The Wests Tigers have taken out the 2005 Telstra NRL Rugby League premiership. The Wests Tigers are a joint venture between foundation rugby league clubs; Western Suburbs and Balmain.
These two clubs, and their off spring, the Wests Tigers, have had to endure plenty of hard ships in recent years. Firstly the pain of a forced merger, followed by disappointing finishes between 2000 and 2004 and plenty of on and off field controversy.
That the Tigers have found success may seem remarkable to many after so many recent years of failure. The Tiger’s success this year has come by placing faith in young talented players instead of relying on “big name” players who often join a club with an over inflated cost and ego. The Tigers on the other hand have relied on youth, promoting young players like Benji Marshall, Bryce Gibbs, Robbie Farah, Chris Heighington, Dene Halatau, Bronson Harrison and Liam Fulton. These players have come through the junior ranks and are now devoted Wests Tigers.
These young players have brought a breath of fresh air to Rugby League. They play with an irresistible flair and skill, not content to bash the ball forward like many modern teams; they play to their skills, throwing the ball around with skill and speed.
In doing so they have captured the imagination of rugby league supporters everywhere, and helped to heal many old wounds for diehard Balmain and Western Suburbs supporters who have had to put up with so much for the love of their team.
As an aside I would also like to pay my respects to those who have suffered from the recent terrorist attacks in Bali. It is a great tragedy and the thoughts of us at Middle of Nowhere go out to all those caught up in this horrific act of terrorism.
One Comment
A useless bit of input – the first footy match I saw live was around ’96. Playing were the Western Suburbs Magpies and the North Queensland Cowboys. At the time it was a rare win for the Magpies.
Since they’ve combined with Balmain they’ve been slowly but steadily improving.