It’s all about Macarthur and South Western Sydney this week for the Wests Tigers.
Two big community engagement events are on the way, including the annual Christmas toy drive for kids in three local hospitals.
And for the local fans, they will have the opportunity to cheer the 2023 NRL squad, when they attend a “meet the players’’ event this Thursday (December 1) at Narellan Town Centre between 6pm and 7pm.
The Christmas toy drive, an annual tradition which goes back to 2016, will also hit the road tomorrow when two Wests Tigers players and staff will visit the first of three local hospitals.
The club’s 2022 NRL season player of the year Joe Ofahengaue and teammate Alex Seyfarth (pictured above) will get this year’s Christmas Toy Drive rolling tomorrow, distributing gifts to patients in the maternity and paediatric wards of Campbelltown Hospital.
Ofahengaue, who has two young children and another on the way, is looking forward to spreading some Christmas cheer.
“This is so rewarding for us as players, it’s heart-warming actually,” Ofahengaue said.
“Our club does so much in the community right across the year, but this is one event that I know all the players look forward to.”
Started back in 2016, the festive season tradition remains an important part of the club’s community engagement in South Western Sydney.
Wests Tigers community engagement officer Grace Hull says the Christmas toy drive rounds off a busy year of community engagement for the club.
“The players really enjoy visiting the children and are always quick to volunteer their time,” Hull said.
“I think it’s a rewarding experience for them because they see first-hand how much their visits mean to the children.”
The Wests Tigers 2022 Christmas toy drive will be at Liverpool Hospital a week later on Thursday, December 8, and Bowral Hospital on Friday, December 9.
