Chammas Article

[Merlot]

What did I miss? Anyone keen to do an AI summary? Are the magpies back yet or have the Tigers completed the take over in full?

same same - its a mass debate a thon. Completely off thread but roughly ,1993, some chinese guy won the a thon with 144 hours with out loosing wood and took out the trophy.Small change considering some die hards still bang on about it ,with venom

 

[Bus 2 Terrigal]

It has an effect on the nrl
Team.
Little things like kit bags etc for junior rep sides or club merchandise handed out at trials,kids at fan days go a long way towards perception of a club as a whole
Someone mentioned earlier about manly supplying a bus to get to training.
I know a junior that was 14 and given a roosters kit. Didn’t sign anything but was informed they will be in touch when he turned 16. Was 15 years ago though.
While it should not matter it undoubtably does.
I have played at a club where it was on a shoestring and didn’t bother me. Had pokie change rooms and limited hot water. average field and generally only 1 strapper.
I moved to a neighbouring club to play with my son.
More people to strap and give rubs,much larger change rooms and women’s aswell.

In saying this how many of the local club players in the weststigers would have the perception that they get looked after better than say the dogs or Penrith.

So apparently we got this cutting edge high performance mega thing built at Concord but we don’t have any kit bags?

Who says we don’t have training gear for Jnr reps etc?
They all look nicely kitted out whenever I see them.

What are we basing all this on. Cos someone on the forum said it? So Canterbury spend more money - well Gus likes a succulent Chinese meal (that’d be half of it). And yes, they have a special academy for halves that we don’t have.

But given the yarn about Chris Faagutu - it doesn’t cost a cent to train harder. Faagutu was a golden boy to some on this forum until he wasn’t. He apparently went to Canterbury in the off-season and was cut free because he couldn’t handle the intensity of their preseason.

Kit bags ! Give me a break.
Back in the 80s I was out watching Wests played Saints at Kogarah - after the game I traipsed back up to Carlton station and as I got on the train I noticed Billy Hilliard still in muddy shorts and socks hop into the same carriage. The Wests prop had just given his all playing 80min against Craig Young and co.
BTW - His kit bag was slung stylishly over a shoulder

 

[Merlot]

Who said that. I certainly didn’t, WT fans are made up from different groups two of which are old Balmain fans and old Wests fans. In those two groups are a small minority who wish things were as they once were in relation to Wests or Balmain.
These minorities occasionally act up on the forum, I have no desire to return to pre 2000 arrangements as I remember how bad things were for Wests.
But I will defend Wests or HBG from unreasonable or unwarranted criticism.

snap. got ya

 

[SeanT]

How did an article about Marshall tackling Doueihi get hijacked into a pissing contest about who’s running the club?

Not sure. Always had a problem with him doing it though. If he was an assistant coach all good but as a head coach the lines are blurred. Hope Richo has a.talk to him.

 

[cochise]

Not sure. Always had a problem with him doing it though. If he was an assistant coach all good but as a head coach the lines are blurred. Hope Richo has a.talk to him.

Slater was doing it with QLD.

 

[Red88_Tiger]

WesternSuburbsBoy...if it's all ancient history, then why does the present jersey still scream "Tigers" with barely a whisper of Magpie heritage?

Wests Ashfield own 90% of our club whichever way you look at it, yet the branding...especially the jersey...feels like a tribute to the 10%.
The dominant orange and black, and our team nearly always referred to as the "Tigers" while the Magpie is reduced to a sleeve patch or heritage round cameo.
That's not balance, that's branding bias.

The board was for a long time previously primarily dominated by hbg
It would be interesting to know the previous board members take on this as they were in control and many from the Wests side of the venture

 

[Red88_Tiger]

Here’s an answer for you.
The reason the current jersey ‘screams Tigers’ just might be because we are WestsTigers and our emblem is a Tiger… not a Magpie.

Your talking absolute rubbish 😂😂😂😂

 

[Red88_Tiger]

I get that you young folk are all post-history, but surely you realise that heritage is important. I mean where do you stand on ANZAC Day ? None of us were alive when the diggers got slaughtered landing at Gallipoli but we’d be a pretty shallow society if we stood up on April 25th each year and shouted “I don’t give a toss”.

I agree that it may not be the most important issue facing our club, but showing respect to our Balmain & Western Suburbs forefathers does ultimately matter. If you trash your own history you ultimately stand for nothing. Cheering and booing the here-and-now with no context to make any of it matter.

I don’t think anyone is saying the past doesn’t matter
I think the dialogue main point is that some don’t believe that the magpies are being represented enough for their liking

 

[weststigers]

Serious answer...it's a hypothetical question with no answer.

It gives insight into how you think. The perception is that 90% ownership gives some right to turn Wests Tigers into a clone of the Wests Magpies.

You point to ownership, yet you fail to criticise that since taking majority share, they have turned this club into a laughing stock. Bit of balance would be nice. I would criticise Balmain in the same way if they were majority owners, but you blindly support Wests - the same Wests that brought us 3 spoons in a row. Seeing as ownership should be considered, Wests need to take 90% of the blame.

Many of us welcomed the Wests majority ownership when it happened because we thought it would be the end of the infighting. It just seems to have gotten worse and highlights how poorly run Wests Magpies actually are. I find it strange with 90% ownership how you think Wests as the owners have a pro-Balmian agenda. It's laughable.

The Magpies are responsible for the worst period in our clubs history. That is the truth and it's etched in the clubs history. I'm shocked you're so proud of that.

Anyone who reads the Wests Magpies website can see the disdain and rewritten history against Balmain within everything they write. It's a joke. Magpies are a joke and the club is full of dinosaurs in it for their own personal agendas.

Hi cochise..thanks for sharing your view on board reform and the club's financial direction.
I'm genuinely interested in this journey towards self-sufficiency...it's something I think we all want to see for Wests Tigers in the long term.

That said, I've asked a few times, including @Jolls, exactly where the funding has been coming from, and his response was simply "it doesn't matter where it comes from". I appreciate the sentiment behind that, but transparency around funding is part of fostering trust.

Knowing how Wests Tigers sustains itself, especially during a rebuild, isn't just about $$$, but about accountability, transparency and vision.

From what I understand, HBG remains a key contributor, yet there's mention of Wests Tigers generating its own largest stream.
If that's the case, I'd like to hear more specifics...are we talking sponsorships, memberships, merchandise, grants?

And what are the steps being taken to truly make Wests Tigers self-sustaining?
It's one thing to hope we won't rely on pokies and booze or external support...but a roadmap would help ground that hope in reality.

No digs here...just wanting clarity.
Because if the club is turning a corner, that's something we should all be able to rally around.

1.7 million from HBG wouldn't come close to paying the expenses for the club. Our major sponsor alone probably contributes around that. You don't need the exact numbers to work out that we are seriously underfunded by the owners.

 

[Red88_Tiger]

So apparently we got this cutting edge high performance mega thing built at Concord but we don’t have any kit bags?

Who says we don’t have training gear for Jnr reps etc?
They all look nicely kitted out whenever I see them.

What are we basing all this on. Cos someone on the forum said it? So Canterbury spend more money - well Gus likes a succulent Chinese meal (that’d be half of it). And yes, they have a special academy for halves that we don’t have.

But given the yarn about Chris Faagutu - it doesn’t cost a cent to train harder. Faagutu was a golden boy to some on this forum until he wasn’t. He apparently went to Canterbury in the off-season and was cut free because he couldn’t handle the intensity of their preseason.

Kit bags ! Give me a break.
Back in the 80s I was out watching Wests played Saints at Kogarah - after the game I traipsed back up to Carlton station and as I got on the train I noticed Billy Hilliard still in muddy shorts and socks hop into the same carriage. The Wests prop had just given his all playing 80min against Craig Young and co.
BTW - His kit bag was slung stylishly over a shoulder

That is a different era
Kids these days don’t want to go without.
There’s far more choice and accessibility . Playing for your local club is not always a given.

 

[innsaneink]

and Western Suburbs Magpies kept solely to those sub-forums, or better yet, taken to a Western Suburbs Magpies forum or a Balmain Tigers forum. I assume these exist, but as stated, I have 0, ZERO, none, nada interest in either of those clubs.

Wests Tigers is my team.

Hopefully that is clear enough.

As part of the moderation team on a WESTS TIGERS FORUM, I would happily see all discussion about Balmain Tigers and Western Suburbs Magpies kept solely to those sub-forums, or better yet, taken to a Western Suburbs Magpies forum or a Balmain Tigers forum. I assume these exist, but as stated, I have 0, ZERO, none, nada interest in either of those clubs.

Wests Tigers is my team.

Hopefully that is clear enough.

Please....
Mods....make.this happen...spare the reat of.us this bullshit

 

[TSP]

Not a capitulation, just a choice not to engage in the circular arguments purposely instigated with feigned idiocy by keyboard warriors such @BZN @TSP @Magpie_Magic @Bus 2 Terrigal, seem to promote on these forums. I just put these farkwits on ignore. Welcome to the club!

@BZN is probably one the brightest lights on the forum.

@Magpie_Magic , @Bus 2 Terrigal are both just as good.

If people can’t appreciate them, they have issues.

 

[wonka]

We haven't made the finals in 14 years, How can anyone be happy with the way the club is being run.

 

[gallagher]

We haven't made the finals in 14 years, How can anyone be happy with the way the club is being run.

I'm fairly happy with things since Richardson come along.

 

[coivtny]

We haven't made the finals in 14 years, How can anyone be happy with the way the club is being run.

Nobody should be. The subject that is being argued (by some) is whether Wests Magpies are to blame. There are people who should be blamed e.g Pascoe, Lee H but there a quite a few others along the way. I can't see how Wests are to blame any more than you'd blame Balmain

 

[Tim Sheens]

Hard to say… could it be worse?
Benny Elias did offer to buy the club.

Yeah, after he poisoned it, and what a slow death it was, with the old Balmain Leagues Club left rotting as an eyesore until finally put out of its misery in recent months.

 

[cochise]

Nobody should be. The subject that is being argued (by some) is whether Wests Magpies are to blame. There are people who should be blamed e.g Pascoe, Lee H but there a quite a few others along the way. I can't see how Wests are to blame any more than you'd blame Balmain

Because they had the majority of seats on the board that appointed those people and kept them in those roles even after they showed they couldn't do it.

 

[coivtny]

Because they had the majority of seats on the board that appointed those people and kept them in those roles even after they showed they couldn't do it.

Wests Magpies?????

 

[gregjm87]

Howdy batboy. Appreciate you weighing in.

I'm not here to inflate ego, just to speak up for something I care about.
If that comes across as self-importance to you, I hear the feedback.

But I'm not sure how defending a legacy, questioning governance, and calling for respectful inclusion gets spun into a caricature.
If arguing for fair representation makes me a villain, it says more about the culture than the cause.

I don't pretend to be a keeper of the Magpie flame, but I refuse to let it be snuffed out without a voice.
This forum should be a place where all Wests Tigers supporters, regardless of their founding allegiance, feel safe to express their views.
Right now, it doesn't always feel that way for those of us who speak from a Magpies POV.

You clearly care about the betterment of the NRL club, and I respect that.
But preserving legacy and advocating for fairness doesn't diminish progress, it strengthens it.

Thanks for reading. No hard feelings from me, just different perspectives trying to coexist.

BZN, I've only been casually tuning in and out of this debate reading bits here and there. So apologies if you have already answered this.
Defending legacy is fair enough for Magpies fans as it is for Balmain fans so I won't touch on that.
But with regard to questioning governance and wanting respectful inclusion. What exactly are you referring to here? I think the Governance of the club can fairly be questioned in a broad sense but I certainly don't see any anti-Magpies bias in the the managing of the club.
Similarly how does respectful inclusion look to you? I don't see any exclusion of the Magpies in any way. If anything I believe there is more of a Wests Magpies presence within the club than Balmain Tigers.
I can certainly understand a perspective that some fans of the Wests tigers don't care about the heritage of one or either side of the club. But I don't see this from those making the decisions.
How does the club become more pro Magpies without at the same time neglecting their Balmain roots?

 

[cochise]

Wests Magpies?????

Sorry, the Holman Barnes Group.