After watching tonight's Chooseday night football, it brought back some good old memories.
There have been some real good games over the past 10 years, especially recently.
What are your top 10?
My 10 favourite Wests Tigers games excluding the past couple of years:
1. St George Illawarra vs. Wests Tigers (Preliminary Final, 2005)
This game beats any other game by a million, billion miles. This was our Grand Final and against all the odds we not only beat the red-hot premiership favourites (ex Parra), but we did it in style. I personally can’t see this game ever being topped and I hope it doesn’t. This game was the culmination of decades of pain, loss and hurt from the failures of the foundation clubs and the forced Joint Venture. Never again should us fans have to endure that kind of hardship; this game was bitter sweet. Not only did this game seal the premiership, but it sealed the Joint Venture and did so in a way that has never before been seen in Australian sporting history.
2. The Comeback (Round 23, 2001)
Kevvy McGuinness’ comeback game in more ways that one. I remember listening to this one on the radio and turning it off in disgust as the Knights ran in another try just after halftime to make it 32-12 (from memory)… thank Christ I turned in back on a few minutes later. Who could forget that amazing comeback to make it 36-32.
3. 37-36 – need I say any more?
4. Parra at Leichhardt (Round 2, 2002)
There was no way we were going to beat red-hot Parra even if we were playing at Leichhard… no way at all! Enter Terry Hill, the 2 foot hole in the turf and an intercept in the final minutes. Pure Leichhardt Bliss!
5. Bulldogs at Campbelltown on Friday Night (Round 20, 2004)
A blockbuster crowd saw the club fall just short of beating the Bulldogs. The 24-20 scoreline was tight and the atmosphere was insane! More Friday night’s at Cambo!
6. Bulldogs at Gosford (Round 11, 2004)
With Prince on QLD duty, Fitzy (in the 7) lead the Wests Tigers (with the help of Kieran Kerr) to victory over the premiership favourites the Bulldogs. Elford’s intercept sealed a gutsy, gutsy win.
7. The first Prince and Benji show (Round 12, 2004)
A packed Leichhardt Oval witnessed the club register three wins on the trot for the first time. The most exciting thing about this game for me was the fact that Leichhardt drew a crowd of 18,883 to watch Benji and Prince rip open a pretty poor Parramatta.
8. The beginning – Benji’s debut (Round 20, 2003)
I think most fans knew that something special was happening during this game. It wasn’t anything amazing (even though we beat the knights 52-12), but there was an almost universal understanding amongst Tigers fans that the kid in the number 14 jersey was going to one day change the fortunes of this club.
9. Bronco Busters (Round 23, 2003)
The Broncos were well and truly gunning, but in the rain Benji was able to rip them apart to grind out a gutsy 12-10 win. This was a cracker of a game and whilst it wasn’t pretty football, it still sticks out in that amazing period when Benji was just being unleashed and we’d signed soo many good players.
10. Satler doesn’t make it (Round 8, 2004)
Yes, it was a loss, but the 22-20 loss against the Panthers on Friday night at Penrith was another game that showed us fans that the team was really started to turn a corner. I remember Satler failing to chase down Amos Roberts, then afterwards a Penrith fan saying to me “you guys will win the comp in a year or two, just watch”
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Honourable mention:
• The World 7’s
• Tigers v Rabbitohs at Leichhard in ’04 when the ground smashed 19k!
There have been some real good games over the past 10 years, especially recently.
What are your top 10?
My 10 favourite Wests Tigers games excluding the past couple of years:
1. St George Illawarra vs. Wests Tigers (Preliminary Final, 2005)
This game beats any other game by a million, billion miles. This was our Grand Final and against all the odds we not only beat the red-hot premiership favourites (ex Parra), but we did it in style. I personally can’t see this game ever being topped and I hope it doesn’t. This game was the culmination of decades of pain, loss and hurt from the failures of the foundation clubs and the forced Joint Venture. Never again should us fans have to endure that kind of hardship; this game was bitter sweet. Not only did this game seal the premiership, but it sealed the Joint Venture and did so in a way that has never before been seen in Australian sporting history.
2. The Comeback (Round 23, 2001)
Kevvy McGuinness’ comeback game in more ways that one. I remember listening to this one on the radio and turning it off in disgust as the Knights ran in another try just after halftime to make it 32-12 (from memory)… thank Christ I turned in back on a few minutes later. Who could forget that amazing comeback to make it 36-32.
3. 37-36 – need I say any more?
4. Parra at Leichhardt (Round 2, 2002)
There was no way we were going to beat red-hot Parra even if we were playing at Leichhard… no way at all! Enter Terry Hill, the 2 foot hole in the turf and an intercept in the final minutes. Pure Leichhardt Bliss!
5. Bulldogs at Campbelltown on Friday Night (Round 20, 2004)
A blockbuster crowd saw the club fall just short of beating the Bulldogs. The 24-20 scoreline was tight and the atmosphere was insane! More Friday night’s at Cambo!
6. Bulldogs at Gosford (Round 11, 2004)
With Prince on QLD duty, Fitzy (in the 7) lead the Wests Tigers (with the help of Kieran Kerr) to victory over the premiership favourites the Bulldogs. Elford’s intercept sealed a gutsy, gutsy win.
7. The first Prince and Benji show (Round 12, 2004)
A packed Leichhardt Oval witnessed the club register three wins on the trot for the first time. The most exciting thing about this game for me was the fact that Leichhardt drew a crowd of 18,883 to watch Benji and Prince rip open a pretty poor Parramatta.
8. The beginning – Benji’s debut (Round 20, 2003)
I think most fans knew that something special was happening during this game. It wasn’t anything amazing (even though we beat the knights 52-12), but there was an almost universal understanding amongst Tigers fans that the kid in the number 14 jersey was going to one day change the fortunes of this club.
9. Bronco Busters (Round 23, 2003)
The Broncos were well and truly gunning, but in the rain Benji was able to rip them apart to grind out a gutsy 12-10 win. This was a cracker of a game and whilst it wasn’t pretty football, it still sticks out in that amazing period when Benji was just being unleashed and we’d signed soo many good players.
10. Satler doesn’t make it (Round 8, 2004)
Yes, it was a loss, but the 22-20 loss against the Panthers on Friday night at Penrith was another game that showed us fans that the team was really started to turn a corner. I remember Satler failing to chase down Amos Roberts, then afterwards a Penrith fan saying to me “you guys will win the comp in a year or two, just watch”
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Honourable mention:
• The World 7’s
• Tigers v Rabbitohs at Leichhard in ’04 when the ground smashed 19k!
