WESTS HISTORY MILESTONES

Below is a list of significant milestones in the history of the Western Suburbs District Rugby League Club.

1908	Western Suburbs Football Club started in 1908 after a meeting at Ashfield's Town Hall on February 4, 1908. The club played their first NSWRFL game against Balmain at Birchgrove Oval on the 20th of April 1908.
1910	St Luke's Park becomes the clubs homeground.
1912	Pratten Park becomes the club's homeground.
1918	Wests win the knockout competition, the City Cup. Their first club title.
1919	Wests win their second City Cup.
1925	Western Suburbs finish runners-up to Souths.
1928	Western Suburbs officially become known as the "Magpies"
1930	Western Suburbs win the 1st grade minor premiership and their first Premiership defeating St George 27 - 2.
1934	Western Suburbs win their second 1st grade Premiership defeating Easts 15 - 12.
1948	Western Suburbs win the 1st grade minor premiership and their third Premiership defeating Balmain 8 - 5. Wests also won the NSWRL Club Championship.
1952	Western Suburbs win the 1st grade minor premiership and their fourth Premiership defeating Souths 22 - 12.
1960	The Magpies win the NSWRL Club Championship.
1961	Western Suburbs win the 1st grade minor premiership and the NSWRL Club Championship.
1965	Western Suburbs win the Jersey Flegg championship.
1967	Lidcombe Oval becomes the clubs homeground.
1977	Wests win the Amco Cup.
1978	The Magpies set a home crowd record of 21,015 at Lidcombe Oval on the 30th of July against Parramatta. Western Suburbs win the 1st grade minor premiership. The Magpies miss out on reaching the Grand Final when a try is controversially disallowed by referee Greg (Hollywood) Hartley in a semi final clash against Manly Warringah. Tough physical clashes between Wests and Manly lay the foundations of a tribalism known as the Fibros and Silvertails.
1979	Ray Martin's infamous 60 Minutes report in 1979, exposes Wests coach Roy Masters' tactics of face slapping and wall punching to psyche his players up before a match.
1987	Western Suburbs move their homeground to Campbelltown (Orana Park)
1991	The Magpies win the NSWRL Club Championship.
1995	NSWRL 1st grade competition is now run by the Australian Rugby League.
1997	The club stays loyal to the ARL during the SuperLeague war.
1998	The two competitions reunite under the National Rugby League, a 50/50 partnership between the ARL and News Limited. Part of the agreement requires the competition to be cut down to 14 teams by 2000.
1999	It becomes clear the Western Suburbs Magpies won't be able to fullfill the NRL's requirements to stand alone, and agree to merge 1st grade teams with the Balmain Tigers, forming the Wests Tigers.Click here to watch the News Coverage of the Merger Western Suburbs play their final first grade match against the Auckland Warriors on Sunday the 29th of August at Campbelltown Sports Stadium. They lost 60 - 16. The Magpies finish with the Wooden Spoon in their final year in First Grade.
2000	Wests Tigers enter the NRL. Both Western Suburbs Magpies and Balmain Tigers continue as separate entities in Premier League, Jersey Flegg, SG Ball and Harold Matthews competitions.
2002	Western Suburbs Magpies captained by Liam Fulton win the SG Ball championship.
2004	Wests Tigers win the Rugby League World Club 7's. The joint venture's first title.
2005	Wests Tigers win the NRL Premiership on October the 2nd, defeating the North Queensland Cowboys 30 - 16 at Stadium Australia in front of a crowd of 82,453. Wests Tigers set a home crowd record of 29,542 at Stadium Australia on the 19th of August against the Bulldogs.
2006	Wests Tigers play in the World Club Challenge against the Bradford Bulls on the 3rd of February at Huddesfield, England. Wests Tigers lost 30-10.
2007	Wests Magpies play in their 100th season.
2008	Western Suburbs Magpies and Australian Rugby League celebrates its Centenary. Wests Tigers enter a side in the new National Youth Competition which replaces the NSW Jersey Flegg competition. Wests Magpies play Balmain Tigers in a NSW Cup match at Birchgrove Oval to celebrate the Centenary of the First Ever Premiership Game of Rugby League. Wests reverse history and win 36 - 24. Watch a video of the boys singing their victory song in the sheds after the match.

THE WESTS ARCHIVES FORUM

Want to read more on the history of Wests?

Why not tell your own story about your love for Wests?

Well you can at the Wests Archives forum www.westsmagpies.net/forum

RL1908.com

A well written article on the history of the Western Suburbs Magpies has been written by Sean Fagan for the website RL1908.com. Find it here:

www.rl1908.com/Clubs/Western-Suburbs.htm

Noel Kelly's Kids

Noel Kellys Kids, a website by Tony Lewis and Greg Willis, honouring Rugby League Legend Noel Kelly and the Western Suburbs Magpies from 1966 to 1969. Noel Kelly, Captain Coach of the Western Suburbs Rugby League Club. The site involves statistics, photos and interviews from Wests greats of this era. Find it here:

www.noelkellyskids.info

CLOUDS OF DUST, BUCKETS OF BLOOD

"Glorious. Unpredictable. Never dull. These are the words for the traditions of the Western Suburbs District Rugby League Football Club Limited, also known as Western Suburbs, Wests, Magpies - call them what you want, but don't call them no-hopers.
Those traditions began with the League itself in 1908; they are enduring enough to survive into the 21st century and beyond. Sure, there have been potholes along the way, the occasional double-bunger and the spoon nobody wants in the canteen. But resolution has always been the name of the Wests game - resolution and defiance."

The opening paragraphs of Gary Lester's book "Clouds of Dust, Buckets of Blood" still rings true for the Wests Magpies. Since their inception to the competition they have endured more than most clubs, and yet have survived.

"Clouds of Dust, Buckets of Blood" is available from Wests Ashfield Leagues Club and is a great read for any Wests fan. It currently covers the clubs evolution in great detail from its creation in 1908 through to their move to Campbelltown and the seasons up to 1995.

There has been talk on a revised version being made in the future.

As seen on the ABC. Now available for purchase on DVD!

The Fibros and the Silvertails is the story of the feud between two football teams that turned into a war about class and alleged corruption.

The teams are Wests and Manly. The year is 1978.

Manly are the new face of rugby league and have won the premiership three times in the last decade. Wests have to look back to 1952.

Then a new coach takes over at Wests. Roy Masters coins the phrase — the fibros and the silvertails — to describe the struggle of the western suburbs against the elite of the city’s north and east.

The season will become a war of words off the field and a battle on the field. The game will be overshadowed by violence and refereeing controversy.

At the start, Wests and Manly are just two teams among many. By the end, they will be bitter rivals. Fibro and silvertail will be part of our language. And everyone will have two teams — their own team and the team playing Manly.

This is the story of one of sport’s classic feuds.

To purchase this DVD or for more information visit:
www.fibrosandsilvertails.com.au

Wests Archives Sponosrs

The Wests Archives are sponsored by the the Wests Leagues Ashfield.

Wests Archives would like to thank Wests Leagues Ashfield for their on going support.

Wests Forever!