Names / symbols mean something to some people- as a person with bonds / memory of the Magpies and their symbol - the Magpie. Ive got no desire for the symbol to be at the NRL level but I'd like the Magpie to be at the KOE level. My preference.
People may recall I recently posted a suggestion we go further with the Outlaw / Bushranger theme / symbol to get over the symbolism of previous clubs- Tiger and Magpie. Im sorry but I feel at present if we get rid of the Magpie at KOE and its all Tiger, Ive lost something. Im not pressing, or wanting Magpie at NRL but whats wrong with giving a dog a bone with the Magpie at KOE level? If we loose the Magpie at KOE level I'd be really thinking about a new symbol- as I said I like the Bushranger. Anyway, just my 2 cents worth.
AND back to the thread point, yes something has to be done about the Board and hold their feet to the fire until these 3 independents are announced and in place.
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What if we called it the "Balmain Magpies"? Does that satisfy the half you feel you are at risk of losing, but also then old Balmain supporters get the "Balmain" back?
For example in my position as an old Tiger, I love love the club's last Tiger logo and I'll never move on from that emotional attachment because it was formed in my childhood. I will never have quite that basic emotional attachment to the Wests Tiger logo because that was created when I was an adult, and even then it's already been modified twice since 2000.
But what can I do about my old club logos? The logo is demoted and Balmain is demoted and that's how it is, demoted to less than reserve grade, only to juniors and the Balmain junior district is already a Rorschach blot of Inner West and West Sydney. That's what I have accepted as the best outcome of the merge.
So why in fairness should half the merger keep their Wests Magpie in reserve grade? I understand your argument is because keeping the Tiger is potentially more meaningful to supporters than keeping the "Wests". That may be a fair comment. I would probably say the club colours too, though Tigers rarely play in predominantly orange and black/orange/white is highly complimentary in any combination.
But also on the other hand my old club is basically gone, with Balmain being first merged and then subsumed by Wests, such that it is given a vote in respect to the past, but with no other power, no assets. In which case there's then the argument that old Balmain fans have lost basically everything about their old club, only the Tiger truly remains in terms of the history, and some old Magpie fans want both Wests, and the magpie on the shoulder, and complete Boardroom control and complete Leagues Club control... as well as Wests Magpies retained in the reserve grade comp so they can still cling to the Magpie name, the black and white (only) jersey and the old Victa sponsorship.
Well honestly I don't see that as a fair 50/50 split and that's why I feel it should be Wests Tigers all the way down, and Balmain and Magpies can both be resigned to shirt sleeves and history. But I also respect that it's not an argument worth having, and it's not Wests' fault that Balmain ran out of money (it's the Labor State Govt's fault), and if some people really need to have the Maggies running around in the NSWRL then they can have it.