Not looking to start another verbal war here, so I won't be drawn into one...but I do think it's worth laying out a few things that keep getting overlooked.
As has been explained many times on here, Campbelltown and the surrounding areas are one of the fastest growing regions in NSW.
The potential for new fans there is enormous, especially if we're serious about building a future facing club identity.
And that's not just about stadiums, it's about presence, relevance, and connection.
But for many long time Wests Magpies supporters, the merger felt like a disappearance act. The team they followed became "Tigers", and with that, a lot of people felt they had no club left to support, so they drifted away from the NRL, angry.
The Wests in our name doesn't mean much to younger fans today...ask around and most wouldn't have a clue who Wests were.
To them it's just a vague spot on the map somewhere between Parra and Penrith.
Symbols matter. Fans rally around them...Tigers, Rabbits, Raiders, the Dogs of War.
The Magpies used to have a lot of people rallying around their flag.
Losing it meant losing a visual identity that generations of fans connected with.
That's not nostalgia, it's branding, culture and community.
We can't build a future by ignoring the past, but we also can't grow by clinging to a fractured identity.
Campbelltown offers a chance to unify, expand, and evolve.
LET'S NOT WASTE IT.