1918 Auckland Rugby League season
[1] North Shore Albions withdrew from the competition early in the season and on other occasions teams played short-handed.
At the conclusion of the year the Auckland Rugby League took out an advertisement acknowledging the deaths of people associated with the game from the recent influenza epidemic.
And also H. Iles, Arthur Winnall, B Evans, P. Sheenan, and Francis Caulam also being mentioned along with "all others who have lost their loved ones".
Prior to the start of the season they asked the Auckland Rugby League if they could affiliate with Grafton.
The Auckland Star in reporting on the matter wrote the “Parnell Club requested permission to affiliate with Newton.
Affiliation was then granted to the Parnell Club, and the offer of Northcote for the transference of nominations was referred to the Junior Advisory Board”.
[9] The 'Maritime Football Club' applied to join the Auckland Rugby League with the nomination of a senior team.
The Māngere club applied for affiliation and the registration of 23 players at the Auckland Rugby League meeting on 17 April.
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.
North Shore was struggling to field a team owing to the impact of the war on their playing numbers.
Grafton also had trouble raising a team and were very late taking the field before managing to defeat Ponsonby 12-3 thanks largely to captain Karl Ifwersen scoring a try and kicking 2 penalties.
Ponsonby achieved a milestone of sorts becoming the first club to reach 1,000 first grade points during their match with Newton.
He wrote a letter of apology during the week and the league ordered him to appear on Saturday to receive a “severe citation” [22] George Reid (City) was knocked unconscious during their match with Grafton and was taken to hospital.
Newton easily beat City 18-2 with George Iles scoring once and his brother Arthur converting 3 of their 4 tries.
[33] A player from each team in the City - Newton match was ordered off for rough play though the newspapers did not name who they were.
Late in the match between Ponsonby and City, Montrose (Monty) Stanaway and Arthur Cadman exchanged blows and were sent off by referee Archie Ferguson.
The board decided during the week that a mistake has been made in ordering off Cadman but that Stanaway be "severely cautioned against further infringements".
Ponsonby's narrow win over Maritime meant that they won the championship without the need for a playoff with Newton who were left 2 points behind them.
Many years later when reminiscing about his career Ernie Asher while watching a game at Carlaw Park was heard to say "my biggest thrill ever in football was back in 1915 or 16... Ponsonby were 100 to 1 on favourite to beat us.
The match between Newton and Grafton raised money for Spence (Spencer) Jones who had badly injured himself playing at the end of the previous season and spent a long time in hospital.
He then joined the City Rovers senior side playing 12 games, and kicking a goal in the 1918 season.
Bill King the future New Zealand international moved out of the forwards and started the game as an extra back (in the first five eighth) position, leaving just 5 men in the scrum.
Matthew Winter Maddison kicked a penalty and was Ponsonby's top point scorer for the season.
During the season they asked the Auckland Rugby League if they could be affiliated to the Newton Rangers club.
The league delayed a decision as they had earlier asked to be affiliated to the City Rovers club before changing their mind.
There were many results not reported however the Otahuhu standings and for and against record are correct as they are displayed on their championship winning photograph in their present day club rooms.
Big Store was removed from the competition by the ARL due to a disciplinary issue in an August match.
[49] Richmond and the Telegraph Messengers 4th grade teams travelled to Thames to play an exhibition match on 12 October.
The A team was Bill Minogue, Bill Walsh, Thomas McClymont, Jim Clark (Ponsonby), Dougie McGregor, Karl Ifwersen, Ernie Bailey, Ernie Herring (Grafton), George Iles (Newton), George Davidson (Maritime), Jim Rukutai, Tom Haddon, Harry Francis (City, while the B Team was George Paki, Ivan Stewart (City), Eric McGregor, Matthew Maddison, Arthur Cadman (Ponsonby), A Thomas, Jack Keenan, Bill Williams (Newton), Percy Pullen, H Simpson (Grafton), Bert Avery, A (Tab) Cross, Tom Sheehan (Maritime), with William Hanlon (Ponsonby), Ernest Stallworthy (Maritime), Bob Clarke (City), and Arthur Keenan (Newton) named in the reserves.
