This was going to be a feature of how critical tribalism is for rugby league success – and how 21 years after the merger of Balmain Tigers and Western Suburbs Magpies the Wests Tigers had virtually none left.
And then along comes the announcement today that the NRL is again a fully paid up member of the tribal way and is pushing for the construction of boutique suburban stadiums across the Sydney metropolitan area.
Two years ago, the NRL had a different view.
Yes, the people running the game then are just about all gone, but it’s worth noting that big stadiums were all the rage in 2018.
Backed by a State Government that had more money than sense, the NRL wanted three big stadiums and everyone in Sydney playing in them.
They would be the old Sydney Football Stadium at Moore Park – construction under way as we speak – and a new footy venue at Parramatta.
The third piece of the jigsaw puzzle was supposed to be the most expensive: knock down and rebuild the Olympic Stadium at Homebush as a rectangular arena perfect for rugby league and the other big codes on the eastern seaboard, soccer and rugby.
Well, two out of three ain’t bad.
Parramatta is up and going, now known as Bankwest Stadium, and as mentioned above, the Moore Park facility is under construction.
However, it looks like the $1 billion plus Homebush plan has gone down the gurgler.
The State Government finances weren’t that flash coming into Covid-19 and now they’re shot to pieces, so hell will freeze over before one billion dollars is thrown at circuses, so to speak.
Which is just as well because it seems there’s a new religion at NRL headquarters and thy name is tribalism.
Unfortunately, this spells big trouble on two fronts for Wests Tigers and their long suffering fans.
One is the club’s own lack of tribal support and second is the revelation that the NRL and the government want to build a new boutique suburban ground at Liverpool as part of their plans.
It’s not certain yet, but today it looks like Campbelltown Sports Stadium is missing out and won’t get the rebuild it needs to give Wests Tigers a good reason to play more of their matches here.
But the other front is that the merged entity is already struggling on the tribal support front.
Over the years the team has had four and even five home grounds, with a couple of games played either in New Zealand or in country NSW.
The rest of the games were shared around between Homebush, Leichhardt and Campbelltown.
Now Homebush has been replaced by Parramatta, which is even worse, and I find marketing Wests games there as being in “our jungle’’ stupid to say the least.
No other team in the 16 club competition is as nomadic as the Wests Tigers, which is one of the reasons for the lack of success over the past 21 years.
The 2005 premiership was won when the merger still enjoyed massive tribal following because it played six home games at Leichhardt and also six at Campbelltown.
If we put to one side the Balmain and Western Suburbs fans who never accepted the merger, for the first few years Wests Tigers enjoyed huge support both at Campbelltown, Liverpool and Macarthur as well as the inner city suburbs the Tigers called home.
But there has been a steady decline since 2005 in tribal support as the club, sometimes driven by financial reasons, slowly abandoned its tribal areas.
And now, 15-16 years down the track since that wonderful moment when Benji Marshall and Scott Prince lifted the NRL premiership trophy, the club is considered by many to be a basket case.
It has not made the finals since 2011.
They finished 10th in 2012, 15th a year later, followed by 13th, 15th, ninth, 14th, ninth and ninth again last year.
And while it is their actions over the years which have mostly eroded tribal support for the Wests Tigers, even their name plays a role.
Think about it: tribalism is all about the loyalty of supporters who live in a club’s declared geographic area
Canberra Raiders, Melbourne Storm, Brisbane Broncos, Penrith Panthers, Manly Sea Eagles – there isn’t one other club that doesn’t mention where it comes from, where it’s based, where the supporters live.
But out of 16 clubs there is just one that does not do that, the Wests Tigers
Yes, rusted on fans know what Wests stands for, but how is anyone else supposed to know?
Local MP Greg Warren called it out nicely today in the story about NRL going back to tribalism: “Campbelltown and Leichhardt are the real homes of the Wests Tigers – not Homebush or Parramatta.’’
Spot on and really, it would have been much better to have named the merged entity something like South Western Sydney Tigers or SWS Tigers back in 1999.
But the merger was doomed from the very start because there was never any plan to become a new powerhouse of rugby league.
Well, it’s never too late to bring back the tribalism the Wests Tigers need to start being successful.
Two things need to happen.
First, share all home games between Leichardt and Campbelltown.
Second, change the name to Macarthur Tigers and begin the process of long term relocation to the south west.
The quicker these changes take place the better.
