they themselves defaulted a week later. Ponsonby United were crowned champions for the first time in their existence.
Statistics Including the knockout games there were 25 first grade games played with 132 tries, 54 conversions, 32 penalties, 1 drop goal, and 3 goals from a mark. The average number of points per game was 23, with 5.3 tries per game. With 54 conversions from 132 attempts the successful percentage was 40.9. The successful conversion percentage went from 38.5 to 40.9. The points per game increased from 18.2 in 1916 to 23.
1st Grade standings TeamPldWDLFAPtsPonsonby United87011095114Newton Rangers96031537712City Rovers96031107112North Shore Albions940584918Grafton Athletic7007211440Otahuhu Rovers400412550
1st Grade results Round 1 The match at Otahuhu saw the kickoff delayed as the home team only had 8 players with several absent through illness. Eventually it got underway and a few players arrived to join the game, though they only ended up with 11. The Grafton club protested at the playing of Arthur Matthews and his brother W. Matthews for the North Shore side when they were registered with Ponsonby. The league decided to order both players to stand down until the matter was resolved and that the match should be replayed at a later date.
Round 2 Newton, who had themselves struggled in 1916 now found themselves against a depleted Grafton side due to the war. Grafton field what was said to be a "scratch team" with just one senior player and were trounced 43-0. Ernie Asher converted a try from the sideline on full time to win the match for City over North Shore. It came after North Shore took the lead with a try with 5 minutes to go. Then City attacked and a series of scrums were held near the North Shore line. The referee had to stop the game for 2 and a half minutes to clear the field of spectators who were encroaching on the field of play before George Paki secured the ball from a scrum and crossed to level the scores before Asher's goal. It was said that "hat's coats, etc, were thrown in the air by the red barrackers". The Pukekohe & Waiuku Times reported that the match between Otahuhu and Ponsonby at the formers ground was played "on a sodden ground and under very unfavourable weather conditions" and after ten minutes the players were unrecognisable as they were covered in mud.
Round 3
Round 4
Round 5 Otahuhu had withdrawn from the competition meaning only two games per round from this point onwards. A letter was written to the newspapers explaining their situation that some players had requested transfers while others had been injured and the junior teams were too young or low in ability to replace the senior defections to put out a full team each week. They had also lost many club members to military service. The match at Victoria Park drew 5,000 spectators but was considered a "poor exhibition" with the field in a heavy state due to wet weather, with rain again coming down late in the match. Arthur Rae scored twice for Ponsonby and it was A. Cross's goal kicking which separated the sides as City matched Ponsonby's three tries. Bill Davidson only converting one of theirs. At Devonport Domain the visiting Newton side proved too strong scoring 4 tries to 3 with internationals George Iles, Bill Cloke, and Bill Williams all crossing the line and Charles Potier kicking 4 goals. Ernie Asher started the match at fullback but was replaced by George Paki who was celebrating his 24th birthday and it was said that City had uncovered a "tip top full" in Paki as he "never made a mistake in the game".
Round 6 The matches played at Victoria Park were the 100th and 101st senior club games played at that venue stretching from 1909 to 1917. Though both kicked off at the same time so the honour of being the 100th is shared. The Ponsonby team took the field wearing armbands after a club mate, Herbert Arthur Brewer, had been killed in action on June 7 in Belgium at the age of 25. During the week eight of the Otahuhu senior side were granted transfers due to them folding. Alf Eustace moved to City along with hooker Montrose (Monty) Stanaway, brother of Alex and Jack who had both represented New Zealand and New Zealand Māori respectively, while Bill Cloke and Gus Martin went to Newton.
Round 7 Grafton continued to struggle to put out a competitive team and played 3 men short against Newton. The unknown try scorer for City came about when most of the forwards piled over the line together with the press unable to see who scored. And evidently not bothering to ask the players who scored after the match.
Round 8 The unknown try for Ponsonby in their win over North Shore was described in the New Zealand Herald match report as “a fierce combined rally resulted in the pack taking the ball over for a try”. Grafton defaulted their match with City and this ended their season as they were unable to field a side for any further competitive matches.
Round 9
Round 10 North Shore had three players go into military camp and substituted them with three players "from the Māori camp" including a player named Mangakapia and another named Ngatui. It was said that on the whole they were "fairly good but were handicapped a lot by a lack of knowledge of the game". In the match between City and Ponsonby, Jim Clark who had been warned earlier was sent off for disputing an obstruction call against him by referee Archie Ferguson. Future New Zealand hooker Sam Lowrie was said to have done well in the scrums getting possession for his side on 9 times out of 12. George Paki was also singled out for playing another outstanding game at fullback for City and was said to be the best fullback in Auckland. Bill Davidson at centre three quarter for City was said to have been the best back on the ground.
On 21 July Ponsonby played a match versus the Waterside Workers after both Otahuhu and Grafton had left the competition. Ponsonby won the match by 14 points to 3. Ponsonby had been scheduled to play Grafton but after it became apparent that the later side could not field a team the alternative fixture was arranged.
Roope Rooster knockout competition After both Otahuhu and Grafton Athletic had dropped out of the senior grade there were only 4 senior teams left. However the Waterside Workers formed a team and played a match versus Ponsonby during the season, and they also played in the first round of the Roope Rooster.
Following the conclusion of the Roope Rooster competition on 25 August a benefit match was played between City Rovers and Newton Rangers at Victoria Park. It was won by City 31 points to 11. On 1 September City defeated Ponsonby in another exhibition match, described as “one of the fastest and most exciting matches this season” by 13 points to 12 at Victoria Park. Round 1 North Shore struggled to field a team due to recent enlistments and had to use a 4th grade player and 2 other juniors to get 13 players on the field. The newspapers all described the two games as poor exhibitions. The newly put together Waterside Workers side struggled for combination and the City side was said to have treated the game as a "joke", leading 13-0 at half time and not trying seriously.
Semi final
Final