How or what made you a West Tigers supporter

H

happy_tiger

Well-known member
While reminiscing just before began to think why I became a Wests Tigers supporter . Supported Brisbane Wests and first ever Sydney game I watched was the AMCO cup final between Wests and Easts . Picked Wests like many others supported them through thick and thin (Almost like a marriage I guess) . Can remember when talk of amalgamation first started and reckon if we had of linked with Bulldogs as was being discussed may have had 2nd Thoughts ,but we went with Tigers . Was over the moon with that . Now I am Tiger til I die . Any else have any stories they'd like to share ??
 
Born in Balmain Hospital, grew up in Balmain, going to the footy at half-time - didn't have to pay(times were tough). Move to Campbelltown in my early teens, started to watch Wests in my twenties as I only lived 3km from the ground. My support became 51% Wests 49% Balmain. Weststigers - PERFECT.
 
With my Dad being a Western Suburbs supporter it was right for me to follow him. As well as living 5 minutes from Pratten Park. Although I did have pressure from my Mum as she was a Souths Supporter. I chose to go with the Magpies as my Dad's saying about Wests said it all, 'Wests is best'. I therefore stuck by the magpies and watched a few games in 1997, 1998 and 1999\. By the turn of the merger I was wondering where on earth did the Magpies go? Little did I realise they had merged! From 2000-2003, I started supporting all sorts of teams including:

The Cowboys (Mainly because they reminded me of Sheriff Woody from Toy Story).
The Sharks (The colour blue attracted me).
The Warriors (The name sounded interesting).

Keep in mind I was only 7 at the time. (Currently 18).

By 2004, it was time to find ONE team to support. From here I found my team 'Wests Tigers' it wasn't until a game involving them (can't remember which one) that some commentator was telling of the history of the Wests Tigers where Balmain and Wests merged to form this team! I was heaps excited and therefore knew this was the team for me!

I am now a West Tiger till I die!
 
My father and large part of his family are all balmain supporters.

Indoctrinated if you will.
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My Mum and Dad were mad Western Suburbs supporters and I followed. I remember many a game at Pratten Park, particularly against Souths who my Aunty and Uncle followed, and then Lidcombe Oval (who could forget those huge goal posts erected for Tony Ford). I'm a Balmain Junior, North Ryde. I could not think of merging with any other clubs.

Go Wests Tigers :smiley:
 
Fathers side all support the Roosters. My mum and her dad are dogs fans. Have always followed the Tigers, 1st Balmain, now Wests Tigers. Don't know why. No family or friends early on supported the Tigers, but I did.
 
Been a fan of RUGBY LEAGUE my entire life.
My father was a big fan.

Got Rugby League the game on Xbox when it came out, 2003 I think…
Penrith won the comp and were the gun team on the game also, me and all my friends use to spend hours in front of the TV playing this game before Sunday games or after the gym on Fridays to kill the time before kick off.
Got the sequel game and smashed that around too, now I still find some time for some online play on Rugby League Live when Playstation Network is working, (LOL, for those in the know of the current situation)

Sonny Bill Williams was my favorite player so I always had a soft spot for the dogs, not so much any more but they aren't in my hated teams list like many other clubs.

Started to really start to follow The Tigers in 2005, was a big fan of Dene Halatau & of course Benji Marshall. Been my favorite team and made me a fan ever since.
 
I went to my first game when I was turning 7 that year. It was 1987 and it was Wests' first ever game at Campbelltown, and it was against Parramatta. We won and I enjoyed it and I have been going ever since.
 
my dad was a balmain supporter and just wanted to be like him i guess now 33 years later i have converted my partner and my 2 boys are tiger fanatics to
 
Played the majority of my football for Eastern Suburbs Tigers in Brisbane. As a result, I always followed and supported Balmain and would get to as many games as possible whenever in Sydney…

My alliance is too the Tiger Patch and if the Wests Tigers werent formed, and became a different brand, I probably wouldn't have a team...
 
My father was a devoted Wests Magpies supporter. He and I used to go to every game. (In those days all teams were in the Sydney metropolitan area.) We always had a hot-dog on the way in, from one of those lone vendors who used to call out: 'Hot doggie doggie fraaaaankfurt!' If we won we might get another one on the way out. We always stayed to the end of the game, even if we were getting flogged and/or it was pouring rain.

My father and I attended the 1963 Grand Final, and saw Wests go down to St George who they had beaten three times during the season. The referee is supposed to have had a bet on the result. About 15 years later, we were at Lidcombe Oval on the day when Dallas Donnelly belted Terry Randall in one of the famous battles between Manly and Wests.

My grandfather was a Balmain supporter and I always had a soft spot for the Tigers, so it was easy for us to adapt to the advent of the Wests Tigers. I was at ANZ on the night when the Tigers won the premiership in 2005\. But that time I was with my daughter and wife, as my father had died four years before.

Rugby League and the Wests Tigers are hard-wired into my brain and my emotions. I will always be a Tigers supporter. The club is a model for others and the team is the best in the NRL, without doubt. With players like Benji and Robbie, who else could you support!
 
@Tiger Watto said:
Played the majority of my football for Eastern Suburbs Tigers in Brisbane. As a result, I always followed and supported Balmain and would get to as many games as possible whenever in Sydney…

**My alliance is too the Tiger Patch and if the Wests Tigers werent formed, and became a different brand, I probably wouldn't have a team...**
Click to expand...

Much my sentiments, given I've lived out west for the majority of my life, it was fitting that they became Wests Tigers though :slight_smile:

Also, if we became the Parramatta Tigers I think I'd have walked away :frowning: I loathe that team.
 
I got a job with them before the first season. It's hard not to get swept up in the team spending so much time there and at same time I started to drift from my childhood team. I left 2 seasons ago but now am a Tiger for life!!
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@Tiges05 said:
I got a job with them before the first season. It's hard not to get swept up in the team spending so much time there and at same time I started to drift from my childhood team. I left 2 seasons ago but now am a Tiger for life!!
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Must have been exciting working there during 2005?
 
Grew up a few blocks from Pratten Park, Ashfield. We lived with my grandad and he used to take the 4 kids up the road to Pratten Park, mainly to get us out of mum's hair for the day. Can't remember the very early days. First memory is a Pratten Park game in 1973 v Souths. Denis Pittard killed us.

He never went to a game at Lidcombe, but the family carried on the tradition - early on, it was Saturday sport, then the football. When Sunday football took over it was 8am mass with father Mal Function at Ashbury, visit to grandad in the nursing home at Ashfield, visit the sister (RIP) at Rookwood and then the game, rain, hail or shine, no matter where it was. We always sat on the north western corner, past the light tower, near the Dorahy's and in front of the the priest from Ashfield, father Sullivan - dad used to curse under his breath when he was there because he wouldn't swear in front of a priest. lol

Followed them out to Orana Park and used to stand in front of the old 'scoreboard' at the southern end, chatting to my mate Mr Spillane, who used to change the scores early on. Often not much action on the wests side. :wink:. I struggled to get out there much from the mid '90's and saw more of there away games, to be honest - sfs, Leichhardt, Belmore and Kogarah.

Was living in Pyrmont when we merged, so was happy - Leichhardt was a lot closer than Lumeah. Took a while to settle in though. Almost choked trying to get that first, C'mon Tigers, out.
Cherise my combined history now though.
 
My father first took me to watch Wests Magpies in 1948\. We lived in Auburn and I can remember being "nursed" by a Lidcombe man called Ben, in the bus on the way from Ashfield Station to Brookvale Oval. Ben became a long-time friend of my Dad's until he paseed away.

I played junior league for Auburn United in 1959, which was in the Wests Magpies area.

When I met my wife in 1961, her family were mad Magpie supporters, because two members of the family played for the Magpies in 1930-1934 and 1957-1958\. We attended all Wests games for some years, until our sons were born, when we became remote supporters.

In 1987, a family of friends started to follow Wests and bought some season tickets to Orana. We started to attend matches again with them and became strong supporters again. When our friends found it difficult to attend matches, we continued with the season tickets. When our sons had reached their later teenage years, we let our tickets go, because other interests made it difficult to go to matches.

We continued to be distant supporters and started to attend matches, which were easier to reach at Leicchardt, Parramatta and Campbelltown. Now that I am retired, we have more time to spend following the Wests Tigers.
 
My father was a big western suburbs supporter and would take me to lidcombe a lot and then campbelltown.I have since become my father when it comes to the passion for wests.A lot of my mates were balmain supporters growing up in blacktown so the merge worked a treat as i now live 5 minutes from leicchardt.
 
Born and bred Magpie. grew up watching the pies from Lidcombe oval with my old man. harldy ever missed a game. Dad played lower grades for the magpies and my late uncle Frank played and capt Australia on the 1933-34 kangeroo tour and named in the magpies team of the century. was at the first tigers game at when we drew with the broncos. should have won that game. but now its the wests tigers and will love them till i die.
 
my pop on my mums said went for balmain after his nephew (my mums cousin) played lower grades for the tigers. pop then got my older sister into balmain, whos favourite player was tim brasher. my sister then got me into the tigers. the 1st ever nrl game i watched was the 97 grandfinal when i was 6 and so my 1st season following the tigers was 1998
 
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