Best Wests Tigers Indigenous Player

[happy_tiger]

Pokies mentioned him first….I remember being surprised first time I heard/read he was aboriginal....but not as suurprised as when laurie daley came out and told us all....and not as surprised as the first time I saw that ranga hooker in a QLD u/18s team v Blues before a AUS NZ test about a decade ago---forget his name

Ben Jones from the Roosters ??

 

[Russell]

Unfortunately, Artie didn't play his best football until he went to the Roosters and Don Furner knocked him into shape, where he became the best front rower the game has seen (IMO). Corowa was the best I can remember at the Balmain Tigers - the fastest player I have personally seen. For Wests Tigers, I couldn't go past Prince.

Think you are totally on the money Yeti.

It was with the Balmain Tigers that Beetson got the name "Half a pie Artie" - was ok but wasn't till he went to Easts that he shone.

I'd go with Larry at Balmain, Gale at Wests and Prince at Wests Tigers.

 

[innsaneink]

Pokies mentioned him first….I remember being surprised first time I heard/read he was aboriginal....but not as suurprised as when laurie daley came out and told us all....and not as surprised as the first time I saw that ranga hooker in a QLD u/18s team v Blues before a AUS NZ test about a decade ago---forget his name

Ben Jones from the Roosters ??

Yeah thats him….this pale sickly white ranga in a team full of dark fellas was quite a sight to behold :laughing:

Played well though, stood out

 

[jadtiger]

For balmain Beetson by a long way he was a magical forward and there has never been another like him. as others have said Corowa was the most entertaining and the crowd loved him.Wests Tigers would be Scott Gale and for the magpies probably Gibbs a whole hearted player

Scott Gale never played for WT's.

Lol my apologies i meant Scott Prince.There have been many wonderful indigenous players over the years

 

[Tiger_Watto]

Being the NRL Indigenous round it seems topical to name your best ever Wests Tigers, Balmain or Wests indigenous player.

For me i caught the end of Larry Corowa at Balmain when i first started supporting the club but the player i enjoyed watching the most was Travis Baker. Played in a very average Wests team but following him from the Qld Cup he was a talented player. He never quite lived up to his potential but on his day would match it with most of the flashy centres in the game today.

Thoughts.

Was Travis from Brisbane Easts TITG ??

Cant recall him at the Tigers, but I think he may have played for Ipswich?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkhKxWUc3Gc

1997 Grand Final, see the 1.32 mark

Went to Wests the year after.

Bloody Cheats those Redcliffe Scum!

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[simonthetiger]

Beetson was playing for Australia when he was playing for us…we also won the comp in 69 and he was there so he couldbt have been going too bad. os he was suspended for the gf!

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[GNR4LIFE]

Travis Baker was a Harlem Globetrotter. I remember one day, he dropped the ball behind him, then somehow managed to flick it over his shoulder with the back of his heal before it hit the ground, back into his hands. He wasn't much of a player, but not many Magpie players circa 98-99 were, but he had freakish ability to pull off stuff like that. He would have been a superstar in group 6.

 

[GNR4LIFE]

Prince, Kevin McGuiness and Owen Craigie would top the list. Craigie, still to this day had one of the greatest individual performances that i've ever seen from any player whose played for this club. It was against the Knights when we came back from 24-0 and 32-12 to win 36-32\. He almost single handily beat them himself. He was a special player who could have been a superstar if he had it mentally. Buddha also had a massive game that night. Was his first game back after his drug suspension was lifted. Was sad to see him leave at the end of 2002.

 

[cktiger]

Having had the pleasure to watch him in his prime I would have to say Corowa for Balmain.
As someone else mentioned whenever the ball got to his hands the entire crowd would jump to their feet.
Even when it looked like reaching him people stood so they wouldn't miss anything lol
Beetson was good but went on to greatness later.
For WestsTigers it would have to be Prince.

 

[eyewonder]

beetson ,scott gale,mcguiness boys,corowa of course.

use to love watching damien kennedy busting tackles.

scott prince for the wests tigers.

 

[sheer64]

Beetson hands down

 

[Tiger_In_The_Gong]

Travis Baker was a Harlem Globetrotter. I remember one day, he dropped the ball behind him, then somehow managed to flick it over his shoulder with the back of his heal before it hit the ground, back into his hands. He wasn't much of a player, but not many Magpie players circa 98-99 were, but he had freakish ability to pull off stuff like that. He would have been a superstar in group 6.

Yes that sounds like him. No disrespect to Wests intended but he picked the right club at the wrong time. He would have had the same issue with Balmain at the time.

He would have been better off in a team with a culture like the Bulldogs had back then or a team or coach who challenged him with structure and tried to find a balance between flash and percentage football.

As it turned out he was a flash in the pan.

 

[Tiger_In_The_Gong]

Prince is clearly the best as far as Wests Tigers are concerned, no one comes close.

 

[GNR4LIFE]

Travis Baker was a Harlem Globetrotter. I remember one day, he dropped the ball behind him, then somehow managed to flick it over his shoulder with the back of his heal before it hit the ground, back into his hands. He wasn't much of a player, but not many Magpie players circa 98-99 were, but he had freakish ability to pull off stuff like that. He would have been a superstar in group 6.

Yes that sounds like him. No disrespect to Wests intended but he picked the right club at the wrong time. He would have had the same issue with Balmain at the time.

He would have been better off in a team with a culture like the Bulldogs had back then or a team or coach who challenged him with structure and tried to find a balance between flash and percentage football.

As it turned out he was a flash in the pan.

I met him a couple of times. Was a really good guy.

 

[happy_tiger]

Here's a list

Arthur Beetson
Larry Corowa
Owen Craigie
Paul Davis
Leo Dyvenor
Andrew and David Fifita
Ron Gibbs
Rob Lui
Daine Laurie
Graham Lyons
Kevin and Ken McGuinness
Ewan McGrady
Wes Patten
Corey Patterson
Scott Prince
Kevin Yow Yeh

Possibly missed some

 

[Cultured_Bogan]

Jason Moodie :wink:

 

[gallagher]

Here's a list

Arthur Beetson
Larry Corowa
Owen Craigie
Paul Davis
Leo Dyvenor
Andrew and David Fifita
Ron Gibbs
Rob Lui
Daine Laurie
Graham Lyons
Kevin and Ken McGuinness
Ewan McGrady
Wes Patten
Corey Patterson
Scott Prince
Kevin Yow Yeh

Possibly missed some

They're some talent they're alright. Brett Davis and Ian Naden from the magpies late 80's.

 

[cktiger]

Here's a list

Arthur Beetson
Larry Corowa
Owen Craigie
Paul Davis
Leo Dyvenor
Andrew and David Fifita
Ron Gibbs
Rob Lui
Daine Laurie
Graham Lyons
Kevin and Ken McGuinness
Ewan McGrady
Wes Patten
Corey Patterson
Scott Prince
Kevin Yow Yeh

Possibly missed some

They're some talent they're alright. Brett Davis and Ian Naden from the magpies late 80's.

Percy Knight comes to mind - in the Cliffy Lyons mould.
Came to Balmain around the same time as Larry Corowa.

 

[BornBlack_amp_Gold]

Here's a list

Arthur Beetson
Larry Corowa
Owen Craigie
Paul Davis
Leo Dyvenor
Andrew and David Fifita
Ron Gibbs
Rob Lui
Daine Laurie
Graham Lyons
Kevin and Ken McGuinness
Ewan McGrady
Wes Patten
Corey Patterson
Scott Prince
Kevin Yow Yeh

Possibly missed some

They're some talent they're alright. Brett Davis and Ian Naden from the magpies late 80's.

Percy Knight comes to mind - in the Cliffy Lyons mould.
Came to Balmain around the same time as Larry Corowa.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WiCrYpMYAw

a video of a game featuring both percy knight and larry corowa for balmain in 1980\. for those of us that never saw either play.

 

[Tim Sheens]

Good stuff BB?G, brought back a heap of memories.

Used to get up on garbage bin morning to say hello to Olsen. Fancy having a current international player picking up your bin nowadays, and they have the hide to whinge about playing too many games whilst earning $30k a match or more.