Balmain Leagues Club

[cochise]

@cochise Well as long as Wests Ashfield remember they were dead without Balmain at the start of the joint venture,

They seem quite supportive to me!

 

[Geo]

I don't recall Wests Ashfield ever being dead...I think sometime people confuse the Leagues clubs with the football Clubs..

 

[Cultured_Bogan]

To those who are challenging they'd rather vote no so Balmain would die out entirely and not lose their identity... What about the identity of the club that they were 50% instrumental in setting up? Not to mention rejecting a motion to guarantee survival of the Balmain Football Club.

Rejecting Ashfield could possibly mean that another club (whether it be Balmain or Wests Tigers,) may never get built at Rozelle and that only hurts the Wests Tigers in the long term, and that's the club we tune in to watch every week.

Talk about cutting your nose off to spite your face.

 

[WT2K]

I don't recall Wests Ashfield ever being dead...I think sometime people confuse the Leagues clubs with the football Clubs..

Think most of the nrl public confuse this point too. Wests Ashfield is a very strong club.

 

[quintus]

Aye.....

 

[Elderslie_Tiger]

@WT2K
I think this topic deserves to have a poll conducted would someone with the know how be kind enough to establish a poll on the subject

 

[Papacito]

If this merger was not to go ahead, it could well be the end of Wests Tigers - given that Balmain owe the NRL $3.2 million (which Wests have agreed to pay).

*edited with correct NRL loan amount

 

[Abraham]

@Cultured_Bogan Just to add to that, and not to dismiss outright the emotions of other people, but as far as i'm concerned (as an old Balmain Tiger), Balmain will always be 50% of the Joint Venture as long as the team is called the Wests **TIGERS**.

The club name is 50% Balmain, the club colors are 50% Balmain, and the club history is 50% Balmain. The boardroom paints a different picture, but last i checked we didn't have signed posters of Leslie Glen or Simon Cook on our walls as kids.

And lastly, for those thinking that the plan is for the sinister Wests Group to spend a fortune on taking over Balmain before killing it off, well they could achieve this by simply sitting back and letting nature take its course, without spending a cent in the process.

But the fact they are going to these efforts is a strong signal that they understand that a place needs to be left at the table for Balmain, even if just tokenary as a nod to the JV's history and supporter base.

I hope this all goes through and makes the Wests Tigers stronger in the process.

 

[OzLuke]

I grew up following Balmain, had many great afternoons at the footy and nights at the leagues club with my family afterwards....I was there when we won the GF, I even enjoyed that stupid magnetized horse racing game.... but unfortunately it's all my sentimental baggage. My son doesn't care about all that, he cares about a football team to support as do I. I don't care what name is on the leagues club as long as there is a club to enjoy spending my time at with my family.

It would be terrible for the football club and the local area if there wasn't a leagues club of some description there, but would be even worse for no football team at all. A stong club at Balmain would only help everyone out.

I vote yes. A branded Wests Tigers leagues club is better than no club at all.

And as for a changed badge, surely there would be contracts etc with the NRL in regards to this type of thing?

But then again go those Northern Eagles!!!

 

[gallagher]

@Cultured_Bogan Just to add to that, and not to dismiss outright the emotions of other people, but as far as i'm concerned (as an old Balmain Tiger), Balmain will always be 50% of the Joint Venture as long as the team is called the Wests **TIGERS**.

The club name is 50% Balmain, the club colors are 50% Balmain, and the club history is 50% Balmain. The boardroom paints a different picture, but last i checked we didn't have signed posters of Leslie Glen or Simon Cook on our walls as kids.

And lastly, for those thinking that the plan is for the sinister Wests Group to spend a fortune on taking over Balmain before killing it off, well they could achieve this by simply sitting back and letting nature take its course, without spending a cent in the process.

But the fact they are going to these efforts is a strong signal that they understand that a place needs to be left at the table for Balmain, even if just tokenary as a nod to the JV's history and supporter base.

I hope this all goes through and makes the Wests Tigers stronger in the process.

Super post. We were born out if two clubs, that will never change.

 

[Tigerlily]

@Cultured_Bogan Just to add to that, and not to dismiss outright the emotions of other people, but as far as i'm concerned (as an old Balmain Tiger), Balmain will always be 50% of the Joint Venture as long as the team is called the Wests **TIGERS**.

The club name is 50% Balmain, the club colors are 50% Balmain, and the club history is 50% Balmain. The boardroom paints a different picture, but last i checked we didn't have signed posters of Leslie Glen or Simon Cook on our walls as kids.

And lastly, for those thinking that the plan is for the sinister Wests Group to spend a fortune on taking over Balmain before killing it off, well they could achieve this by simply sitting back and letting nature take its course, without spending a cent in the process.

But the fact they are going to these efforts is a strong signal that they understand that a place needs to be left at the table for Balmain, even if just tokenary as a nod to the JV's history and supporter base.

I hope this all goes through and makes the Wests Tigers stronger in the process.

Fantastic post...A good example of this would be the Sydney Swans as those same principles apply to those South Melbourne fans that still see the Swans as their team...

 

[Tigerdave]

For me Balmain died 20 years ago, all I see happening now is Wests Tigers making sure it continues as a united club.

It will always have the tigers brand, colours, history of Balmain being a part of its creation and that's all that matters to me.

 

[beachtiger]

I’m a, sorry, “was” a diehard Balmain Tiger and like everyone struggled with the merge but that’s all in the past!! I must admit reading the positive comments in this thread compared to years gone by where this type of thread blew up into a Wests vs Balmain battle is really encouraging and a sign that we have really matured and evolved into a club with a supporter base that is finally at peace with each other.

In regards to the name on the Leagues Clubs door I don’t think that matters at all, look at Newcastle who are now owned by Wests Leagues Club up there, only thing that’s it’s done for them is secure their future, I say let’s do the same for ours!!

 

[Jedi_Tiger]

@Abraham Exactly if Wests wanted to kill of balmain simple they do nothing ... then the nrl say to West Tigers relocate to W.A. or die then no more magpies either....
the tiger is the emblem the nrl do not want to lose end of story.
For those that dont remember Wests were on there knees in 1999 dont rewrite hsitory wests had campbletown Ashfield were jot really a part of anything much back then.
Simple either balmain vote yes and we keep wests tigers or they vote no and in 5 years wests tigers are dead

 

[Geo]

@Abraham Exactly if Wests wanted to kill of balmain simple they do nothing ... then the nrl say to West Tigers relocate to W.A. or die then no more magpies either....
the tiger is the emblem the nrl do not want to lose end of story.
For those that dont remember Wests were on there knees in 1999 dont rewrite hsitory wests had campbletown Ashfield were jot really a part of anything much back then.
Simple either balmain vote yes and we keep wests tigers or they vote no and in 5 years wests tigers are dead

Wests Ashfield has always been part of Wests Group..even when the Magpies were based in Campbelltown..Wests Ashfield originally supplied directors to Wests Campbelltown..they have always been around..as well as underwriting Western Suburbs Rugby League Football Club ..still do..

 

[diedpretty]

@Abraham Exactly if Wests wanted to kill of balmain simple they do nothing ... then the nrl say to West Tigers relocate to W.A. or die then no more magpies either....
the tiger is the emblem the nrl do not want to lose end of story.
For those that dont remember Wests were on there knees in 1999 dont rewrite hsitory wests had campbletown Ashfield were jot really a part of anything much back then.
Simple either balmain vote yes and we keep wests tigers or they vote no and in 5 years wests tigers are dead

Wests Ashfield has always been part of Wests Group..even when the Magpies were based in Campbelltown..Wests Ashfield originally supplied directors to Wests Campbelltown..they have always been around..as well as underwriting Western Suburbs Rugby League Football Club ..still do..

Yea I was going to add that he was rewriting a bit of his take on history.

 

[Jedi_Tiger]

point taken Geo but they were not willing to bail out magpies in 1999 or didn't have the funds back then etc as the merger was pretty unanimous from a western suburbs end at the time

 

[Jedi_Tiger]

@diedpretty apologise i was not a financial western suburbs member so i shouldnt say eho was or was not funding wests at the time i was a balmain member who voted at the time and it was not as clear cut as the magpies vote was to merge

 

[momo_amp_medo]

We are a West’s Tigers entity and will continue to grow and prosper under that banner. We have a rich history of two NRL foundation clubs that underpin the brand and add a wide ranging supporter base. Our juniors and lower grades maintain those historic core values.
I really can’t see a problem in proceeding with the current proposals and can not see how the members would not approve this.

 

[TYGA]

If West’s want to rebadge the Tigers to Magpies the Heritage agreement won’t stop anything. The simple reality is the team have been known to a whole generation of fans as West’s Tigers. It’s commercially beneficial to the West’s Group.
Roy Masters article was interesting regarding West’s Ashfield reducing their grant in line with the Victa Sponsorship years ago and West’s Campbeltown backing Balmain.

The powerhouse of the group West’s Ashfield taking control is the best outcome for the Footy Club. The old Tiger Vs Magpie argument is dead in the water financial return is all that matters for them. As it should.