@Kazoo-Kid said in [Connection/attachment to the club](/post/1058588) said:
Then there was one particular game which made me a fan of both rugby league and Wests Tigers for life. It was the 2010 qualifying final vs the Roosters. I rose for Dwyer’s hit on Hargreaves, my mouth hung open when we lost the scrum with the feed, and it hurt when Kenny-Dowell took the intercept to win the game in the 100th game.
Good to know we all share horrendous memories! Given that I started watching rugby league about 1986/87 as a kid, 1988 was my first legit full season and obviously Balmain made the GF. I went to every match and was there on the day, when Ellery got his lights knocked out.
Everyone at school said "never mind, always next year", and as a lad I thought that was literal, because lo and behold we make the GF again, this time much more comfortably and with a more experienced side.
And of course '89 GF extra time happens and it's a tragedy in my household for years, something not even 2005 can even fully erase.
But, something about that shared disappointment made for a strong bind to the club. Balmain were a horrendous side in the 90s but I could never swap allegiances, never be one of those bandwagoners who just gets on a winning side, then abandons when it's tough. A number of other kids became Raiders fans, then Broncos, shifting with the winds of fortune. Not me.
So there's something to be proud about being a passionate Wests Tigers fan despite the lack of success, because it's a harder road. I mean, imagine being a Storm fan and winning the MP every year and 2/3 matches. They wouldn't know what to do with a few lean seasons!!!