innsaneink
Well-known member
Hartley was an out & out cheat...Loved Manly hated Wests
Western Suburbs Magpies Thread
- Thread starter Suzie-Q
- Start date
broke my heart when i heard that / understood .But wasn't that a beat up for a few years that time of year
diedpretty
Well-known member
Yea i think it was too - he was also the only one i ever saw go close in a game.Might be wrong … but think that may have been Tony Ford.
Tony Ford (rugby league) - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
diedpretty
Well-known member
momo_amp_medo said:
You might be right. I started watching Tony in 3rd grade at Pratten Park. He was a brilliant ball runner who could have been anything. He had an unusual running style however that left him susceptible to coat hanger tackles and he copped quite a few. I think that dented his confidence and he never lived up to his early promise. I met him a few times after he retired because his wife worked with mine. He was a lovely unassuming and modest bloke.
He scored one of the most memorable solo tries i have ever seen at Lidcombe. It was against Newtown and he got in the clear about 50 mtrs out and was being chased by the Newtown winger Kevin Gentles who was a noted flyer. Just as you thought Gentles would get him he swerved. He did it a second time and Gentles missed the tackle for Ford to score.
You might be right. I started watching Tony in 3rd grade at Pratten Park. He was a brilliant ball runner who could have been anything. He had an unusual running style however that left him susceptible to coat hanger tackles and he copped quite a few. I think that dented his confidence and he never lived up to his early promise. I met him a few times after he retired because his wife worked with mine. He was a lovely unassuming and modest bloke.
He scored one of the most memorable solo tries i have ever seen at Lidcombe. It was against Newtown and he got in the clear about 50 mtrs out and was being chased by the Newtown winger Kevin Gentles who was a noted flyer. Just as you thought Gentles would get him he swerved. He did it a second time and Gentles missed the tackle for Ford to score.
diedpretty
Well-known member
They were cheated out of a GF spot in 78 the year they were minor premiers. Hartley cheated to get Manly home against Parra in the major semi final - then cheated Wests in the prelim.
One finals win is diire. I was looking at the 1978 season. I don’t think they lost any game by more than 10 points.
They were definitely grand final drinkers those boys , they would hit rooneys after training and it was nothing for them to be in a stink but they were a great group and probably very unlucky to be there on the big day
westTAHger
Well-known member
I was lucky enough to be coached by Tony Ford in 1978, the under 14 b team for Holy Cross College Ryde.
He was a great coach/mentor, taught us all a life lesson about being good people and good sportsmanship.
One of first things he told the entire team, if any of you do a head high tackle on anyone, you will never be playing in this team for the season.
Nobody ever did, he taught us to hit hard around the hips, and slide down locking up the feet of the person with the ball.
The team won the comp that season, in the grand final beating Leichhardt wanderers 6-5, yep by a field goal, played at Leichhardt Oval.
When we catch up occasionally, yes we are happy to have won, but majority of blokes say, it was the lesson's about sportsmanship/life that Tony taught us, that we still use today.
Check out this job on SEEK: Operations Administration Officer (Western Suburbs Magpies) from Wests Ashfield Leagues Club - https://www.seek.com.au/job/86278414?tracking=SHR-AND-SharedJob-anz-1
Anyone interested?
Anyone interested?
I, yesterday ,reserve grade - tomorrow the World . Just need a foot in
innsaneink
Well-known member
$65kpa
Short arms deep pockets
West's Rule
Member
So many! Juniors is great news.
innsaneink
Well-known member
26 years ago #OnThisDay 29 August 1999, the Western Suburbs Magpies (Wests 16 Warriors 60) lost their last game as an individual club in the NRL Premiership.
WESTS STICK TOGETHER- EVEN TO A SAD END
(Sydney Morning Herald 30 August, 1999)
Thirty minutes after the game, in a Western Suburbs dressing-room full of mixed emotions, coach Tommy Raudonikis came over and said: "Here, look at this. Kevvy McGuinness just gave it to me. It's great."
It was the jumper McGuinness had worn as Wests signed off on their history as a single entity with a last-round loss to Auckland.
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McGuinness had inscribed it: "To Tommy Raudonikis. You're more than a coach, you're like my father. Love, Kevin McGuinness."
It was that sort of day at Campbelltown Stadium. One for tears; one for farewells; one for sticking together until the end.
McGuinness had been one of many Wests players in tears as they gathered with Raudonikis in the dressing-room after the match to talk as a team for the last time.
"Tommy gave an emotional speech," McGuinness said. "Just thanking us for our loyalty to the club and wishing us all the best. I'm dirty we couldn't win it for him. We owed Tommy that much today."
But Raudonikis wasn't holding the blow-out result against his team. Not a chance. He's been around a long time and the 1999 version of the Magpies are a battling side. He knew they weren't going to turn into supermen overnight.
The game? Well, it was a case of Auckland's big, bad forwards eventually getting on top and half Stacey Jones creating havoc behind them.
The Warriors have set themselves for a good season next year. Wests will return in a different guise - as one half of the Wests Tigers.
It would have been great for the Magpies to go out with a win, but the result - as one-sided as it was - wasn't critical. It will be forgotten in a hurry.
The occasion was the thing, as Wests greats of the past gathered for the last hurrah. The send-off is no doubt still going this morning.
Someone said to Tommy at the post-match media conference: "What did you say to Lincoln after the game?"
It was a reference to the coach's son who had been sin-binned late in the match. Auckland, already well clear, took advantage by scoring four more tries while he was off.
"I'm not worried about the game of football, mate," Raudonikis said. "Truly, not worried about it at all.
"I just hope the boys who got picked in the joint venture all have success and that all the other kids who missed out, I wish they have success in life and whatever they do as well.
"I don't care about the result, I haven't got a bad word to say about the players. A few boys got very emotional after the game and that's what sport's about. And if sport ever loses that, well . . . but I don't think it will."
Half and captain Steve Georgallis was the last player to touch the ball for Wests.
He threw a cut-out pass intended for Kevin McGuinness as the Magpies raised one last attack with 30 seconds to go.
The ball was intercepted by Auckland winger Frances Meli for a 90m try.
"Georgy" is lovely bloke. He could at least see the lighter side of it, noting later that he could say he set up a try with the last pass he threw for Wests.
McGuinness revealed the only reason Georgallis threw the cut-out was that while Auckland were preparing to take a line drop-out with 40 seconds to go, McGuinness appealed to his captain: "Get the ball to me. I just want to score before it's all over."
So they were still trying for each other, until the end.
Georgallis was slumped in the dressing-room, trying to raise a smile. The famous emblem on his jumper was surrounded by the words: "Western Suburbs Magpies, Est. 1908."
Underneath was the special edition for the day, "Final NRL match, August 29, 1999."
Goodbye, Wests. See you in your new life.
The Western Suburbs Magpies merged with the Balmain Tigers and competed as Wests TIgers in the 2000 NRL premiership.
[Photo by Craig Golding » Fairfax Archives]
WESTS STICK TOGETHER- EVEN TO A SAD END
(Sydney Morning Herald 30 August, 1999)
Thirty minutes after the game, in a Western Suburbs dressing-room full of mixed emotions, coach Tommy Raudonikis came over and said: "Here, look at this. Kevvy McGuinness just gave it to me. It's great."
It was the jumper McGuinness had worn as Wests signed off on their history as a single entity with a last-round loss to Auckland.
Advertisement
McGuinness had inscribed it: "To Tommy Raudonikis. You're more than a coach, you're like my father. Love, Kevin McGuinness."
It was that sort of day at Campbelltown Stadium. One for tears; one for farewells; one for sticking together until the end.
McGuinness had been one of many Wests players in tears as they gathered with Raudonikis in the dressing-room after the match to talk as a team for the last time.
"Tommy gave an emotional speech," McGuinness said. "Just thanking us for our loyalty to the club and wishing us all the best. I'm dirty we couldn't win it for him. We owed Tommy that much today."
But Raudonikis wasn't holding the blow-out result against his team. Not a chance. He's been around a long time and the 1999 version of the Magpies are a battling side. He knew they weren't going to turn into supermen overnight.
The game? Well, it was a case of Auckland's big, bad forwards eventually getting on top and half Stacey Jones creating havoc behind them.
The Warriors have set themselves for a good season next year. Wests will return in a different guise - as one half of the Wests Tigers.
It would have been great for the Magpies to go out with a win, but the result - as one-sided as it was - wasn't critical. It will be forgotten in a hurry.
The occasion was the thing, as Wests greats of the past gathered for the last hurrah. The send-off is no doubt still going this morning.
Someone said to Tommy at the post-match media conference: "What did you say to Lincoln after the game?"
It was a reference to the coach's son who had been sin-binned late in the match. Auckland, already well clear, took advantage by scoring four more tries while he was off.
"I'm not worried about the game of football, mate," Raudonikis said. "Truly, not worried about it at all.
"I just hope the boys who got picked in the joint venture all have success and that all the other kids who missed out, I wish they have success in life and whatever they do as well.
"I don't care about the result, I haven't got a bad word to say about the players. A few boys got very emotional after the game and that's what sport's about. And if sport ever loses that, well . . . but I don't think it will."
Half and captain Steve Georgallis was the last player to touch the ball for Wests.
He threw a cut-out pass intended for Kevin McGuinness as the Magpies raised one last attack with 30 seconds to go.
The ball was intercepted by Auckland winger Frances Meli for a 90m try.
"Georgy" is lovely bloke. He could at least see the lighter side of it, noting later that he could say he set up a try with the last pass he threw for Wests.
McGuinness revealed the only reason Georgallis threw the cut-out was that while Auckland were preparing to take a line drop-out with 40 seconds to go, McGuinness appealed to his captain: "Get the ball to me. I just want to score before it's all over."
So they were still trying for each other, until the end.
Georgallis was slumped in the dressing-room, trying to raise a smile. The famous emblem on his jumper was surrounded by the words: "Western Suburbs Magpies, Est. 1908."
Underneath was the special edition for the day, "Final NRL match, August 29, 1999."
Goodbye, Wests. See you in your new life.
The Western Suburbs Magpies merged with the Balmain Tigers and competed as Wests TIgers in the 2000 NRL premiership.
[Photo by Craig Golding » Fairfax Archives]
