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Not all black and white: Wests fans spitting feathers over missing magpie
Glenn Jackson, Brad Walter
February 21, 2012
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WAS it a deliberate ploy to continue to erase an already aggrieved partner in a joint venture, or simply a decision based on circumstances?
Wests Tigers management maintain it was the latter, however the absence of the famous Wests magpie from the Tigers' Foundation Cup jerseys has the potential to further dent relations between factions of the merged club.
Even though they accept Tigers chief executive Stephen Humphreys's explanation for the case of the missing magpie, Western Suburbs football club officials plan to take the alleged oversight to the joint-venture club's board.
A clearly agitated Western Suburbs supporter emailed Humphreys calling for an explanation for the missing magpie yesterday. And, while Humphreys maintained all premiership jerseys would include the magpie image on each sleeve this season and beyond, Western Suburbs football officials are concerned enough to take the issue further. That is due partly to the fragility of relations between some Wests and Balmain portions of the merger, particularly in the wake of recent tensions over the future of the Western Suburbs Magpies NSW Cup outfit.
After the merger between the Western Suburbs Magpies and the Balmain Tigers in 1999, it was agreed that, as part of the deal, the new club's jerseys would include a magpie on each sleeve.
The Western Suburbs football club board thought enough of the fear by renegade supporter Graeme Szynal that the magpie was being fazed out, that members spoke of it yesterday.
"The main issue is that we don't want to see the magpie disappear altogether" … Daniel Watson-Hayes.
"The main issue is that we don't want to see the magpie disappear altogether" ... Daniel Watson-Hayes. Photo: Wolter Peeters
''We understand the frustration of our members and supporters and these are issues that will be worked through with Wests Tigers to avoid future problems from arising,'' Daniel Watson-Hayes, a director of the Western Suburbs District Football Club, said. ''Little things can stem into big things, and we just want to make sure that equality and equal representation through our joint-venture investment is maintained at all times, as per the joint-venture agreement that says the magpie should be on the sleeve.
''At the moment, it has been demoted to the cuff of the sleeve - much to the dismay of many, including myself - and the size has significantly reduced, which I would like to see rectified.
''But the main issue is that we don't want to see the magpie disappear altogether, and little things like this send a negative message to our supporter base that we are being rubbed out of this joint venture - even though Wests Tigers say that isn't the case and our board is doing everything to make sure that doesn't happen through such initiatives such as the Return to Lidcombe [NSW Cup] game that is coming up in two weeks.''
The fact that Saturday's match was held at Campbelltown Stadium was used as further ammunition for aggrieved Magpies. But Humphreys maintained the club was not deliberately snubbing the logo with its ''eye of the tiger'' jersey for the clash.
''The jersey we wore on Saturday was just a promotional jersey,'' Humphreys said. ''As I understand it, we've had three or four of those which have not had a magpie. All of the jerseys in the premiership always have, and always will have, a magpie.''
And there are plans in place to celebrate the Magpies in the early rounds of the season. Wests Tigers players will wear Western Suburbs heritage jumpers for the round-five clash with Souths, to mark 50 years since the club's grand-final victory over the Rabbitohs.
It was the club's last first-grade title as the Western Suburbs entity. Half a century later, they're fighting for something different.
Glenn Jackson, Brad Walter
February 21, 2012
\
\
WAS it a deliberate ploy to continue to erase an already aggrieved partner in a joint venture, or simply a decision based on circumstances?
Wests Tigers management maintain it was the latter, however the absence of the famous Wests magpie from the Tigers' Foundation Cup jerseys has the potential to further dent relations between factions of the merged club.
Even though they accept Tigers chief executive Stephen Humphreys's explanation for the case of the missing magpie, Western Suburbs football club officials plan to take the alleged oversight to the joint-venture club's board.
A clearly agitated Western Suburbs supporter emailed Humphreys calling for an explanation for the missing magpie yesterday. And, while Humphreys maintained all premiership jerseys would include the magpie image on each sleeve this season and beyond, Western Suburbs football officials are concerned enough to take the issue further. That is due partly to the fragility of relations between some Wests and Balmain portions of the merger, particularly in the wake of recent tensions over the future of the Western Suburbs Magpies NSW Cup outfit.
After the merger between the Western Suburbs Magpies and the Balmain Tigers in 1999, it was agreed that, as part of the deal, the new club's jerseys would include a magpie on each sleeve.
The Western Suburbs football club board thought enough of the fear by renegade supporter Graeme Szynal that the magpie was being fazed out, that members spoke of it yesterday.
"The main issue is that we don't want to see the magpie disappear altogether" … Daniel Watson-Hayes.
"The main issue is that we don't want to see the magpie disappear altogether" ... Daniel Watson-Hayes. Photo: Wolter Peeters
''We understand the frustration of our members and supporters and these are issues that will be worked through with Wests Tigers to avoid future problems from arising,'' Daniel Watson-Hayes, a director of the Western Suburbs District Football Club, said. ''Little things can stem into big things, and we just want to make sure that equality and equal representation through our joint-venture investment is maintained at all times, as per the joint-venture agreement that says the magpie should be on the sleeve.
''At the moment, it has been demoted to the cuff of the sleeve - much to the dismay of many, including myself - and the size has significantly reduced, which I would like to see rectified.
''But the main issue is that we don't want to see the magpie disappear altogether, and little things like this send a negative message to our supporter base that we are being rubbed out of this joint venture - even though Wests Tigers say that isn't the case and our board is doing everything to make sure that doesn't happen through such initiatives such as the Return to Lidcombe [NSW Cup] game that is coming up in two weeks.''
The fact that Saturday's match was held at Campbelltown Stadium was used as further ammunition for aggrieved Magpies. But Humphreys maintained the club was not deliberately snubbing the logo with its ''eye of the tiger'' jersey for the clash.
''The jersey we wore on Saturday was just a promotional jersey,'' Humphreys said. ''As I understand it, we've had three or four of those which have not had a magpie. All of the jerseys in the premiership always have, and always will have, a magpie.''
And there are plans in place to celebrate the Magpies in the early rounds of the season. Wests Tigers players will wear Western Suburbs heritage jumpers for the round-five clash with Souths, to mark 50 years since the club's grand-final victory over the Rabbitohs.
It was the club's last first-grade title as the Western Suburbs entity. Half a century later, they're fighting for something different.
