While the tradition and history of foundation clubs, Western Suburbs and Balmain, must forever remain in the DNA of the Wests Tigers, the joint venture club is in urgent need of a knock-down rebuild.
The current incarnation has surely run its race. The crude stapling together in 1999 of two under-threat entities has been an abject failure.
They’ve played semi-final football on just three occasions across 22 winters. Beleaguered fans cling to the club’s 2005 ‘My Sharona’ moment.
However, beyond those two months of Benji Marshall brilliance, the Wests Tigers have totally lost the knack, and for over two decades they’ve been consigned to one-hit-wonder status.
(Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)
The Wests-Balmain divide has never been adequately papered over and continues to fester below everything the club attempts.
Former Balmain fans blame the 90 per cent ownership of Wests Ashfield. Former Wests fans blame the full tiger-isation of the club’s identity and bemoan Wests Ashfield for not addressing the imbalance.
Meanwhile, the burgeoning league communities of Liverpool, Campbelltown and Macarthur and down to Group 6 have been largely left behind.
The major problem is that the club’s financial life force, Wests Ashfield, is just a hefty punt kick away from Leichhardt, but it’s a cut lunch and long drive away from the Magpies’ post-1987 heartland.
During a halftime address delivered to nonplussed teenagers one windy Saturday afternoon in Sefton, former Berala Bears D-grade coach Alby Einstein observed, “Boys, insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result”.
The Bears had no idea what their coach was trying to say and continued on to yet another heavy defeat. However, the Wests Tigers need to listen.
They need to start again. They need to forget the emotional and financial pull of the inner west and move holus-bolus out to Sydney’s burgeoning south-west.
Wipe the slate clean and rebrand. It’s time to introduce the Macarthur Rugby League Football Club. Nickname: the Afterthought. Colours: black, white and gold (not garish orange). Home ground: Campbelltown Stadium (for all home games).
The Liverpool-Campbelltown-Macarthur region has over the years produced a hall of fame list of footy talent: James Tedesco, Brad Fittler, Jason Taylor, Tim Sheens, Jarryd Hayne, Junior Paulo, Israel Folau, Jamie Ainscough, Ryan Hoffman, John Skandalis, the Minichiello brothers… it’s so fine, the salary cap gets blown many times over.
(Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images)
The newly branded Macarthur Afterthought will aim to embody the passion and spirit of foundation club legends Tommy Raudonikis and Laurie Nicholls, while mixing in the unerring drive and will to win of Steven Bradbury.
The local Camden hero battled past the world to claim Olympic speed skating gold at Salt Lake City back in 2002. Bradbury was a classic afterthought who simply refused to lie down.
And like Steven Bradbury in those years leading into his famous victory, the Macarthur region has been battered, bruised and discounted for far too long.
The combined inner-city interests of the Leichhardt Oval Appreciation Society and Wests Ashfield Leagues Club has consigned the area’s footy fans and junior league nursery to that of a second-tier concern.
Macarthur RLFC shall provide a full and heartfelt focus on the region. It will aim to become a genuine community club, taking an obvious lead from the neighbouring powerhouse the Penrith Panthers.
The Afterthought also provides the club with the most uniquely existential nickname in the league. Built upon a historical ache, the Afters will feed off this wound, having risen to big time footy not through any fuss or fanfare, but via a begrudging reconsideration.
It offers up a psychological position not dissimilar to the fibro culture introduced so successfully by Roy Masters back in the firebrand days of the late 1970s.
After 22 years of drifting about Sydney like a homeless Uber driver, the newly crafted club will put down roots at Leumeah.
They will play their hearts out for the people of the south-west region and in doing so, they will inspire the next generation of Fittlers and Tedescos to want to play for their local club – the mighty Macarthur Afterthought.
Carn the Afters!
Alex Tricolas
Guest
And there you have it. Wests Ashfield and Leichhardt Oval (and Concord) are just a stone's throw away from each other. Macarthur is another planet. The people who pour their dollars into the Ashfield club every day and fund this whole circus act would indeed have to pack more than a lunch to travel to see 'their' team play in a territory they have no connection with. Meanwhile, the freeloaders out west get a team to support without putting a hand in a pocket. I call BS. Dump Macarthur. As for juniors, yes there they all are as you stated. But not a one is hanging out in the fringes of civilisation for too long once their value is established. Freddie heads east to sunbath at Bondi while proclaiming love for the mountains (hogwash). Mini and his bro don't take a backwards glance on the way to the beach. Teddy follows suit. You are dreaming. Junior nurseries mean nothing. Haven't Roosters and Storm taught you anything?
Terry
Guest
Sorry go read Monks 1999 annual report it states Balmain cannot afford to field any teams in the NRL. Wests on the other hand made a $2m profit. Wests we being kicked out due to their dismal performances. Also their home ground was deemed inadequate for NRL games. Strangely it was acceptable after the joint venture was announced. Balmain was being kicked out due to their great lack of money.
Graeme
Guest
Only ONE club has a stake.
Graeme
Guest
Wow, what a load of undergrad, I’ll-thought-out, unresearched twaddle. I won’t be reading another Roar story again. Garbage. Get some real writers. I mean the Knack thing was embarrassing.
Andrew Stark
Roar Rookie
It’s a bit of fun mate! The people of the Macarthur, like those of the Central Coast have been used by the game. They are great supporters of the competition, but deemed not worthy of representation in the NRL. Re’ the 1970s at Wests - the minor premiership in 78 was a tremendous achievement. They were at hundreds to make the semis that year. The Magpies made semis in 78,79, 80 & 82 and were kicked out of the comp at the end of 83. The on going battle with the NSWRL just to survive lasted until beyond mid decade and a generation of talented kids were lost. So yeah, they struggled at times in the 80s but there were extenuating circumstances.
Dimitri Tricolas
Roar Rookie
"It offers up a psychological position not dissimilar to the fibro culture introduced so successfully by Roy Masters back in the firebrand days of the late 1970s." Oh yeah, the late 1970s when they won... er, one minor premiership. It's hard to accept that the hard-luck loser mindset had much importance considering the the four wooden spoons they copped in the 80s. Plus, I'm not sure the people of Macarthur see themselves as wounded or aching as you so desperately want them to. Feels a little condescending to me.
Dimitri Tricolas
Guest
I'm 30 years old. I've only ever been a Wests Tigers supporter, really. Why? Leichhardt and Benji. And I'm sure that's true for a lot of supporters my age. Sure, guys like Blocker, Benny and Tommy are important to the history – the 15 combined premierships help too – but we've got to go a step beyond the merger if we want to create a new generation of supporters. The Wests/Balmain divide shits to me tears. It's nothing but a bunch of boomers and gen x-ers fighting over past glory and ruining this thing that I love. As I see it, there are two options for this club right now. 1. As you mentioned, their lifeblood is Wests Ashfield. It's a stone's throw away from both Leichhardt and their new $75m facility in Concord. They totally consolidate the brand. No more Balmain. No more Wests Magpies. Only Wests Tigers. The cash cow in Ashfield becomes Wests Tigers Club and they also get to keep one of the two most sacred things in rugby league – Leichhardt Oval (the other being South Sydney Rabbitohs). Wests Tigers will continue to use MacArthur as a nursery but they won't play at Campbelltown anymore. Melbourne and Penrith are just two example of clubs that yield top talent outside of their area - the idea that the club should relocate out there is mind-boggling to me. Especially when the people who pay for it, and both club's histories are in the inner-west. Plus, the post-1987 heartland? That was a disaster! 2. They totally erase the Balmain side of the merger and just become Wests Magpies. The NRL knows how valuable the Tiger is to the brand and will never let it happen but if they want to keep putting magpies on the jumper and dragging us further west I don't see why they should get to keep the tiger or Leichhardt. I've always wanted option one. But the way Wests power-brokers carry on makes me feel like they hate Wests Tigers. As a fan, I feel like they're doing everything they can to undermine Wests Tigers and desert the community that supports it. If that continues, I'd rather they just took their 4 premierships and went back to being the Magpies. They'd lose me, and plenty others, but at least we'd put the angst to bed.
andy
Guest
are you serious Hargraves , at the beginning of all this it was the magpies who couldn't afford to keep a team in the comp and it was Balmain who had the money and kept the western suburb magpies together and if it wasn't for that at the beginning then there wouldn't be the west's tigers FULL STOP right now regardless of who or what stuffed this club up afterwards so get your facts right first
Jim
Guest
:thumbup: look you can talk you can rave on I think getting the right NRL coach is the key to any winning success forget about bringing Tim Sheens over here to be coaching manager. He should be the next coach of the West tigers.
Anthony Tonna
Guest
We can go on all day about management and playing fields but there is only one thing that will please the fans and thats winning.The players,doent matter who they are, need good coaching staff around them and they have to play and train their guts out and make this club proud again.Its up to them,theyre not interested in whos running the club or where they play,they just want to win for the club,their families and themselves.They have to find that will to win for Balmain and Wests!
Maxtruck
Roar Rookie
Balmain - absorbed by Souths Wests - merge with Bulldogs One new team ex Brisbane maintains 16 team comp
Steve
Guest
I really do wish there was a simple answer but I dont see it. I have spoken to a former coach and he said it was a nightmare coaching under the Wests/Tigers board/management. I just feel they are dying a slow death.
Andrew Stark
Roar Rookie
A two decade whim. I’m not suggesting Wests and Balmain roots be abandoned, they just need to be pushed under the surface. The Wests Tigers today are a pale, undernourished runt of a teen, trying to survive two overbearing and overprotective parents. Parents whose relationship went sour the moment the runt was born. Time for the runt to grow a pair and move out.
max power
Guest
you mean the steelers that went broke and had to be bailed out by WIN? the lub is based out of wollongong
Hargreaves
Guest
A few things. The Club only exists because of Wests Ashfield and the Magpies. Early in the merger Balmain threw its weight around , got trashed economically through their own incompetence (and particularly by one former Balmain 'legend' who bled the club dry) and Wests Magpies came to the rescue and graciously let Balmain retain some involvement. Second, the whole Macarthur region issue is a total myth. The Club has played a lot of games there and the fans never turn up. Location is not the issue - look at the Storm or the Roosters - no regional identity, no juniors, but they are successful. IN the modern game that locality issue is wildly over-rated. And say that they move and it doesnt work out, then the Club is done for. The issue for the Club has been back room incompetence and player power (encouraged through some appalling player managers). Wests Tigers management has been atrocious for 15 years now (Humphreys, Mayer and Pascoe have all been woeful), their Board has been very weak and the current Chairman is a media junkie who really should step down. And the CEO should be replaced - how many stuff-ups can he oversee before the Board removes him. And on the field, they should develop from their juniors and recruiting promising younger players. Buy a professional experienced forward leader also to mentor them. And make it very very clear the players do NOT run the Club, the players are there to serve the Club and its fans - and if they dont like it, get rid of them. And give the team time. (And hang on to the good ones who are committed to the Club!!). Then over the years you will again see a very successful club. But they need to be professionally managed.
Andrew
Guest
The problem may be complex. The solution is simplistic and does not address the problem. Where the club plays is not going to boost recruitment or make the players tackle. Moving to an area 50km away from many fans and where the players mainly live will not boost support or player retention. The Melbourne Storm have no local recruitment and manage just fine. Abandoning both clubs roots in the inner west on a whim is completely insane.
Mark Latham
Guest
Eric Grothe jnr and senior Chris Lawrence Geoff Gerard Ryan Hoffman at St Greg’s Paul Taylor Israel Folau Skandalis Why do the Tigers bother with the player market when they only have to develop their juniors like Parra in the 80s and Penrith now
Greg
Roar Pro
Nofoaluma is, but why does it matter where they are developed?
Greg
Roar Pro
The leagues club as it is could not afford to come on 'big time'. Perhaps in time it could but certainly no time soon. Even if the NRL were to fund the initial move, a team that 'struggles early' is not going to endear itself to the area. Quite simply no-one wants to follow a loser. The playing roster is the biggest problem (i understand it is one of many problems). Any rebranding with the same roster will be a fail. I agree the Tigers need to do more to establish pathways, particularly in Macarthur but it will be for nothing if the club cant first find a way to be successful on the field. I also see no reason why the club cant maintain a strong connection to Macarthur whilst splitting games between Campbelltown and Leichardt (i agree with other comments that they should be the clubs only 2 home grounds). Finally, the notion of local juniors progressing to play for their local club at a professional level for the most part is a fantasy for the fans. Whilst there is no doubt that having a strong junior base gives the club the best chance of signing quality young players, no club can hope to be successful off the back of local talent alone. Furthermore there is nothing incentivising those players to remain loyal to their local team. They quite rightly will look to the team that will be the best fit for them, their football and their post footballing careers. The two most successful clubs of the past decade having minimal junior development is evidence of no correlation between junior development and first grade success.
Greg
Roar Pro
Yep, other clubs, other countries, other codes or within, I dont care where they come from. If they can sign 8-10 of the most promising 17-20 year olds to go with the ones previously mentioned they have the chance to be a top side in 3-5 years. Then they might be able to retain these players once they start to fulfil their potential as they wont need to look to other clubs to find success. Currently any star junior that comes through the system (be they local or not) will leave for a stronger club once they establish themselves and no established top tier player is choosing to go to the Tigers. I see no other way to establish a roster with enough talent for success. Also, Reece Hoffman (Qld), Asu Kepoa (NZ/Roosters), Tommy Talau (bulldogs), Tuki Simpkins (NZ/Cowboys), Kelma Tuilagi (NZ/Storm) some other promising young players Tigers have brought in from elsewhere. All look like they will go on to have good first grade careers but no superstars.