1916 Auckland Rugby League season

Prior to the commencement of the season it was stated in the management committee meeting that 487 players in the Auckland district alone had committed to the war effort.

The Otahuhu senior team as was noted at their committee meeting featured “only three men eligible for military service..., and these were all registered and waiting to be called up.

[2] Despite this attendances were still good, with the mid season match between City Rovers and Grafton Athletic at Victoria Park attracting 3,000 spectators.

[3] The final round saw over 4,000 attend Victoria Park where City Rovers won the title with a 14 points to 10 win over Grafton Athletic.

Significantly they secured the option of the Chinamen's gardens just off Stanley Street and this was to later be turned into Carlaw Park.

The matches were played in a strong north-easterly wind which would have been whipping across the Waitematā Harbour in the case of Victoria Park, and "pelting rain" but still drew "hundreds of people" to each venue.

Newton had trouble fielding a full team for their match with Ponsonby and ultimately played with 11, with the 28 to 3 defeat being unsurprising.

Ben (Stanley Barrett Russell) Rutledge returned to the field for Grafton after having been part of a group which travelled around the Pacific gathering up enemy subjects for internment.

The Auckland League discussed it at length at their Wednesday meeting and while there were relatively few incidents in particular which were singled out the match as a whole saw a lot of off the ball play.

On one occasion Ernie Bailey, the experienced North Shore forward was said to have stood over Thomas McClymont as he lay on the ground and rubbed his head in the mud.

The images were of the following subjects: (1) Jack Paul, the North Shore captain; (2) James (Jimmy) Carlaw (who Carlaw Park was later named after), speaking to Dick Benson, the Auckland Rugby League secretary; (3) Jim Rukutai, the captain of City; (4) Ronald MacDonald (former New Zealand international); (5) Scrum action from the City v North Shore match; (6) Auckland Rugby League secretary; (7) A spectator; (8) James Carlaw, (9) A spectator; (10) secretary Dick Benson; (11) Caretaker of the park and constable for Freemans Bay; (12) Jack Endean.

The match at Otahuhu saw the home side take the field with just 11 players and even the referee failed to make an appearance.

George Seagar was playing for the North Shore after returning from the war for medical reasons and had to come out of the forward pack to replace Colson at five eighth who was carried from the field with an injury during the second half.

[34] It was reported during the week that Frank McWhirter and Graham Cook of the Ponsonby team had been killed in action in the war.

Players wore armbands in their honour and did the same for William Edward Vause (Ponsonby), John Dalrymple Muir (Otahuhu), and Jack Perry (Newton) who had all been killed in France.

J Duggan, the City hooker was regularly winning the ball from the scrums so their captain Jim Rukutai decided to take McAubrey off the back of their scrum and play him as an extra five eighth to nullify the Grafton backs, Karl Ifwersen, Dougie McGregor, and John McGregor.

North Shore received the poor advice that Newton was not sending a team to play them at Devonport and as a result most of the side did not arrive at the ground.

A side was hurriedly assembiled including several junior grade players and two short spells were played.

[41] There were 3,000 in attendance again for the semi-final between City Rovers and Ponsonby United, again played at Victoria Park in muddy conditions.

As the result was a draw it meant that the teams and Auckland Rugby League had to decide on how to proceed with the competition.

The draw between City and Ponsonby caused a problem for the league in that they did not play extra time at this point in the games history.

Ultimately City had to play Newton to find the team to meet Ponsonby in the final but they won anyway to go to the decider.

In the drawn match Charles Webb returned to play at halfback and produced an outstanding defensive performance.

[43] As part of the second semi final between City and Newton a competition was held between 5 popular members of the teams with the spectators being able to vote on their favourite player.

The nominated players with results were Thomas McClymont of Ponsonby (714), Albert Asher of City (547), Karl Ifwersen of Grafton (230), Joe Bennett of Newton, and Bernard Farrelly of Otahuhu.

For City, their young star who had risen through their ranks, Bill Davidson playing at outside centre, scored a try and kicked a penalty.

For Ponsonby, their captain, and future 'NZ Legend of League' Thomas McClymont scored their lone try which was said by the Observer newspaper to be "the best of the year" after he "raced from his own 25 after seeming to come from nowhere and grabbing the ball from Fitzgerald's hands".

[47] The following point scoring lists include both Senior Championship matches and the Roope Rooster competition.

George Iles began the season with Grafton however was granted a transfer to the struggling Newton side along with his younger brother Arthur.

In August the newly formed Riverhead club's third grade team was forced to withdraw due to so many of their players enlisting in the war effort.