Fixtures

NRL 03/23 08:35 3 Wests Tigers vs Cronulla Sharks - View
NRL 04/01 05:00 4 Parramatta Eels vs Wests Tigers - View
NRL 04/06 08:35 5 Redcliffe Dolphins vs Wests Tigers - View
NRL 04/14 06:05 6 Wests Tigers vs St George/Illawarra Dragons - View
NRL 04/20 05:00 7 Penrith Panthers vs Wests Tigers - View
NRL 04/27 07:30 8 Wests Tigers vs Brisbane Broncos - View

Results

NRL 03/16 04:00 2 Canberra Raiders v Wests Tigers L 32-12
NRL Pre-Season Challenge 02/24 09:05 - St George/Illawarra Dragons v Wests Tigers L 34-18
NRL Pre-Season Challenge 02/18 03:00 - New Zealand Warriors v Wests Tigers W 16-18
NRL 09/01 08:00 27 Manly Sea Eagles v Wests Tigers L 54-12
NRL 08/26 07:30 26 Sydney Roosters v Wests Tigers L 32-8
NRL 08/19 05:00 25 Wests Tigers v Dolphins W 24-23
NRL 08/12 07:30 24 Wests Tigers v New Zealand Warriors L 22-30
NRL 08/06 06:05 23 Canberra Raiders v Wests Tigers L 22-18
NRL 07/28 08:00 22 Wests Tigers v South Sydney Rabbitohs L 18-32
NRL 07/20 09:50 21 St George/Illawarra Dragons v Wests Tigers L 18-14
NRL 07/14 10:00 20 Newcastle Knights v Wests Tigers L 34-18
NRL 07/06 09:50 19 Wests Tigers v Cronulla Sharks L 12-36

Wikipedia - Wests Tigers

The Wests Tigers are an Australian professional rugby league football team, based in the Inner West of Sydney and South Western Sydney. They have competed in the National Rugby League (NRL) since being formed at the end of the 1999 NRL season as a joint-venture club between the Balmain Tigers and the Western Suburbs Magpies. The Wests Tigers started playing in the 2000 NRL season and they won their maiden premiership in 2005. It is one of only two clubs (the other being the Newcastle Knights) that has never lost a grand final in which it has participated. The club also won the final edition of the World Sevens in 2004. The club has only qualified for three finals series since their inception (2005, 2010 and 2011).

The Wests Tigers play home games at two grounds: Leichhardt Oval (the home ground of Balmain) and Campbelltown Stadium (the home ground of Western Suburbs). They are currently coached by Benji Marshall. The interim club CEO is Shane Richardson.

History

The nine foundation clubs and their respective locations in Sydney, Australia.

Background

In Australia, the game of rugby league began in 1908; the New South Wales Rugby League premiership (NSWRL) had nine teams from the Sydney area. Two of those teams were clubs based in Balmain and the Western Suburbs who happened to meet each other in round 1 of 1908. Balmain won, 24 to 0. The Balmain club, who later adopted a Tiger as their emblem, in their tenure in the NSWRL won eleven premierships in twenty grand finals and was one of the forces in the NSWRL competition. However their last premiership success was in 1969 and in the 1990s with many new clubs being established, there was pressure on clubs to perform to survive in the first grade competition in Australia. The name Wests Tigers is derived from the nickname of the Western Suburbs Magpies and the mascot, a tiger, which was also the mascot of Balmain.

The Western Suburbs club won four premierships in twelve grand finals over the tenure of the NSWRL competition. The Western Suburbs Magpies, like the Balmain Tigers, had a dismal 1990s winning rate, and again there was pressure on the foundation clubs to perform. The NSWRL competition was replaced by the Australian Rugby League competition (ARL) in 1995 due to the expansion of rugby league within Australia.

With a media-driven rival competition being set up, the pressure was for clubs to survive and preserve their short-term future. Both the Magpies and the Tigers signed with the ARL, whereas eight clubs of the 1995 ARL competition signed with the rival Super League competition for 1997. In 1998, the ARL and Super League were unified into a National Rugby League (NRL) competition. As part of the deal with the ARL and Super League, the NRL competition reduced to fourteen teams in 2000 from the twenty two that had competition in both competitions in 1997. With the addition of a team in 1998, this meant that nine teams would be forced out before the 2000 season.

Foundation

With the NRL offering guaranteed entrance into the 2000 competition and A$6 million funding for clubs that merged, many clubs that were struggling to compete negotiated to merge. Balmain had garnered interest to merge with the Parramatta Eels and Gold Coast Chargers while Western Suburbs had talked with the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and Penrith Panthers. Both Balmain and Western Suburbs felt that those offers were seen more as takeovers of their clubs rather than mergers. By June 1999, both clubs' boards had unanimously voted to form a joint-venture partnership with each other to make a competitive entity.

One hundred shares were issued to Balmain Tigers Rugby League Football Club and 100 shares were issued to Western Suburbs Rugby League Football Group Pty Limited as a 50/50-owned joint venture. Due to Western Suburbs's record-breaking dismal season in 1999, they supplied just six of the twenty-five players to the new joint venture. A board of directors was appointed with five sourced from Balmain, five sourced from Western Suburbs, with a rotating chairman serving a one-year appointment. The inaugural chairman of the joint venture was John Chalk, who was previously involved with Balmain Tigers, and Steve Noyce was appointed CEO.

Wests Tigers is a professional rugby league team based in Sydney, Australia. The team was formed in 2000 as a merger between the Balmain Tigers and Western Suburbs Magpies. The team's colors are black, gold, and white, and their home ground is the Bankwest Stadium in Parramatta.

The Wests Tigers have a strong history in the National Rugby League (NRL), having won the premiership in 2005 and making the finals on several occasions. The team is known for its attacking style of play, with a focus on speed and agility.

The Wests Tigers have a loyal fan base, known as the "Tiger Army", who are passionate about their team and show their support at every game. The team is also involved in community initiatives, including supporting local charities and promoting healthy lifestyles.

The current squad includes some of the NRL's top players, including James Tamou, Adam Doueihi, and Moses Mbye. The team is coached by Michael Maguire, who has a wealth of experience in the NRL and is known for his tough, no-nonsense approach.

Overall, the Wests Tigers are a respected and competitive team in the NRL, with a proud history and a bright future ahead.