live_like_a_hero
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My champion Grand father use to take me to west game. Started way back in 82 when i was 6 love it
Your Wests Tigers Story and When you started supporting them
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Tigersman
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Great stories guys and girls i'm loving them keep em coming.
As a young kid I was never really into Rugby League, but nevertheless my Dad dragged me to Leichhardt Oval to watch Balmain play nearly every game that was there. I eventually grew into it, then came to love it.
Initially the only thing I liked about watching the footy was it meant having Coke and chips.
Initially the only thing I liked about watching the footy was it meant having Coke and chips.
Erin19
New member
My dad was a Magpies supporter, Wests Tigers now, so I've pretty much grown up with the Tigers being the family team. I live in Parramatta and most of my friends are Eels supporters but I've never particularly liked them. I probably went to a game or two before this but my first memory of the Tigers was in about 2006, I would have been about 11 and my brother, dad and I went to a game at ANZ (wouldn't have a clue who we were versing). Benji and Brett Hodgson were both injured at the time so they were out the front of the stadium giving away jerseys to people who test drove Proton cars and signing things and taking pictures. So we got a picture with Benji and Hodgo and regardless of whether we won or lost that night (can't remember), went home pretty happy Tigers supporters. After that we probably went to about three or four games a season, mostly the Leichhardt and ANZ ones, and unfortunately mostly the ones we lost. We didn't really know any of the players except Benji, Hodgo and Tuiaki (we could never remember his name so my brother christened him 'teriyaki chicken' - sorry Tuiaki!) but I guess it didn't really matter too much to us then.
I didn't really start following the team and NRL properly though until about 2011\. It was around that that I actually learnt who was who, who played where, who I'd actually care about losing and haha um what some of the less obvious rules were (as you can probably guess from my name I didn't play rugby league growing up). I still don't get to that many games unfortunately (this weekend will be my first for the season) but hopefully that'll change in the next few years. :sign:
I didn't really start following the team and NRL properly though until about 2011\. It was around that that I actually learnt who was who, who played where, who I'd actually care about losing and haha um what some of the less obvious rules were (as you can probably guess from my name I didn't play rugby league growing up). I still don't get to that many games unfortunately (this weekend will be my first for the season) but hopefully that'll change in the next few years. :sign:
Jazza
New member
My story begins in the early 90s when I was only about 4 or 5 years old. We lived in the Campbelltown area (Still do) and we used to have a house down at St Georges Basin on the south coast. At the time my parents were still finishing building the house, so for a little kid like me there wasn't much to do besides plonk myself in front of the old TV and watch the Rugby League.
I remember watching some finals matches on channel 9, generally the teams would be Canberra, Brisbane, Canterbury and Norths. So I was a bit of a Norths and Canberra fan back then. Then a few years later my Dad told me he followed Balmain but also had a soft spot for Parra as he lived there in the 80s. So naturally I became a Balmain and Parra fan.
Anyway in 2000 the merger occurred, unlike most people at that time, as an 11 year old I was ecstatic that one of the teams that I followed merged with my local team. It wasn't until about 2003 that Wests Tigers became my clear cut number 1 team, where as my interest in Parra has diminished to the point that I cannot stand losing to them.
It's funny how as a little kid, sometimes it's the smallest things that determine the team you go for.
I remember watching some finals matches on channel 9, generally the teams would be Canberra, Brisbane, Canterbury and Norths. So I was a bit of a Norths and Canberra fan back then. Then a few years later my Dad told me he followed Balmain but also had a soft spot for Parra as he lived there in the 80s. So naturally I became a Balmain and Parra fan.
Anyway in 2000 the merger occurred, unlike most people at that time, as an 11 year old I was ecstatic that one of the teams that I followed merged with my local team. It wasn't until about 2003 that Wests Tigers became my clear cut number 1 team, where as my interest in Parra has diminished to the point that I cannot stand losing to them.
It's funny how as a little kid, sometimes it's the smallest things that determine the team you go for.
Basil_Tiger
New member
Slightly different story,our house backed on to the Channel 9 Studio in Willoughby and as School kids we used to sneak into the various shows they did live.One Sunday around 1965/66 we were in the main Studio watching Ron Casey's Sports Show when he had some jersey's to give away,i scored the Balmain one and have been a supporter ever since,joined the Leagues Club when i turned 18,the State Govt. had just reduced the age from 21,and have been a member ever since.
Over the years i got to know several of the players and my Uncle was one of the Trainers during the 1980''s and 1990's so have some great memories.Very sad to see the latest dramas all because of the almighty $ and hope they can be resoloved,a clean up day at the old Leagues Club would be a good start,its a disgrace to all involved.
Over the years i got to know several of the players and my Uncle was one of the Trainers during the 1980''s and 1990's so have some great memories.Very sad to see the latest dramas all because of the almighty $ and hope they can be resoloved,a clean up day at the old Leagues Club would be a good start,its a disgrace to all involved.
Hi folks , moved to OZ in 1984 when I was 13 . Lived at my auntys place at Laparouse for about 4 weeks . My cousins were all souths supporters .
I couldn't stand the red & green colour scheme !
Moved to the Blue mountains soon after . At high school met a few die hard balmain supporters and became great mates . We would catch the train from springwood with Laurie nicols and he would shadow box in the aisle all the way down the mountain ! They were the days watching blocker / Pearce / David brooks hardwick / Hemsley & later the late Scotty gale ( my favorite ) at leichhardt .
As ink said I too lost interst in the game in the 90's ( too busy drinking and chasing skirt )
Always had a soft spot for the magpies and I was happy we merged with them .
Now my 9 year old son is a die hard wests tigers supporter !
Go the wests tigers !!!!!
I couldn't stand the red & green colour scheme !
Moved to the Blue mountains soon after . At high school met a few die hard balmain supporters and became great mates . We would catch the train from springwood with Laurie nicols and he would shadow box in the aisle all the way down the mountain ! They were the days watching blocker / Pearce / David brooks hardwick / Hemsley & later the late Scotty gale ( my favorite ) at leichhardt .
As ink said I too lost interst in the game in the 90's ( too busy drinking and chasing skirt )
Always had a soft spot for the magpies and I was happy we merged with them .
Now my 9 year old son is a die hard wests tigers supporter !
Go the wests tigers !!!!!
cqtiger
Well-known member
Dad was born in Balmain and used to take me to Leichardt to watch the Tigers play in the 60's. After that we used to go to every game, home and away. This is when it was Sydney teams only.
Balmain have given me some great memories.
The '69 team full of young guys and old heads (like now?).
Watching Artie Beetson play for the Tigers.
Watching them at the SCG in 1970? When the Queen was introduced to the players.
Seeing Geoff Starling get picked for the Kangaroos. Sadly, seeing him struggle with the undiagnosed illness.
Watching them play in the Endeavour cup at Cronulla.
Watch them win the Panasonic cup.
Then the Wests Tigers!
The proposed JV with Parra then Fitzgerald saying no Balmain player or coach would make it. That he only wanted the Tiger brand.
Then the sudden JV switch with Wests put a smile on my face.
Watching Benji
Winning in 2005
The list goes on and on.
What I do know is wifey and 4 adult sons are carrying on the tradition.
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Balmain have given me some great memories.
The '69 team full of young guys and old heads (like now?).
Watching Artie Beetson play for the Tigers.
Watching them at the SCG in 1970? When the Queen was introduced to the players.
Seeing Geoff Starling get picked for the Kangaroos. Sadly, seeing him struggle with the undiagnosed illness.
Watching them play in the Endeavour cup at Cronulla.
Watch them win the Panasonic cup.
Then the Wests Tigers!
The proposed JV with Parra then Fitzgerald saying no Balmain player or coach would make it. That he only wanted the Tiger brand.
Then the sudden JV switch with Wests put a smile on my face.
Watching Benji
Winning in 2005
The list goes on and on.
What I do know is wifey and 4 adult sons are carrying on the tradition.
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Dad used to go for Balmain but switched to Wests when they came to Lidcombe Oval which was only a five minute walk from home. First game he took me to was Norths in 1974 …. Finished an 18-18 draw when George Ambram scored in the corner for Norths. The late 70's is what made me forever a Magpies fan at heart and all the drama of being kicked out twice and somehow surviving against all odds. Was there for the first game against defending premiers Parramatta for the first game at Orana Park and the last game against the Warriors in 1999\. Was really happy about joining up with Balmain who were always my second team and the chance I'd have a competitive team to follow. Was there in 2000 for the first ever match against Brisbane. Was so eerie before kick off .... But once the game was on both sets of fans got together and it's been that way since. Sometimes I still have to pinch myself to believe we actually won the comp .... Never believed it would happen. So glad for people like my Dad and Tigergran they got to see it while they were here. Wouldn't have been the same otherwise. Shame Laurie didn't see it too. Who knows ... It may be a once in a lifetime ! It's been a great journey ... So glad I stayed loyal ... It's been all good ... All worth it and looking forward to whatever comes.
Used to be a bulldogs supporter, it was Harmony day at school in year 4 and needed something orange to wear, I had nothing so I decided to go to sneakers to pick something out and I decided to buy a Wests Tigers shirt. From then on I supported the Wests Tigers, when I discovered that there is a fan forum I sort of got more into Rugby League and learn as I go. Remember when I sat there crying after losing to Saints, Warriors and Roosters in the finals HAHA
Tigersman
New member
@Milky said:
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Same and same lol. I didn't really ''support'' the dogs my family did I have an Arabic background so I was pushed into going for the dogs lol.
I migrated to Oz back in 85 when I was 11 years old, I remember being at my uncles place where I got a glimpse of a strange game where people were smashing each other and fighting. Being from South America where football (soccer) was the only game that I watched it was bloody strange. On that day I didn't know who was playing who, I only needed to see those colors….. Black and Orange!! That was it.... I was hooked and I'm still hooked!! When it came to the merger I was glad it was with Wests there wouldn't have been a better fit!!
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Year_of_the_Tiger
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I was 8 in 1989\. My father died at age 35 in a car accident 3 weeks before the GF. He was a massive fan of balmain and a local GP in Nowra. Me and my younger brothers played midgets for the Nowra Warriors (tigers colours for those of you who know the south coast) and dad was doctor for the grade sides on the weekend. Remember as a kid watching massive guys getting stiched and the echo of studs on concrete out of the dressing shed. Dad took the 4 sons to a game that year, dressed head to toe in tigers colours, and we were on the big screen at some stage. The GF that year was devastating for a young lad but it steeled me a tiger for life. This is a religion for me not just a game. To lighten the mood, my three little brothers are raiders fans, no bull!
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Easy_Tiger
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These story's are really good to read & interesting to read different people from different walk,s of life.
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happy_tiger
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Was hooked to the Magpies after watching the 1977 Amco Cup Final My first NSWRL game that I remember watching
Hate most other sides so in 2000 it was become a Tiger
Fortunately I played for the Moura Tigers for a few years so being a Tiger was acceptable
Hate most other sides so in 2000 it was become a Tiger
Fortunately I played for the Moura Tigers for a few years so being a Tiger was acceptable
Love these stories, I've told mine a few times over the years here.
I actually don't know how I started, my too grand fathers were mad football fans, one a Canterbury man, the other a panther, I was the first grand child to get into football for both of them. They each took me to the footy alot, I had both Penrith and Doggies flags and jerseys. I think I didn't want to pick one over the other, I briefly chose the eels as they were the guns, and stopped because I was told you can't pick the best team, I was only 5 or 6, for whatever reason I moved on to the tigers, not sure why.
Not long after this I met Wayne Pearce as he was the guest judge on its a knock out, he saw my tigers scarf and picked me up, I was sold for life from that minute on.
A couple years later when we were in the grand final, I was ad staunch as they come, they were raffling a signed ball with 100 tickets for $2 each, my whole allowance for yhe school fete, I spent it on the ticket and watched my sister go on rides all day, it was worth it I won. The signed ball sits in my office still.
The merger never put me off too much.
I actually don't know how I started, my too grand fathers were mad football fans, one a Canterbury man, the other a panther, I was the first grand child to get into football for both of them. They each took me to the footy alot, I had both Penrith and Doggies flags and jerseys. I think I didn't want to pick one over the other, I briefly chose the eels as they were the guns, and stopped because I was told you can't pick the best team, I was only 5 or 6, for whatever reason I moved on to the tigers, not sure why.
Not long after this I met Wayne Pearce as he was the guest judge on its a knock out, he saw my tigers scarf and picked me up, I was sold for life from that minute on.
A couple years later when we were in the grand final, I was ad staunch as they come, they were raffling a signed ball with 100 tickets for $2 each, my whole allowance for yhe school fete, I spent it on the ticket and watched my sister go on rides all day, it was worth it I won. The signed ball sits in my office still.
The merger never put me off too much.
happy_tiger
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@Goose said:
These stories are great Goose
Apart from the nuffie who rambled on about the BRL , Easts Tigers this Easts Tigers that
Last time they won a premiership Moses was fullback and Ben Hur was a rookie
guyofthetiger
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Raised in Pennant Hills on the fringe of Ku- Ring-Gai Chase NP in the 70s.
Not sure how I became a Tigers fan but I was obsessed. Systematically raided the maxwell house jars of 2c coins on top of the fridge (amongst the jars of funnel webs unlucky enough to come across my mum and a can of fly spray.
Not sure how I became a Tigers fan but I was obsessed. Systematically raided the maxwell house jars of 2c coins on top of the fridge (amongst the jars of funnel webs unlucky enough to come across my mum and a can of fly spray.
Neither of my folks are football fans. Dad grew up in the shire (back when it was st George territory) and his uncle was apparently the hot dog man at Kogarah Oval but he didn't really enjoy league so had no real ties to the team.
We grew up in and around the leichhardt area and I guess it was a case of supporting the local team… But it also helped that the Tigers of the 80s were pretty special. I was 6 and then 7 when we lost in 88 and 89 and jeez they hurt, but I think the seed was planted then.
My first game was at some point during the 80s or early 90s, my uncle took me and my brother to either the cricket ground or sfs to see us play souths, we smashed them and sirro scored a bunch of tries, I have never managed to find which game that was in the records, maybe I imagined the finer details. I remember the noise of the crowd very clearly though.
By the time I was a teenager and could take myself to leichhardt (and with the Alan Jones era behind us) I had a few mates who were also mad keen tigers fans so it was extremely easy to get to games and have fun. My memories of that last period of Balmain is... The Dragons pulling off some miraculous wins against us... Bloody blacklock scoring after the siren is still raw as anything.
I think i remember my first WT game... We played a trial at leichhardt against norths and belted them, I remember it was a first good look at the mcguinness boys. I made it along to quite a few games at campbelltown in the first 3-4 years of the wests tigers but don't make it out there too much any more. The drive home after a loss is too painful!
In fact I haven't made it to many games at all in the last 2 seasons, with a couple of young kids at home... But I'm hoping to be able to take my kids out to watch the mighty Tiges in the very near future. Not this bloody weekend though, I'm working.
I've got a great photo somewhere of me wearing Balmain socks (which is all my folks would stump up for) and a Collingwood jersey that mum got from vinnies... This is in about 87... The original Tigerpie!
We grew up in and around the leichhardt area and I guess it was a case of supporting the local team… But it also helped that the Tigers of the 80s were pretty special. I was 6 and then 7 when we lost in 88 and 89 and jeez they hurt, but I think the seed was planted then.
My first game was at some point during the 80s or early 90s, my uncle took me and my brother to either the cricket ground or sfs to see us play souths, we smashed them and sirro scored a bunch of tries, I have never managed to find which game that was in the records, maybe I imagined the finer details. I remember the noise of the crowd very clearly though.
By the time I was a teenager and could take myself to leichhardt (and with the Alan Jones era behind us) I had a few mates who were also mad keen tigers fans so it was extremely easy to get to games and have fun. My memories of that last period of Balmain is... The Dragons pulling off some miraculous wins against us... Bloody blacklock scoring after the siren is still raw as anything.
I think i remember my first WT game... We played a trial at leichhardt against norths and belted them, I remember it was a first good look at the mcguinness boys. I made it along to quite a few games at campbelltown in the first 3-4 years of the wests tigers but don't make it out there too much any more. The drive home after a loss is too painful!
In fact I haven't made it to many games at all in the last 2 seasons, with a couple of young kids at home... But I'm hoping to be able to take my kids out to watch the mighty Tiges in the very near future. Not this bloody weekend though, I'm working.
I've got a great photo somewhere of me wearing Balmain socks (which is all my folks would stump up for) and a Collingwood jersey that mum got from vinnies... This is in about 87... The original Tigerpie!
