The death of Western Suburbs is bad for the game

galahs

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Background Information
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As you may or may not be aware,
Wests Tigers put forward a proposal to all Wests Tigers share holders on Thursday the 14th of June to completely change the structure of the joint venture agreement.
[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, Bitstream Vera Sans, Verdana, sans-serif]The proposal to be announced soon is strongly rumoured to include:

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- The Western Suburbs Magpies and Balmain Ryde Eastwood Tigers to be replaced in the NSW Cup by a single Wests Tigers side. They will be based and train at Concord and play half of their games at Campbelltown and half their games at Leichhardt Oval.


- the private company Wests Tigers Ltd will become the District Club of both Western Suburbs and Balmain Tigers local districts.


- In the future, the Wests Tigers claim they will build a Rugby League Centre of excellence at UWS Campbelltown so the U20's team can move its operations and training to the Macarthur area.


- Wests Tigers Board, Wests Ashfield Leagues Club, Wests Leagues Club Campbelltown and the majority of the Balmain side of the joint venture are thought to support this proposal. The Magpies board is thought to be divided on the proposal.


- For this proposal to happen, the members of both Balmain and Western Suburbs Magpies football clubs will have to agree to it. However the Wests Leagues clubs could withdraw funding from the Magpies to "BULLY" them into agreeing even if the Football club members don't believe the proposal is sufficient in detail or substance.






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My thoughts on this proposal.
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Constantly remarks are made about why the Magpies supporters wont just "get over it" and support the Wests Tigers proposal to phase out the Magpies once and for all.


Well I understand some Magpie supporters will never change their feathers for fur, but I can only offer my own opinion.

First and foremost, I became a Magpie supporter because they represented the area I grew up in.
My parents didn't go for them, I didn't hop on a winning teams bandwagon. I just supported my local team that turned up to my junior footy training, the team that was in the local papers, the team that regularly turned up for school visits, the team my mates aspired to play for in junior reps.

Now the biggest gripe I have with the Wests Tigers proposal is that it doesn't offer a better deal for the community I grew up in than we currently have, or once had.

We no longer have a full time NRL team based out here.
I can accept that, we have a joint venture NRL team now, they got moved to Concord.

We now no longer have a Jersey Flegg under 20's team either. They also got moved to Concord.

Next we lose having a full time reserve grade NSW Cup team. Again to Concord.

So over the last 13 years, my local area has lost 3 senior full time representative teams that used to play and train locally.

Now the Wests Tigers proposal would be much better if the "Rugby League Centre of Excellence" they are proposing to be built at UWS was well under way in the planning stages and a definite timeline to completion is in place. But it isn't. It is still just a "nice thought".

The proposal would be harder to dismiss if a set timeline was in place when the Under 20's will move to the Macarthur, but again there isn't one.

The proposal would be harder to reject if there was a plan to continue having the 104 year old Magpies club running around in the Bundy Cup, representing the Macarthur and with full support by the Wests Tigers. Again this is absent.

So basically the area will definitely lose out with the Wests Tigers proposal in the short term , and without any real substance or concrete time lines in place, how long is the area to suffer before the Wests Tigers truly fill the void left if the Magpies are completely removed from the picture.

And all this is before we even talk about the loss of Wests idenity in the Wests Tigers, the shrinking Magpie on the sleeve and the measly 4 NRL games a year played at Campbelltown.

This is before we consider what it means to have our district league areas of Wests and Balmain run by a Private company, not an elected board from the community.
So until the Wests Tigers proposal offers more to the local community I grew up in than it currently has... I will not, and local Rugby League supporters should not support this half hearted proposal by the Wests Tigers.

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[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, Bitstream Vera Sans, Verdana, sans-serif]If this proposal is not rectified to address these areas of concern, I will be voting against it at the extraordinary general meeting and will suggest to other members to do the same.




[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, Bitstream Vera Sans, Verdana, sans-serif]Graeme Szynal[/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, Bitstream Vera Sans, Verdana, sans-serif]Magpies Football Club Member 366[/FONT]
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[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, Bitstream Vera Sans, Verdana, sans-serif]Mobile: 0407 929 124[/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, Bitstream Vera Sans, Verdana, sans-serif]Email: g.szynal@gmail.com[/FONT]
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LeaguePlayer

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Whole family are Western Suburbs supporters and even as a Sharks supporter I would hate to see the magpies completely forgotten. The way my pop talks about them all the way back to the 50's I can sense the passion he had for them and this would be the final nail in the coffin. I dont see why the tigers cant somehow include the magpie in their logo, make the jerseys look a bit more black and white and to also play half their games at Campbelltown. It should be 6 at Leichardt, 6 at Campbelltown.
 

fitz

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As I have said many times before, if the Western Suburbs Magpies (and the Illawarra Steelers) are feeling mistreated and abused in their current arrangements, come talk to us here At the Sharks.

Imagine a Club that fully embraces the junior catchment of South-Western Sydney, The Macarthur Region, The Sutherland Shire and the Illawarra.

Imagine a Club that covers south of the Georges River to the Shoalhaven and everything in between.

Yes!
 

Lumpy

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Difficult situation to be in. Hope the Magpies can survive. That is why I am so glad the Sharks board is fighting the way it is to keep us afloat.
 
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Whole family are Western Suburbs supporters and even as a Sharks supporter I would hate to see the magpies completely forgotten. The way my pop talks about them all the way back to the 50's I can sense the passion he had for them and this would be the final nail in the coffin. I dont see why the tigers cant somehow include the magpie in their logo, make the jerseys look a bit more black and white and to also play half their games at Campbelltown. It should be 6 at Leichardt, 6 at Campbelltown.
Only just saw this thread.

I think the easy thing for these two joint ventures to do is home and away jeserys.
West Tigers would use a Tigers jersey for home and a mapies for away. The Dragons would use a Dragons home jersey and a Steelers away jersey. It is a ****ing disgrace that these clubs (Mapies and Steelers) don't get the respect they deserve!
 
S

slide rule!

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Only just saw this thread.

I think the easy thing for these two joint ventures to do is home and away jeserys.
West Tigers would use a Tigers jersey for home and a mapies for away. The Dragons would use a Dragons home jersey and a Steelers away jersey. It is a ****ing disgrace that these clubs (Mapies and Steelers) don't get the respect they deserve!

I agree.
 
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