How did you become a Wests Tigers fan?

[innsaneink]

"How did you become a Wests Tigers fan?"

By default

 

[happy_tiger]

Ink, are you a bit a John West fish ?? 😱pen_mouth: :laughing:

 

[DWC]

Born and bred in, and played junior footy for North Ryde in the Balmain comp.
No contest. Followed the Tigers for 30+ yrs.

 

[Cosimo_Zaretti]

I was born in 1982 and grew up in Balmain, so I was aware of the tigers from an early age. My Dad had a TV out the back where he'd watch the football, but I didn't really take much in at first. I remember we were in the 1988 grand final, but I had a birthday party that day so I didn't see it. I remember hearing we lost. I did watch the '89 grand final with my dad, although I don't remember much about it other than that there was a real tiger brought to the ground, and I thought that was pretty cool.

Where I really got hooked on the adventure was when I got taken to my first Leichardt game, the last home game of the 1990 season. I remember that it was Wayne Pearce's last game at Leichardt, but that's as much as I recall, although I now know that we lost to Parramatta. I do remember people talking about a loss to Newcastle, which I now know was the last game of the regular season.

My dad and I went to every home game in 1991 and watched Alan Jones destroy a football club. It took till round 9 against Brisbane to see the boys win. 12-4 and I don't have to look that one up. That was the first time I got to sit on the hill and see my boys win.

We went to every home game in 92 as well, I think my dad was fairly well over it after the Alan Jones years though, I don't know that we went to two many games with Wayne Pearce as coach. I do remember sharing a training oval with the Tigers in '94 when I was doing Little Athletics at King George Park. It was pretty cool to run laps around the outside of the park while the first grade team were training in the middle. I don't think it happens much at Concorde these days.

I lost touch with the tigers in 1995\. We weren't Balmain any more and we didn't play at Leichardt, they came home just in time for the league to get split in half, and like a lot of fans I just stopped following league altogether in disgust. Also I was hitting puberty, playing guitar and angsting about things that were totally unimportant in hindsight. Dad and I did go to a few games through the late 90's at Leichardt. Crowd figures were down and we usually lost. Same old story.

I didn't mind the merger anywhere near as much as I objected to the Sydney Tigers debacle. 2000 gave us a better looking side, they still played games at Leichardt and I got to go and see them win a few. I moved to Armidale for uni in 2002, and in a country town I was often alone in the pub on a saturday afternoon, the one guy watching the tigers on the foxsport screen. We almost made the 8 in 2004, losing to the cowboys in the last game. My friends gave me heaps. When we beat the dragons in the '05 semi my brother and I camped outside Fish Records in balmain to make sure we got tickets. There was a shot of my brother in his sleeping bag that got constantly reused in news stories. Best memory of that game, apart from the Pat Richards try right on halftime was the crowd outside Balmain Leagues that blocked the traffic on Victoria Road. That was one of the best nights of my life, that and the socceroos world cup qualifier against Uraguay a few weeks later.

I don't know if I'd still go to games if I couldn't go to Leichardt, but I'll always follow the Tigers as long as we have a team.

 

[Tim Sheens]

Thanks Goose for bumping the thread.

Being an older fan, as a result of Mr Murdoch's folly and the resulting merger, I am now supporting this club.

My earliest memory in life is the day of the 1969 Grand Final. I think this disease took a hold on me due to my love of the game (my Uncle from mum's side and his son coaching junior teams to which I signed up for not long after my 4th birthday) and with my dad's brother and his wife being absolutely fanatical in their support of Balmain, my cards had been dealt.

I would hassle my father to take me to every Leichhardt game, but being from a largish traditional family, he often could not take me as he was working overtime to make ends meet. Dad telling Frank Hyde's assistant "I don't care if he can't see, neither can my son" when he complained about dad holding me up during a very wet Manly game is a cherished memory.

Always had a soft spot for Wests, particularly throughout the Roy Masters era as my cousin despite her parents, followed Manly.

Have only been to one game at Cambeltown, and with life's changes have not been to a game in a while. With my toddler getting to an understanding stage, it may well be time to get back out to a match and see if he gets infected.

With some enjoying a read of the current supporter story thread, I thought about this one and decided to give it another bump.

My just turned four year old is now getting his dose and got his face painted up as a tiger at the kidzone area prior to his second match at the bunnies game. Spends half his time at the ground looking for Timmy the tiger and loved his membership kit. He loves the atmosphere at the ground and even performed the "Tigers (clap, clap, clap) Tigers" chant when we watched a replay of the start of the Warriors game after his birthday party last week. His fate is sealed.

Also got me thinking about his finding a WT cap post and that I can't recall any recent posts from Smeghead?