One supporter we didn't need

[OutbackJack]

Back in the 1988 ( I was 15) my friend and I were lucky enough to spend an hour with Laurie walking from central station to the SFS. While I was a Magpie fan, Wally Lewis was also my hero. I remember asking Laurie about Wally and he said he was a great player and a great bloke. I remember thinking to myself "I wasn't expecting that" He couldn't have said enough nice thing about him. This was a time where every NSWelshman hated Wally with a passion.

This just shows the quality of the man.

It does. I was at the ground when Wally played his last game in NSW and the stadium stood up and gave him a standing ovation as he left the field. We was one player we loved to hate .. because he was so good! Laurie Nichols was a gentleman and a lovely bloke. And a most passionate supporter. He was a bit like Mohammad Ali, he had a rhyme for every occasion. My favourite? "Beetson beats them .. then he eats them" .. When Artie played for Balmain. RIP Laurie.

 

[Byron_Bay_Fan]

Now that I have started you off on Richard Coorey you can all half forgive me for stirring you up about Legend Laurie and give me one reputation point please.

 

[Goose]

I remember as a real young bloke (maybe 7 or 8) getting the mountains train into the city to watch the tigers play and I saw Laurie, I was wearing my tigers gear (which was fake cause we couldnt afford the real stuff), Laurie noticed me and talked to me for a few minutes, made me feel so important.
I remember him saying he will tell the boys to try extra hard for me cause Id come such a long way to see them.
When we won I thought it really had something to do with me!

Great memories

 

[Cultured_Bogan]

Used to love watching Laurie go mental on the sideline. It was a novelty as a kid, watching this old bloke lose his mind with the highs and lows of the game. Now I'm older I obviously respect the passion and commitment he had for his club. He epitomises what it is to be a committed supporter of the game. Nowadays people go support other clubs or walk away altogether because they're not happy with the way things are going.

 

[foreveratiger]

I've said this story before , Geo would find the post….he's good at it .

In the Early 90's was catching a train to Kogarah to watch the Dragons vs Balmain , i was in my early teens and i somehow convinced my Mum to let me go to the game by train on my own ( Dad was at work ) . I get on the Train and who is in front of me Laurie.....he saw the excitement in my eyes and realised who i supported with the Jersey i was wearing .
He said Hello young Lad , he said are you on your own ? which i replied a bit shy yeah ( i was star struck ) ....he said come and sit with me and get under my wing .
He asked who do we need to stop Today to have a chance in winning ? i said Noel Goldthorpe , Scott Gourley and Mark Coyne , he laughed and said yeah keep going there a great side .

He was telling me how he would go to every training session by train from the Blue Mountains.

I used to remember sitting with Dad in the Grandstand and seeing Laurie walking backwards and Forwards on the pathway where the Hill is . Great memories.

An absolute Legend and still missed.

 

[jadtiger]

Laurie was the supporter every club should have i never heard him rubbish any player from any club and often praised players from a club that had just beaten us.A truly great supporter of not just Balmain but of Rugby League i will always have good memories of him

 

[king_sirro]

I used to find Laurie NIchols an embarrassment.

Laurie Nichols was as solid as they come. Would be at junior rep games when I was young in the sheads screaming "black n gold, we never fold". He wasn't just a fare weather fan looking for limelight, he was there for all grades of the club. The Tigers were his life.

 

[Tigerdon]

I used to find Laurie NIchols an embarrassment.

That's says more about you than him

 

[Byron_Bay_Fan]

Ages ago I surrendered in this thread, I can imagine you guys chiselling into my tombstone after I am gone "THIS GUY'S AN A…HOLE". Sorry again, okay.

Just checking out images, Laurie was all shadow boxing, a good bit of fun. But the guy whom actually did boxing in the game, my Tommy R, is cursed by Tiger fans.

 

[Tigerdon]

Ages ago I surrendered in this thread, I can imagine you guys chiselling into my tombstone after I am gone "THIS GUY'S AN A…HOLE". Sorry again, okay.

Just checking out images, Laurie was all shadow boxing, a good bit of fun. But the guy whom actually did boxing in the game, my Tommy R, is cursed by Tiger fans.

I didn't know you had to choose one over the other. I've always loved Tommy. He was …and still is fantastic.

 

[foreveratiger]

I remember vividly…...It was Wednesday morning and 3 Days out from our 1st ever game as a Joint Venture Club.
Reading the paper through the team list as everyone was waiting with anticipation as to who was in the side for our 1st ever game against the Broncos and there it was Laurie Nichols has Died , couldn't hold back my Emotion as my head collapsed to the table and my eyes were feeling up with water as i continued to read, it said......Only last week Laurie came to training and told the boys that he was supporting the Club after finally accepting the Joint Venture and how much of a boost it gave the Squad . At the time past players were saying that when Balmain died ? Laurie did so aswell as initially he struggled to come to grips with it . To think he finally did accept it but never got to watch us is truly sad.

To me this picture says it all about the bloke , he caught a train all the way from the Blue Mountains to the City to support one of Balmains biggest rivals in South Sydney says a lot to me about just what sort of a bloke he was .

This photo was October 1999

 

[foreveratiger]

The tribute they did for Laurie at Campbelltown on the big screen just before the Broncos game was very special and moving .

 

[bp_tiger]

i caught the train a few times with laurie, and he was a great story teller. the bloke was a true ledgend. as long as his tigers are playing there will allways be a laurie nichols watching them play from above.

 

[Curaeus]

The current disgraceful condition of the Rozelle club premises and the very real threat of Balmain dropping out of the joint venture altogether would have just broken Laurie's heart were he still with us.

 

[Byron_Bay_Fan]

How has the Tigers performance rated since Laurie's demise?

 

[ricksen]

How has the Tigers performance rated since Laurie's demise?

What a weird question - he died a few weeks before WTs first ever comp game.

 

[Byron_Bay_Fan]

How has the Tigers performance rated since Laurie's demise?

What a weird question - he died a few weeks before WTs first ever comp game.

Well just going to along with the pedantry I did say Tigers not West Tigers or Balmain Tigers. I think we have gone downhill, call it Laurie's Curse.

 

[ricksen]

That's my point - we'd never played an NRL game when he passed. How can we have gone downhill?

 

[TrueTiger]

How has the Tigers performance rated since Laurie's demise?

What a weird question - he died a few weeks before WTs first ever comp game.

Well just going to along with the pedantry I did say Tigers not West Tigers or Balmain Tigers. I think we have gone downhill, call it Laurie's Curse.

Sorry BBF,I call it grasping at straws,trying to find a reason for the clubs inadequacy…has absolutely nothing to do with Laurie,he is a Balmain legend and icon....he should be remembered that way no matter what club you support......

 

[Byron_Bay_Fan]

actually I thought I edited and deleted the last post but it hung in, after realising I did not have a leg to stand on. I was in no way attempting to diminish Laurie just a stuffed up idea - I am frustrate coz can't find the mower juice and off to Sydney tomorrow.