| Club information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Western Suburbs Magpies | ||
| Nickname(s) | The Fibros, Maggies, The Cherry Pickers | ||
| Founded | 1908 (foundation club) | ||
| Departed | 1999 formed joint venture with Balmain Tigers to form Wests Tigers NRL Team | ||
| Former details | |||
| Competition | NSWRL/ARL, NRL | ||
| 1999 | 17th of 17 | ||
| Records | |||
| Premierships | 4 – 1930, 1934, 1948, 1952 | ||
| Runners-up | 8 – 1918, 1925, 1932, 1950, 1958, 1961, 1962, 1963 | ||
| Minor premiership | 5 – 1930, 1948, 1952, 1961, 1978 | ||
| Wooden spoons | 17 – 1909, 1910, 1912, 1913, 1916, 1933, 1940, 1942, 1953, 1955, 1971, 1983, 1984, 1987, 1988, 1998, 1999 | ||
The Western Suburbs Magpies (originally Western Suburbs District Rugby League Football Club) are an Australian rugby league football club based in the western suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales. Formed in 1908, Wests, as they are commonly referred to, were one of the nine foundation clubs of the first New South Wales Rugby League competition in Australia. The club, as a sole entity, departed the top-flight competition in 1999 after forming a 50–50 joint venture with Balmain Tigers to form the Wests Tigers. The club currently fields sides in the NSW Cup, S.G. Ball Cup and Harold Matthews Cup competitions.
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The club was one of the foundation members of the Sydney rugby football league competition in 1908. Founded at a meeting on 4 February 1908, they won only one match that season so were the League's first wooden spooners. Though they spent long periods of time as also-rans they did taste premiership success four times in the mid 20th century. They won their first premiership in 1930, beating St George 27–2. Four years later they defeated Eastern Suburbs to win their second title. They won a second pair of premierships over a decade later, beating Balmain in 1948 and South Sydney 22–12 in 1952. Both times they defeated a club hunting its third title in a row.
Apart from these occasions, the club was famous for three successive grand final matches in 1961, 1962 and 1963 against the St George Dragons in the midst of their 11 premiership run. The club boasted footballers such as halfback Arthur Summons, Harry 'Bomber' Wells, Kel O'Shea, Noel Kelly and Peter Dimond. The 1963 grand final was immortalised in a photograph which became known as 'The Gladiators' after St. George captain Norm Provan and Summons trudged off the field together.
A final period of glory beckoned in the late 1970s where they spent a few years at the top or near-top of the table, yet failed to make a grand final. Coached by Roy Masters and boasting such players as fullback John Dorahy, half Tommy Raudonikis, five-eighth Graeme O'Grady, Gavin Miller, Ron Giteau, Les Boyd, prop John Donnelly and five-eighth Terry Lamb. However attractive offers from other clubs and then doubts about the club's viability led to years of exodus of talent. Wests did manage to win the 1977 Amco Cup.
John Ribot, a winger for Wests, was the top try-scorer for the 1980 season. In 1983 the NSWRFL attempted to expel Wests from the competition, but a prolonged legal battle saw the Magpies keep their spot, unlike the Newtown Jets. Eventually, Wests relocated to Campbelltown in 1987. Ironically, this was where Newtown had unsuccessfully tried to move to four years earlier.
Wests begun a rebuilding process in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Laurie Freier started the 1988 Winfield Cup season as the club's coach but was replaced during the season by John Bailey.[1]
The club made the semi finals in 1991 and 1992 under coach Warren Ryan. They were also NSWRL Club Champions in 1991 when all three grades made the semi-finals. The team also made it to the Pre-season Challenge Cup final in 1993 but were beaten by a star studded Canberra side. The club then slipped down the ladder and the coaching reigns were handed over to caretaker Wayne Ellis. The decision to appoint Magpie legend Tommy Raudonikis as coach for the start of the 1995 season sent a shot of adrenalin into the club. Tommy took the Magpies to the finals in 1995 and 1996. But the club could not complete in the players market in 1997 thanks to the SuperLeague war which saw players contracts soar sky high to unsustainable amounts. In 1998 and 1999 a Magpie team filled with a large number of unknown players struggled to be competitive and twice won the wooden spoon. With the club struggling on-field and trying to compete financially against clubs with News Limited funding, the writing was on the wall.
The well documented war in 1997 between Super League (News Ltd) and the Australian Rugby League (ARL) resulted in a compromise that by the year 2000, the National Rugby League (NRL) competition would be contested by only 14 teams.
With the Wests Magpies struggling on field in the NRL competition, it was decided by the club in the middle of 1999 that to survive the cull they would be required to merge their senior team with another club's team. After initial talks with the Canterbury Bulldogs failed an agreement was reached with the Balmain Tigers.
The Wests Tigers were created and first competed in the year 2000 competition. The club also merged its playing colours from the two joint venture partners. Black (Wests and Balmain),Gold (Balmain) and white (Wests)
Wests Leagues Ashfield have also been key sponsors & supporters of the club since they were established.
The Western Suburbs Magpies home matches are played at Campbelltown Sports Ground, and their training facilities, along with offices are at the Whitlam Centre in Liverpool. The club has state of the art facilities here, and they are regarded as some of the best in the league.
The Wests Magpies' last title was won in 2002 when the Wests Magpies captained by Liam Fulton won the New South Wales Rugby League Under 18's competition.
The Magpies have played at three home grounds since foundation. They played at Pratten Park in Ashfield for their first sixty years, then they moved to Lidcombe Oval in the late seventies. This was due to Ashfield council not allowing the club to play matches on a Sunday (as this was the church day). In 1987, they moved to Campbelltown's Orana Park, which, after a $25 million renovation, is now called Campbelltown Stadium which is now one of the home grounds of the Wests Tigers.
The Western Suburbs District Junior Rugby League (WSDJRL) also known as the "Junior Magpies" administers junior rugby league on behalf of the Western Suburbs Magpies and the Wests Tigers joint venture. It consists of a network of affiliated junior rugby league clubs throughout the greater Campbelltown and Liverpool areas of southwestern Sydney. As of 2009 the following clubs were involved in the WSDJRL;
Former Clubs The following clubs also competed in the WSDJRL, but have now folded:
The WSDJRL has produced many ex and current Wests Tigers players including Brett Hodgson (Eagle Vale-St Andrews & Ingleburn RSL), Dean Collis (Campbelltown Warriors), Bryce Gibbs (All Saints Liverpool), Shannon Gallant (All Saints Liverpool & Campbelltown City) Chris Lawrence (Eagle Vale), and Shannon McDonnell (All Saints Liverpool). Other notable NRL players who grew up playing junior rugby league in the WSDJRL are Anthony Minichello (East Valley United), Mark Minicheillo (Liverpool Catholic Club) Frank Pritchard (Campbelltown City)Eric Grothe, Jr. (Eagle Vale), Ryan Hoffman (Campbelltown Collegians), Ben Roberts (Narellan Jets), Israel Folau, Jarryd Hayne, Krisnan Inu, Michael Lett, Grey Viane, John Scandalis, Ken Mcguiniess, Kevin Mcguiness and Mickey & Lopini Paea (all Minto Cobras).
The WSDJRL took over its current boundaries from the CRL Group 6 Northern Junior League and parts of the Parramatta DJRL (i.e. Liverpool) in 1987. They were forced to move out of their traditional territory around the Ashfield and Lidcombe areas of inner western Sydney to be able to then survive in the NSWRL. The old WSDJRL area has since been acquired by the Balmain DJRL and Bulldogs (Canterbury) DJRL. Clubs that used to play in the WSDJRL include;
On Friday 30 May 2008 the centenary of the Western Suburbs Magpies was celebrated with a ball in the Grand Harbour Ballroom at Sydney's Star City Casino. Six inaugural members were also inducted into the Western Suburbs Magpies Hall of Fame:[2]
In 2004 the club named its Team of the Century:[3]
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The following Western Suburbs Magpies players have represented their countries in international competition.
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NSWRL Reserve Grade: 3 (1936, 1961, 1981)
NSWRL Third Grade: 9 (1936, 1938, 1939, 1944, 1958, 1961, 1967)
Under 23 Premiership: 1 (1977)
President's Cup: 1 (1925, 1947, 1958, 1992)
Flegg Memorial Trophy: 2 (1961, 1981)
NSWRL SG Ball U18's: 2 (1971, 2002)
Largest crowd:
Biggest defeat: 67 – 0 vs South Sydney (Agricultural Showground, 23rd July 1910)
Biggest win: 62 -5 vs Balmain (Lidcombe Oval, 31st March 1974)
Most First Grade Games (150 or more)
Most Tries In a Match: Alan Ridley, 6 vs Newtown, Pratten Park, July 11, 1936
Most Tries In a Season: Alan Ridley, 18 in 1932 and Paul Smith, 18 in 1994
Most 1st Grade Tries For Club: Peter Dimond, 83
Most Tries For Club (All grades): Trevor Cogger, 88
Most Goals In a Match: Les Mead, 12 v Canterbury, Pratten Park, August 31, 1935
Most Points In a Match: Les Mead, 27 ( 1 try, 12 goals ) v Canterbury, Pratten Park, August 31, 1935
Most Points In a Season: David Denton, 215 ( 8 tries, 94 goals, 3 field goals ) in 1978
Most Points For Club: Bill Keato, 776 ( 6 tries, 379 goals )
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