I grew up in Birchgrove.
A Balmain TIger since 1950 then 50 years later I found my team was no longer the Balmain Tigers but due to the
NRL ISSUING A DIRECTIVE TO WEST AND BALMAIN, WE HAD TO AMALGAMATE AS THE WEST TIGERS.
I, like most Balmain boy's & Gal's we were very happy with this outcome as west were always our second team anyway,
and in these last 23 years ive always been very happy that my team was now the West Tigers. And I resent the different team, called WEST PLAYING AS MY TEAM, IT IS NOT, WEST TIGERS IS MY TEAM.
AND lets face the fact that had the Tigers not amalgamated with West and done what
Dennis Fitsgerald of Parramatta wanted.
for the Balmain Tigers to join them, then West's would no longer exist.
Why is it so hard for you west supporters to let go of the past, and accept your team is West Tigers
Not West.
Hey there Dennis . . . .. when those from the Wests side of things bring up stuff like this, they are told to grow up and get over it.
If you want to be selective,
let me show you what selective can sound like:
The Magpies side of the merger has never been fairly represented. Fact.
In the general media, the team is mostly referred to as the Tigers. Fact.
And lets face the fact that if not for the WESTS Ashfield club generously paying Balmain's debts, Balmain would be bankrupt. WESTS generously gave them a bail out, and a voice on the board. For zero economic gain. Balmain could not meet their financial contractual obligations to the merger, remember ?
Why is it so hard for you Balmain supporters to properly respect and acknowledge what WESTS Ashfield so graciously did for your club ?
Personally Dennis, I've been happy with the merger since it still gave me a team to support.
Us older blokes have a lot more skin invested, and so are probably the ones that get narky about it. I've got a dozen WT jerseys, and only 2 Magpies jerseys.
But let's be fair here mate. It's a bit rank to pull out personal opinion of what might have happened 23 years ago, while conveniently forgetting to acknowledge that Wests Ashfield saved Balmain's back side a few years ago. They could insist that all junior teams be Wests Magpies branded, but they don't. It is their money, after all. You shouldn't resent a team playing as WESTS, because, you know . . . the bills.
I'm expecting the standard backlash from this post. But before you all go nuts, please look at the post that I'm directly replying to. Please look at the quotes that I'm directly replying to.
Just trying to even up the ledger.
Now you can go nuts . . . .
