Next years NRL winners?

[tigerboi]

TB a bit harsh dont you think ,your talking about an ex-Australian & State of Origin HARD MAN.What else could he do last night, he was third in the tackle count, led the hit ups(both teams), led the yardage(both teams ) not exactly bludging .Dont worry to much about us TB we are renown slow starters just the opposite to use who start well and die in the ar5e(like last year):

Ok who would you prefer bailey or ryles???ryles is too soft,good work rate but no mongrel,other sides when they hear the name ryles they dont worry,he hasnt the firepower you need in the forwards to win a comp,led the hit ups?so what,when is he going to get angry?

As you said ex-australian, origin...

hit ups?hows this for ya,gasnier got the ball 12 times,8 from dummy half runs...something wrong there mate,when your best attacking player dont get the opportunities he should be.

Look at other front rowers o'meley,moimoi,webb,bailey,civoniceva,asotasi,wiki...they all got mongrel.

ryles will just take it up nice & easy,we will see this year...as for hard men
see above list,throw webcke in too...tb

 

[tigerboi]

Here jj look at this bloke,real front rower with mongrel...
remember when he first come up from the gong into a grade with birchgrove,had it right from the start...tb

Steve "Blocker" Roach​

Steve Roach, better known as "Blocker" was another Tiger product of Wollongong. Blocker came to Balmain in 1982 and represented the Tigers for a decade in the front row, which included 182 first grade games. During his career, Blocker also represented his state and country. Up front Blocker led the way for NSW on 17 occasions, and Australia on 19 occasions during 1985-1991. It may have taken Blocker ten years to score 11 tries for the Tigers, but on debut for Australia, the big fella crashed over for the first of 3 tries at international level.
Blocker stormed onto the rep scene in 1984 for NSW and a year later he was selected to play for Australia. Unfortunately a knee injury in 1987 sidelined Blocker, but in 1988 he returned to play for his Tigers and also Australia in the Bicentennial Test against the Rest of the World.
1988 was a mixed year for Blocker. He was a part of a Tigers side that showed extreme guts and determination in making the Grand Final. However Blocker was ruled out because of suspension. The Tigers tried to get around the suspension by shipping Blocker off to England where he would sit out a match for Warrington before returning to Australia. The league refused to allow it and Blocker was forced to watch from the sideline as his team-mates were beaten by the Bulldogs.
One year later, Blocker and his Tigers were back at the Grand Final and this time there was nothing that could stop him from taking the field. The decision to replace him late in the match drew criticism and he was again forced to watch from the sideline as his team-mates were over-run by the Canberra Raiders in the greatest Grand Final of all time.

During his career, Blocker was an enforcer who revelled in the toughness of rugby league. He was aggressive, strong and skilful and was a regular figure in Australian sides during his career and is still regarded as the dominant prop of the mid to late 1980's. Controversy also surrounded Blocker on several occasions. Blocker played with his heart on his sleeve and wasn’t shy of a blue or the odd spray for the referee. The infamous patting of the head of a referee as he was sent off is still something people associate with his career. To simply harp on this one event however is to overlook a fine career.
Blocker was big and strong, and could offload and pass with the skills of a much smaller man. His aggression and ability to inspire team-mates and intimidate opponents made him a Tiger hero who showed larger kids that they could still make the grade. Blocker is a passionate Tiger who played his whole career at the club he loves. His passion also led Wayne Bennett to once comment that he was almost as passionate as a Queenslander.
Blocker is now involved in the media but still remains loyal to his beloved Tigers whom he maintains a strong link with.

 

[tigerboi]

Junior school catain in my first year,legend in balmain...tb

Wayne "Junior" Pearce

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]NSW [/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]RECORD[/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]15 GAMES, 3 TRIES, 12 POINTS [/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]AUSTRALIAN RECORD [/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]18 TESTS, 6 TRIES, 21 POINTS [/FONT]​

Wayne Pearce was born in Balmain in 1960. In the years that followed, Junior would become a part of Balmain and a local hero. He would lead his beloved Tigers onto Leichhardt Oval, a ground he once sold food on as a youngster whilst watching the Tigers in battle. Junior as he is known around Balmain would also lead the NSW Blues onto the Origin cauldron on 9 occasions and donned the green and gold jersey of Australia 18 times. He would also be honoured in 1986 with the Australian vice captaincy. In 1988 Junior retired from representative football to concentrate on winning a Premiership with the Balmain Tigers. Unfortunately this dream came to an end after two heart wrenching Grand Final losses in 1988 and 1989.

When his playing career was tragically cut short by chronic knee injuries, Junior watched helplessly as his once Mighty Tigers struggled to rebuild without their inspirational leader. After sitting on sidelines for 4 years Junior would take the reigns as coach and build a side of wooden spooners into a competitive outfit devoid of big name players and salaries but strong on spirit and determination.
No words can adequately describe the contribution Wayne Pearce has made to rugby league and the Balmain Tigers.
There is no greater representative of the Balmain spirit than Wayne Pearce. Junior has been a Tiger all his life. His loyalty to the club is unwavering and unconditional. Over the years Balmain have had many players come and go but none are held in higher regard than Junior. As a player he gave everything he had and was a fantastic role model for kids. Now as a coach he has instilled a work ethic and spirit into a side that has grown and improved every season. His coaching ability has also been recognised by the Origin selectors who have chosen him to coach the 1999 NSW State of Origin side after just 4 seasons of first grade coaching.
1984 Harry Sunderland Medal Winner
1985 Rothmans Medal for Best and Fairest
1987 Dally M Lock of the Year
Benny Elias on Wayne Pearce: "Of all the players I ever saw, he was the closeset to consistently playing up to his full
potential. Albert Einstein once said that human beings only use five per cent of their capacity. Albert did not meet Junior."
Steve Roach on Wayne Pearce: "Junior was the toughest bloke I ever saw. He had an inner strength of character and a never say die spirit that was indomitable."

 

[tigerboi]

Another legend, revolutionised the way hookers play the game...tb

Ben Elias

Benny Elias was another integral member of the successful Balmain Tigers side of the 1980’s. Elias was a hooker with great skills that revolutionised the role of the hooker forward. While many of his opponents were content to pass and serve their team-mates and run from dummy half when the opportunity arose, Benny would throw dummies, run to the line and attack with the flair that became his trademark. Elias represented his beloved Tigers in first grade on 233 occasions between 1982 and 1994. Over these years Elias was a part of arguably the greatest Tigers pack of all time, when he combined with Steve Roach, Paul Sironen, Wayne Pearce, David Brooks, Kerry Hemsley and others.
Benny would also play for his state and country whilst also proudly captaining NSW to Origin glory. In 1998 two sides of Origin legends were chosen for their contributions to State of Origin and along with 3 of his Tiger team-mates Benny Elias was named as hooker in the NSW Legends side.
A moment etched in State of Origin history was when Laurie Daley replaced Benny as NSW captain. Benny was still in the team and when Daley was knocked out, Benny rose to the occasion and led the Blues to victory despite having several trips to the blood bin to stop the flow of blood from his head. Bandaged and bloody, Benny led the Blues and once the game was over, his proud mother ran on to give her son a hug.
Elias would also captain his beloved Tigers and when Alan Jones replaced Benny as captain and gave the honour to Paul Sironen it did not take long before Sironen relinquished the captaincy and returned it to his little team-mate who he knew would do a fine job.
As can be said for most of the Tigers of his era, Benny Elias personified the Tiger spirit. He was a fiery hooker who played with the guts and determination of a champion and also had the skills to make the game look easy.

Keith Barnes is full of praise for Benny Elias. In a new book, written by Gary Lester and Ray Chesterton, that is set for release soon, Barnes commented, "I know no better ambassador for rugby league than Benny Elias. Why? Just go to any junior league function Benny attends. You will see a crowd of kids and there, in the middle and not much bigger than some of them is Benny Elias giving advice and signing autographs. That in itself is the inspiration. A little man with a big heart."
Barnes also cites three "occasions in his distinguished career where Benny showed his natural traits of guts, determination and genius for his club, his state and his country."
"The last round of the 1989 premiership saw us needing to beat Penrith to qualify for a top three position. Anyone who was there will never forget what happened right on half time when Benny kicked, regathered and threw several dummies to score a try. It broke the game wide open and set us on course for the 1989 Grand Final."
"The following year the Kangaroos lost the first Test to Great Britain. The recall of Benny for the second test saw him lead the way from dummy half to help us square the series and subsequently go on to retain the Ashes."
"Thirdly, in the 1993 State of Origin match at the Football Stadium as replacement captain for injured Laurie Daley, Benny, with his head streaming blood despite a bandage, refused to be replaced. He lifted NSW to a win against the odds."
"I would have liked to have added a fourth occasion but a small piece of wood got in the way" why can't they make cross bars on goalposts a bit thinner.

 

[tigerboi]

Sirro legend,remember him well,he played a year above me, for north ryde...tb

Paul Sironen

Paul Sironen grew up in Ryde and played his junior rep football with the Balmain Tigers. Some years later, Sirro would become the Balmain Tigers longest serving player in terms of first grade matches. Along the way to game number 246, Paul Sironen did almost everything. His rugby league career was interrupted by a stint in Hawaii where he would try his hand at gridiron. However, rugby league was in his blood and upon returning to Leichhardt, Sirro began a brilliant career in senior football that would see him play for his beloved Tigers, his state and his country.
Sirro represented City Origin on 7 occasions, New South Wales on 14 occasions and Australia on 49 occasions that encompassed 21 tests between 1986 and 1994.
In 1986, Paul Sironen was awarded Dally M Rookie of the Year and NSW Rugby League Writers Discovery of the Year. In that same year Sirro would go on a Kangaroo Tour, the first of three he attend. Only three other forwards have achieved this goal.

In 1988, the Balmain Tigers fought through a series of five sudden death matches to make the Grand Final. Unfortunately, the Tigers were beaten by the Canterbury Bulldogs in a memorable and controversial clash. However, in the hearts of all Balmain supporters, 1988 will remain a great year for the Tigers. Ellery Hanley was the boom English import that ignited the league and the Tigers were the fighting underdogs that would never give up. Sirro also scored a memorable try in the Grand Final of 1988. In 1989, there were more tears for Sirro, his team-mates and Tiger fans all over the country. In what is still regarded as the greatest Grand Final of all by many, the Tigers were defeated by a gallant Canberra Raiders side in extra time. Again controversy and drama surrounded the game, which was played at a frantic pace for its time. Sirro and Blocker were rested late in the game and Sirro was forced to watch from the sideline as his team was over-run by the Raiders.
The 1990’s saw the retirement of many of Sirro's team-mates and the Tigers looked to rebuild the side and fill the void left by such legends. Sirro was offered lucrative contracts at other clubs but in the tradition that was the Tiger legends of the 1980’s Sirro remained a one club man until his retirement in 1998.
With only 2 games left in the 1998 season, Paul Sironen surpassed Garry Jack's record of most first grade games for the Tigers. It was a fitting prelude to his pending retirement and the club celebrated long and hard after his last match at Leichhardt Oval against Freddy Fittler's Sydney City Roosters. The Tigers were thumped by a classy Roosters outfit, but a healthy crowd of 15,000 braved the rain to salute a true Tiger legend and witness his lap of honour, his first and last goal kick and his farewell speech.
When describing Paul Sironen many words come to mind. Loyalty, strength, inspiration and leadership lead the long the list. Bullocking charges, big hits and Lowes commercials are not far behind. Sirro was the face of the Tigers after Junior's retirement and his sense of humour, personality and unwavering loyalty and Tiger spirit made him a fine representative of the club.
Below are a few quotes from Sirro's book, "Sirro! Tales from Tiger Town."
Steve Roach: "I'm mad about the bloke"
Wayne Pearce: "Strong team spirit means a lot to him and from a team-mates perspective he's very important because he knows how to make the players laugh."
Andrew Ettingshausen: "Sirro's standing in the game is such that most players think of him with a tremendous amount of respect. And that isn't derived from him simply being a funny bloke or a guy who plays football well - it comes from his being seen as a good man with a good heart."

 

[tigerboi]

Jimmy jack,great fullback...tb

Garry Jack

Garry Jack held the record for most first grade games for the Balmain Tigers until 1998. Between 1982 and 1995 Garry Jack wore the black and gold in first grade on 242 occasions scoring 228 points, including 58 tries. During his time at Balmain, Garry Jack also represented his state and country in the fullback position. Garry Jack played 17 games for NSW and 20 tests for Australia in an outstanding representative career that spanned 1983-1989. He also became the first Australian fullback to score a hat-trick of tries in a match.
Jack left the club in the twilight of his career to take up a position in England with the Sheffield Eagles. However, "Jimmy" returned in 1995 to find his Balmain Tigers struggling in a 20 team competition under the name, "Sydney Tigers". Jimmy decided to help out his old team-mate Wayne Pearce who was now head coach, and pulled on the boots for one last fling in Australia. His return was a success but Jimmy was now ready to retire and begin a new life in the sports store business.
As a fullback, there were very few as reliable as Garry Jack. His cover defence and front on tackling were trademarks of his game, but he was also a fine taker of the bomb and an elusive kick returner. Jimmy always wore his heart on his sleeve and gave everything for the jersey on his back and this made him a favourite son at Leichhardt.
Garry Jack was brought to the club by another product of Wollongong, Keith Barnes. Jack came to a club in 1982 that was destined for success, with youngsters like Wayne Pearce, Steve Roach and Ben Elias all ready to progress to first grade. In 1983, Jack was selected in the NSW State of Origin side, but had to wait until 1984 for his test debut. He would later tour France, New Zealand and Great Britain as well as playing tests on home soil.
During the mid 1980’s, Garry Jack was considered the best fullback in the world. In 1987 he was named the "World’s Best International Player" and was awarded the "Golden Boot trophy.
In 1989 Garry Jack’s representative career ended as he decided to devote more time to his family. In that same year, he was involved in the remarkable Tigers team that made the Grand Final only to lose to the Raiders after a long series of sudden death matches.
In 1989, the site of Garry Jack sobbing on the turf of the Sydney Football Stadium whilst being comforted by Warren Ryan lingers in the minds of all who witnessed the greatest Grand Final of them all. In devastating circumstances, the Tigers came so close but were denied the title in extra time by the Canberra Raiders.
In 1998 two sides of Origin legends were chosen for their contributions to State of Origin and along with 3 of his Tiger team-mates Garry Jack was named at fullback of the NSW Legends side.
There are many funny stories about Garry Jack who was not just a fine player, but a unique individual that was liked by most. Jimmy may have briefly started his career as a Magpie but as was the case with most of the Tigers’ team of the 1980’s he remained loyal to Balmain throughout his career.
In 1992 Garry Jack retired alongside Steve Roach and David Brooks after playing a record 229 first grade games. Benny Elias would later break that record, but Jimmy returned in 1995 to take it back (with 244 games) before it was again broken by his team-mate of many years in 1998 when Paul Sironen declared his innings closed at 246 games.

 

[justjohn]

Geez TB you can put all these soft c-ck tigers on show, but did any win a comp.Anyway shouldn't you be watching your game or is SBW steamrolling them

 

[tigerboi]

Golden boots,one of a number of australian fullbacks that came from the tigers,jack,brasher,allan mcmahon(played on the wing)...tb

Keith "Golden Boots" Barnes

1955-1968 BALMAIN TIGER PLAY

200 Games 11 Tries

744 Goals, 1 Field Goal

1,523 Points

AUSTRALIAN RECORD

14 Tests(Captain on 12 occasions)

54 Goals 108 Points
​

In 1948 a twelve year old named Keith Barnes migrated to Australia from Wales with his family to live in Wollongong. Barnes had played rugby union both in Wales and Australia before commencing a junior career in rugby league at five-eighth. Slowly Barnes began to gain attention as a goal kicker and emerging fullback.
After playing for Country 2nd's, Latchem Robinson brought Barnes to Balmain where he the fans nicknamed him "Golden Boots" for his accurate goal kicking. In his first year at Balmain in 1955 he scored 123 points, and then bettered this mark the following season. He would lead the Tigers into the 1956 Grand Final by kicking 17 goals in the 2 matches preceding the Grand Final, but unfortunately his 3 goals in the Grand Final were not enough to lift the Tigers to victory against the dominant St George Dragons who won the match 18-12.
In 1957 Barnes would fulfil his dream of playing for his adopted country Australia in the World Cup. In 1959 he was selected as captain of the Australian side that played New Zealand before leading his side on the Kangaroo Tour.
In 1964 and 1966 Barnes led his Tigers to the Grand Final but again the Dragons were too strong. In his last Test, Barnes kicked 3 goals in Australia's 6-4 victory. His final kick for Australia was a pressure kick that won Australia the 2nd Test.
Injury ruled Barnes out of the 3rd Test which Australia won, but he had played his part in the Series victory.
In 1968 Barnes who was coach of the Tigers was forced to come out of retirement and complete the 1968 season due to injuries to his team. His final match as a Tiger was his 200th, which stood for many years as a club record. As a player Barnes was much more than just a great goalkicker, he was a stout defender who would provide a formidable last line of defence and an inspirational leader who led not only his beloved Tigers, but his adopted country.
After his playing career ended at Balmain, Barnes continued his long association with the Tigers in administration, football management and eventually his position on the Board, retiring in 2001. Keith Barnes has been a major part of the Balmain Tigers since 1955 and over the years as an administrator, Barnes instilled a sense of loyalty in the players at the club that was the catalyst for building a side that would display the Tiger spirit of old during the 1980's. You need only have watched and listen to Keith Barnes when he spoke at the after match presentations to understand the Tiger spirit and loyalty that comes from within.

 

[tigerboi]

Geez TB you can put all these soft c-ck tigers on show, but did any win a comp.Anyway shouldn't you be watching your game or is SBW steamrolling them

Dont let it get to you 29 years is a long time but i waited 32 years for a premiers shirt,bet you would love a few of those tigers legends...love it.!

I would like to tell you the score but its on telly at 4.00pm sydney dont forget to tune in,watch our whiz kid 5/8 tim moltzen...top young player from our juniors...tb

 

[tigerboi]

The legend continues....sid williams in the corner.

craig fitzgibbon's father allan played in the centres for the tigers...tb


Flashback to Balmain's 1969 11-2 grand final victory against South Sydney.
Compiled by Matthew O'Neill. of rleague.com Back to League Flashbacks

1969 Grand Final - Balmain 11 v South Sydney 2, SCG, September 20. The 1969 Grand Final win by Balmain against South Sydney is one of the most famous premiership wins ever seen and certainly magic League moment. The game was considered one of the great grand finals and the biggest upset grand final victory which was played in front of 58,825 at the SCG on September 20, 1969.

When Balmain supporters took odds, of 7-2 with 7.5 points start about the Tigers upsetting South Sydney in the 1969 grand final, it. was regarded as sucker money for the bookies.

After all, Souths, under the coaching of Clive Churchill, looked unstoppable in their bid to capture their third successive premiership with a team of awesome potential.

There was forward power from the likes of Bob McCarthy, John Sattler, Ron Coote and John O'Neill and attacking zip from Dennis Pittard and Mike Cleary, who represented Australia as a sprinter and as a Wallaby Rugby player, before winning international League honours.

Big Lurch O'Neill being tackled by Keith Outten in the 69 GF. Garry Leo in background


Souths also had a superboot in Erie Simms. So how on earth could Balmain's battlers hope to match such a juggernaut, particularly as their star forward Arthur Beetson was under suspension.

Balmain were a team of no names compared to South Sydney. Balmain were coached by Leo Nosworthy, who was in his first season as the Tigers coach. Balmain either had young inexperienced players or players heading towards the end of their career.

To top it all off why Souths were over whelming favourites was that Balmain's favourite son and "Golden Boots" Keith Barnes retired at the end of the previous season.

The Top four for 1969 were South Sydney, Balmain, St George and Manly. Manly beat St George 19-10 in the Minor Semi Final seeing St George knocked out in John Raper's final game for the Red and Whites. South Sydney pipped out Balmain 14-13 in the Major Semi Final to go straight into the Grand Final. The Preliminary Final was between Balmain and Manly to see who meets South Sydney in the Grand Final. Balmain won the game 15-14 despite scoring only one try to Manly's two which of course sets up the now famous and most recent premiership success for the Balmain Tigers.

Balmain's victory was built on staunch defence which forced elementary mistakes from Souths and grinded their opponents to an unfashionable but one of the greatest premiership victories. Things did not go Souths way during the game but that was their own fault. Failing to kick the football on the final tackle allowing Balmain replacement hooker 20 year old Paul Boulton with only limited first grade experience to dominate in the scrums.

Terry Parker, in a supreme twist of irony went on to be general manager of South Sydney, admits frankly: "We had a ploy to win. Whenever thev looked dangerous, one of us would hit the deck. The idea was to stop them getting their momentum up, and it worked. We had a tremendous air of'enthusiasm that year, and the more people wrote us off, the happier we were. We just kept hoping Souths would be complacent."

Well, the tackling Tigers certainly didn't regard Souths as supermen in cardinal and myrtle jumpers. In fact, with the advantage of the breeze, Balmain led 6-0 at halftime after Kilicen, the South African who came to Balmain via England, booted two goals and Bolton potted a field goal. Hustling and bustling as they moved up quickly, the Tigers continually snul'fed out Souths although Cleary was nearly in for a try and McCarthy was twice recalled by referee Keith Page after receiving forward passes. Frustrated by Balmain's eager beavers before a crowd of 58,825, Souths began to make mistakes.

Youngsters like McTaggart, for whom the grand final victory was a springboard to World Cup selection, and Walsh, a snowy-haired youngster given his big chance when Beetson was suspended, kept knocking over the Souths big men.

From one such error 15 minutes into the second half, Bolton snapped up a dropped ball and made a brilliant dash to the blind side where he tossed the ball to Parker, a player with startling acceleration who scored 10 tries for the Tigers that year.

Terry Parker recalls: "Three guys came at me, but I managed to hold the ball up long enough to slip it to Sid Williams." Williams, who had come on as a replacement for Ruebner, juggled the ball momentarily and then dived over for a try that gave Balmain a lead of 9-0.

Souths hit back with a goal by Simms, but the longer play went, with the Balmain fibp-artists adding further frustration, the less likely they appeared to break the black and gold defensive blanket.

Balmain was so magnificantly able to exploit and waste much time by feigning injury in posession of the football, causing time to be delayed. The Daily Mirror's Peter Frilingos seemingly at times waging a lone campaign for the League to do something about this blot on the game, the rules were later changed so a team mate can take the ball from an injured colleague and play it five metres away.

Frilingos, the Daily Mirror's chief Rugby League writer, said in a 1987 Big League magazine: "With a nothing to lose attitude, it was tackle, tackle, tackle as Balmain caused arguably the biggest upset ever made in a major League match. Forget all the flops when guys went down feigning injury. Balmain fully deserved to win. There was nothing illegal about what Balmain did. They simply were exploiting a loophole in the rules which existed until this year."

So, although Souths' skipper John Sattler complained to Page on several occasions regarding the number of stoppages, there was nothing the referee could do. Balmain perfected the injury in the play the ball as well as Canterbury captain Steve Mortimer farewelling the the old in-goal catching the ball rule in the 1985 grand final against St George, ensuring Glen Burgess never forgot what a bomb was.

The 1969 premiership was Balmain's first premiership since 1947 and also proved to be their last premiership triumpj. Captain Peter Provan played his last of his 159 games in his nine seasons for Balmain that day. Unfortunately the victory came a year too late for Keith Barnes who played in the losing 1964 and 1966 grand finals and retired at the end of 1968. The win was all the more meritorious after Balmain lost key players Dennis Tutty, Laurie Moraschi and Peter Jones during disputes over money at the start of the season.


BALMAIN 11
Tries: S. Williams.
Goals: L. Killeen 2.
Field-Goals: D. Bolton 2.
Team: R. Smithies, G. Reubner, A. Fitzgibbon, T. Parker, L. Killeen, K. Outten, D. Bolton, P. Provan [c], J. Walsh, J. Spencer, B. McTaggart, P. Boulton, G. Leo. Res: S. Williams.

Defeated
SOUTH SYDNEY 2.
Goals: E. Simms.
Team: E. Simms, M. Cleary, R. Honan, K. Burke, B. James, D. Pittard, R. Grant, R. Coote, R. Moses, B. McCarthy, J. O'Neill, E. Walters, J. Sattler. Res: P. Sait.

Note: In 1969, Tries were worth 3 points, Goals 2 points and Field-Goals 2 points.

Certainly a magic moment and one I had great joy looking back up on. Most definately fairytale premiership success for the Balmain club as South Sydney were enjoying their last golden era when they won four out of five premierships between 1967-71.

Resources:
Information on Balmain's premiership success comes courtesy of "The History of NSWRL Finals" By Steve Hadden 1991 and "Big League Magazine, 1987".

 

[tigerboi]

kapow halatau!!!go the tigers....tb

my late mail: folau signs a 4 year deal with the broncos,tigers junior who moved to brisbane before he got picked up by the storm..

fulltimeenrith 26-souths 22( penrith after leading 22-6 at half time..)

 

[justjohn]

Sorry TB you can't claim M oltzen he is a Terrigal (central coast) junior -good try though

 

[justjohn]

TB reading the stats on ''gumboots'' beaten in the 56-64-66 grandfinals ,all by the mighty dragons .you could say the tigers were the original 'chokers'

 

[tigerboi]

Hes from terrigal, he has been in the tigers juniors squad since 15....

 

[tigerboi]

I have had the same angst with john morris,yuk please take him back he has the worst kicking game of any halfback in the NRL,when he takes the line on with the ball in 2 hands he goes real well but in between he reminds me of ken"i play in a dinner suit" wilson.

see above post...bulldogs 32..tigers 12,after we lead 12-10 at halftime

see you in rd 22 jj,i am a punter,used to be a very big punter,anytime you want to back your team st.jaws against the tigers let me know, i will give you better odds than the tab,i was hoping to take you on earlier but i just remembered we slapped your sissy forwards....ah love it

remember this jj.... look at browny & fat albert...priceless

What a drag … embattled Dragons coach Nathan Brown's head drops during yesterday's limp 24-16 loss to Wests Tigers. It may roll soon.
Photo: Craig Golding

Dragons play to weakness

Jacquelin Magnay | March 17, 2008

THE pressure is starting to show - and it's only round one. St George Illawarra coach Nathan Brown can feel his red club tie tightening around his neck. Yesterday, he admitted he had never been so disappointed in some of his players as they capitulated to Wests Tigers, not in all of his five years of coaching the team, nor in his lengthy playing career with the club. It was, he said, "disgraceful".
The problem, Brown said, was the Dragons were playing to the long-held view by opponents that they are a weak team with a couple of pretty players who will easily turn over the ball, either through dropped ball or penalties.
"As a whole performance, I have never been so disappointed in some people at the club since I have been coaching, even playing, to be honest," Brown said.
"It was not good enough."
Brown said all of the players and coaching staff discussed the issue throughout the off-season and thought they had turned things around.
The coach reckons the club has been stuck with the weak label ever since the merger in 1999 but, as the architect of the team's results since 2003, he said the claim was baseless.
Brown knows the buck stops with the coach, and said the players had to want to play for themselves, rather than try to protect his coaching career. But the players are conscious of the off-field talk.
"He does [deserve better], he is a good coach, we are all behind him, we have got to turn our performance around," noted forward Dean Young.
Brown wouldn't name the players who may cop his wrath this week with a stint on the sidelines, but he must be thinking of the poor ball-handling skills of fullback Josh Morris or halfback Jamie Soward, who couldn't even find the sideline when awarded a penalty. The poor timing of Chase Stanley, over-running the dummy-half Rangi Chase in a set play, summed up the team's woes: the Dragons are disjointed and unstructured in attack, and flat-footed in defence. At times, they seem clueless. Brown could only squirm in his seat, occasionally burying his head in his hands at yet another error.
By the second half, the team had reverted to the most basic game plan of running the ball from the ruck and kicking on the sixth tackle. Brighton Seagulls players learn this as under nine-year-olds, but they don't have the most skilful players of the ilk of Gasnier or Cooper hanging out wide barely able to get their hands on the ball. The worry for Brown is not that his team lost the two premiership points, but that there was no evidence it knows how to win.
"We've got to learn to play good, hard, tough football," Brown said, stating the blatantly obvious.
But the time is quickly running out. St George Illawarra chief executive Peter Doust has been instructed by the board to conduct a review of the long-term coaching plans of the club.
"I have been anxious and careful not to put a time on it," Doust said yesterday. "We are conducting a special and complete review of the future direction of the coaching. The board is very interested to look at the options of how best we can go forward in the coaching directions long-term."
The former St George and Cronulla Sutherland player Perry Haddock has recently come on board as an attack coach, and he, too, was shaking his head in despair in the dressing room.
Captain Mark Gasnier said the on-field play "was the complete opposite to what we trained to do … we spoke about how we wanted to play and we didn't".
It may be a long season for Dragons fans, but perhaps a short one for Brown.

 

[tigerboi]

Hey jj cop this one!!......i will work my way back ok,the semi too...tb

Tigers torment woeful Dragons
Written by: Matt Starkey
May 13th 2007 05:46 PM

LINK TO MATCH PICS - CLICK HERE

Match summary
The Wests Tigers have won a sometimes dull game of footy out at Telstra Stadium, defeating a lethargic Dragons outfit by 27-8 in front of a modest 13,625 people.
The game began with both sides attempting to throw the ball around and looking for opportunities to score early on. More often than not the ball missed the mark though, and what could have been an open and entertaining contest slowly turned into a rather dour one.
The Dragons were first to score through the boot of Mat Head in the 12th minute. A few opportunities passed by before Robbie Farah started getting out of dummy-half more. He found Ben Galea in support in the 25th minute and who ripped up the middle and off-loaded to Liam Fulton to score the first try.
Things were looking a little dire for the Dragons towards the end of the first half, with Wests pressuring their line only for Fulton to be stripped of the ball by Chase Stanley, who sped 60m to score under the posts in the 34th minute.
A miss from Hodgson with a late penalty goal in the first half gave the Dragons an 8-6 lead at the break, one which they possibly didn’t deserve.
It was two different teams that came out in the second half with the Dragons looking to score from the get-go and capitalise on their lead. And they almost did, with Jason Ryles popping a great ball to Ben Hornby who took off downfield and found Head in support. But Head made a meal of the grounding under the sticks and an 8-point lead went begging.
There was some suggestion of a bad call from the video referee, but I guess you make your own luck in this game. It was undoubtedly the turning point of the match as the Tigers hit back almost straight away with a length of the field movement resulting in Fulton scoring his second for the day. Again Farah was the instigator with a good ball from John Morris, who seems to be settling into halfback nicely, sealing the try.
From there the Dragons never looked like scoring, but the Tigers began to gather more fluency in attack and starch in defence.
Galea scored a strong try in the 67th minute after receiving the ball from Hodgson close to the line with plenty of work to do. Young gun Chris Lawrence then helped himself to the try of the match, running powerfully through the Dragons defence only 10m out from his line and showing a clean pair of heals to run the length, making it 20-8 with Hodgson having a mixed day with the boot.
Morris came into his own with a few minutes remaining, lobbing over a field goal to ensure the two points in the 75th minute, before getting involved in the final try of the match for winger Daniel Fitzhenry, who took a good ball from Dean Collis to score in the corner.
The final score blew out to a 19-point difference proving that the Tigers can score plenty of points without star playmaker Benji Marshall, but his goal-kicking is being missed a little. The win is a good one for the Tigers, who take on the Warriors in Auckland next week, which is always a tough game.
Their form will also be helping Farah’s push to be named at hooker for NSW. He’s been in devastating form this season and it will be a real coin-toss between him and Danny Buderus.
As for the Dragons, well what can you say? They’ve won 2 games from 8 starts, they’re sitting in second last place on differentials to the Roosters and there doesn’t appear to be much light at the end of the tunnel. Plenty of people are speculating on the future of coach Nathan Brown, who’s tenure at the club must be becoming fragile at the very least.
They take on the Titans next Friday night in Wollongong and a loss there would really make things hard.
Match Scores:
Round 9 - Full Time :: May 13th, 2007 03:00 PM
Venue: Telstra Stadium
Crowd: 13,625
Referee: Ben Cummins

Wests Tigers 27
Tries: Liam Fulton (2), Ben Galea, Chris Lawrence, Daniel Fitzhenry
Field Goals: John Morris (1/1)
Goals: Brett Hodgson (3/6)
St George Illawarra Dragons 8
Tries: Chase Stanley
Goals: Mathew Head (2/2)

Halftime: Dragons 8-6

LeagueUnlimited.com Player of the Match
3 Points: Robbie Farah (Tigers)
2 Points: Taniela Tuiaki (Tigers)
1 Point: Liam Fulton (Tigers)
Live Commentary
Cool and cloudy day here at Telstra Stadium. The Tigers are looking to back up last week's strong game against the Storm, as are the Dragons who had their second win of the season against the Panthers.
There's a few changes -
Tigers: Dean Collis comes into the side in jersey no 19 with Chris Lawrence going back to the bench. Jason Moodie and Blake Ayshford drop from the bench.
Dragons: Jason Nightingale replaces the injured Brett Morris on the wing. Simon Woolford also makes a comeback at hooker, replacing Ben Ellis. Beau Scott replaces Dan Hunt in the starting side. Rangi Chase and Corey Payne have been excluded from the bench, with the dropped Wes Naiqama to come off the bench in jersey no 20.
1 min: The Tigers get us underway in the first half.
7 min: No score yet, but both sides are willing to throw the ball around in the early stages.
12 min: PENALTY GOAL St George Illawarra Dragons
The Dragons take an early lead with a penalty goal by Mat Head. The game has been a little scrappy early on with both teams making mistakes despite their attempts to open the game up.
St George Illawarra Dragons 2-0
18 min: Neither side really taking the game by the scruff of the neck at this stage. Hornby and Creagh have been the best for the Dragons with Heighington and Tuiaki going well for Wests.
22 min: Plenty of mistakes in the game so far from both sides. Things starting to improve marginally as we approach the back end of the first half.
25 min: TRY Wests Tigers
The Tigers are in through Liam Fulton. Robbie Farah gets out of dummy half well and finds Ben Galea who storms into a gap before linking up with Fulton. He scores under the sticks and Hodgson makes short work of the conversion. The Tigers take the lead. Conversion attempt by Brett Hodgson successful.
Wests Tigers 6-2
32 min: The Tigers starting to get the better of the Dragons here, pressuring the line a lot and making good yards through dummy half via Farah.
36 min: Checking a try to the Dragons here...
36 min: TRY St George Illawarra Dragons
Freakish try here with Stanley stripping the ball from Fulton and streaking away to level the scores up. Big turnaround here and Head adds the extras to take the lead as we approach halftime. Conversion attempt by Mathew Head successful.
St George Illawarra Dragons 8-6
40 min: ATTEMPTED PENALTY GOAL Wests Tigers
The Tigers get a penalty after Fitzhenry is taken out of the play when following through on a chip kick. Hodgson misses a difficult penalty shot on the bell, leaving the Dragons in the lead.
St George Illawarra Dragons 8-6
40 min: Fairly average first half but the Tigers must be pretty dark on themselves. They've had better opportunities and have dominated in patches, but are behind on the scoreboard.
The Dragons really got out of jail with the try to Stanley, but otherwise they haven't really looked like breaking the line.
Tuiaki, Heighington, Galea and Farah have been good for the Tigers. Hornby has been the Dragons best at this stage. The game is there for the taking, it just needs someone to stand up from either side and win it for their club.
41 min: The Dragons restart us in the second half.
43 min: Video referee checking another try to the Dragons...
43 min: No try to Head as he fails to ground a ball correctly. Geez, that might come back to haunt them.
44 min: TRY Wests Tigers
Massive turn-around here as the Tigers go the length of the field to score. Fulton scores after a great break by Farah with good assistance from Morris who gave the last pass. Hodgson misses again, and the Tigers now hold a slim lead when they could have been down by 8. Conversion attempt by Brett Hodgson unsuccessful.
Wests Tigers 10-8
53 min: A few mistakes starting to creep back into the game. Both sides are showing more interest to attack with the footy, but with little effect.
56 min: This game is grinding out with very little highlights so far. Hornby is still the best for the Dragons while Tuiaki and Farah are going well for the Tigers. The closeness of the scoreline is the only thing keeping people interested at this stage.
67 min: TRY Wests Tigers
Galea scores for the Tigers with a nice individual effort. He took a good pass from Hodgson but had plenty of work to do, swivelling and stepping through a few Dragons to score. Hodgson pushes them ahead by 8 and the Tigers appear to have good grip on the game now. Conversion attempt by Brett Hodgson successful.
Wests Tigers 16-8
73 min: TRY Wests Tigers
Another solo effort, this time with young gun Chris Lawrence. He goes straight through the Dragons defence and goes 90m to score. Naiqama let him through and the cover couldn't foot it with him. Hodgson misses from wide out. Conversion attempt by Brett Hodgson unsuccessful.
Wests Tigers 20-8
74 min: The Dragons fail to kick it ten, giving the Tigers another scoring opportunity.
75 min: FIELD GOAL Wests Tigers
Morris snaps a field goal as the Tigers look to wind down late in the game.
Wests Tigers 21-8
75 min: Crowd 13,625.
77 min: TRY Wests Tigers
A nice way to end things here for Wests, with Fitzhenry going in out wide. They create an overlap with a run-around and Collis engineers a try for his winger. Hodgson makes this one and the scoreline looks a little embarrassing now. Conversion attempt by Brett Hodgson successful.
Wests Tigers 27-8
80 min: Time's up here with the Tigers taking the spoils. They probably didn't play their best footy but it was enough to beat the Dragons, who looked very disorganised

 

[tigerboi]

JJ give your sissys a start & a beating here,proving the semi was no fluke..tb

Premiers start the season where they left off
Fri March 10, 2006
2005 Premiers Wests Tigers have started the season where they finished last year with an impressive 24-15 victory against perennial under-achievers and premiership favourites St George Illawarra in front of over 27,000 at Telstra Stadium.

The Wests Tigers have been written off in many circles following Scott Prince's sensational departure to the Gold Coast for next year where he stood down from the captaincy plus the hangover from winning last year. The Bulldogs last year defeated the Dragons impressively in their premiership defence but the season fell away during the second half. Wests Tigers will hopefully have a better run with injuries and they played the same style of football that got them over the line last year.

It wasn't all good news for the premiers with lock Liam Fulton coming off after only a few minutes with a very serious shoulder injury, which will keep him out for a large chunk of the season.

The match was highlighted by the performances of Wests Tigers centre Paul Whatuira and Dragons centre Mark Gasnier as they both scored three tries. Gasnier confirmed his status as the No.1 centre in the game and his price tag has gone through the roof with the ARU set to offer him a deal out of this world with Wendell Sailor's stardom starting to fade out. Whatuira continues to be the most under-rated yet one of the most highly effective centre's in the game and he's won premierships with both Penrith and Wests Tigers.

St George Illawarra led 10-8 at halftime in a first half with the margin indicating the closeness between the two sides. Jason Ryles was sent to the sin bin one minute remaining before the break due to an incident involving Bryce Gibbs.

The Dragons skipped out to a 14-8 lead into the second half but the Tigers leveled up the scores.

Trent Barrett landed a drop goal in the 74th minute but two late tries to the home side saw them emerge victors in a high standard game of football.

It was a good first up victory as captain for Brett Hodgson as he begins a new era as leader of the Wests Tigers

 

[tigerboi]

Ok jj here it is....tb,....love it..last one mate..ok

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Tigers topple Dragons to reach grand final

Posted Sat Sep 24, 2005 10:34pm AEST
The Wests Tigers booked a spot in next weekend's National Rugby League grand final with a 20-12 victory over the St George Illawarra Dragons at the Sydney Football Stadium on Saturday night.
The Tigers, a merged entity formed between Wests and Balmain five seasons ago, will face the winner of Sunday's other preliminary final between Parramatta and North Queensland in next weekend's season decider.
Wests, who have captivated league fans this season with their bold attacking play, bolted to a 10-0 lead after 22 minutes against the misfiring Dragons and held their ground in a gripping second half.
Tigers coach Tim Sheens is now gunning for his fourth premiership having coached the Canberra Raiders to titles in 1989, 1990 and 1994.
Wests captain Mark O'Neill, playing in his first finals series, said he was confident the Tigers still had improvement in them.
"I think we're on the tip of the iceberg at the moment in terms of the young blokes and their ability and how far they're going to go in the game, so it's just a pleasure to be part of the squad," he said.
"All the guys are mature enough to realise it's one game at a time. I know it's an old cliche but if we had of lost today well the last two weeks would of proved useless.
"I think we're building. I think each week we're finding a little bit in different areas and it worked well for us tonight, and if we just keep coming up with that improvement in the areas that may have let us down tonight then we'll be hard to beat next week.
O'Neill added he was looking forward to the week ahead.
"It's going to be unbelievable and it'll be a thoroughly enjoyable week. It'll be the best week of my football life."

Early lead


The Dragons, who were expected to end the Tigers' season, paid the price for poor handling and passing and had to work overtime in the first half as Wests enjoyed better possession.
The Tigers jumped out to a 10-0 lead after tries to Benji Marshall (4th minute) and Dene Halatau (22nd minute), before the Dragons hit back with a four-pointer to winger Wes Naiqama in the 27th minute
But just as the Dragons seemingly breathed life into game, the Tigers responded with a try to Chris Heighington (35th minute), which was duly converted by full-back Brett Hodgson.
Dragons skipper Trent Barrett scored under the crossbar 13 minutes after the interval to reduce Wests' lead to 16-12, but that was as close as St George Illawarra got.
The Tigers stretched their lead to eight points with Halatau's second try in the 57th minute after the ball whizzed between four sets of hands.
The Dragons hurled everything at the Tigers in the last 20 minutes but the Tigers staunchly held their ground.
The last time Wests reached the grand final was in 1963 when they lost 8-3 to St George, while the other merger partner Balmain last played in a grand final in 1989.
It was a sickening blow for St George Illawarra, who had forged to title favouritism and fielded an international-studded team, but they appeared disjointed from their fortnight break after winning their qualifying final against Cronulla.

 

[justjohn]

tb start going back a bit more when it was a regular thing the dragons to score 40-50 against the tigers/magpies/balmain/west whoever you were back then.N o bets mate I'll just sit back and watch J ulia collect with that bet about those filthy smokers:

 

[tigerboi]

tb start going back a bit more when it was a regular thing the dragons to score 40-50 against the tigers/magpies/balmain/west whoever you were back then.N o bets mate I'll just sit back and watch J ulia collect with that bet about those filthy smokers:

Show some balls lay your money on the line if your so confident???
never let fear stop you,bit like your footy team,always half arsed..
have a go dont be a gunna all your life....