Last Saturday night’s 32-6 win over the Sharks was as comprehensive as you get, especially for the Wests Tigers in recent years.
The win, before almost 16,000 fans at Leichhardt Oval, came after a terrible performance the week before in Canberra.
Since then, some inner west Wests Tigers fans have gone into overdrive about the need to pour money into Leichhardt to secure its future.
A local mayor even got in on the act asking that 10 percent of the $309 million going towards redevelopment of Penrith Stadium be redirected to the inner west venue.
Well, tell him he’s dreaming.
I won’t repeat the cringeworthy title Leichhardt Oval is naively bestowed by some, but let’s just say its days are just about over.
And most of the people who live in and around it will breathe a huge sigh of relief when it goes.
To have a venue like that crammed into the middle of a residential area in 2024, and expect it to hold footy games attracting up to 20,000 is just plain silly.
In the early years of the merger, like many other Campbelltown fans, we trundled down there to spend an hour finding parking and three hours to get out of it after the game.
Inside, the facilities in the venue are third rate at best, including the corporate facilities.
Frankly, it’s just embarrassing that the NRL allows matches to be hosted there.
Club CEO Shane Richardson pretty much summed all that up at the media conference with the local mayor.
The time has come for Wests Tigers to come home – to Campbelltown and Macarthur.
Especially if they are serious about joining the Panthers, Roosters and others in the echelon of powerhouse clubs of Sydney who regularly play finals footy – and that’s the bottom line is for most fans.
Head coach Benji Marshall has made no changes to the starting line up for this Easter Monday clash with Parramatta at Homebush.
Asu Kepaoa comes into the side for his first appearance of the season, replacing interchange forward Alex Twal (concussion).
Now in his fifth season at Wests Tigers, middle forward Alex Seyfarth will play his 50th NRL game on Monday. It will also be a 50th NRL appearance for winger Charlie Staines.
TEAM LIST:
1. Jahream Bula
2. Charlie Staines
3. Solomona Faataape
4. Justin Olam
5. Junior Tupou
6. Lachlan Galvin
7. Aidan Sezer
8. Stefano Utoikamanu
9. Apisai Koroisau (c)
10. David Klemmer
11. Isaiah Papali’i
12. John Bateman
13. Fonua Pole
INTERCHANGE:
14. Jayden Sullivan
15. Alex Seyfarth
16. Asu Kepaoa
17. Samuela Fainu
