WESTERN SUBURBS MAGPIES TEAM OF THE 1970's

The auditorium at Wests Ashfield was decked out in black and white as the Magpie faithful gathered to pay tribute to the hero's of Lidcombe Oval. It was a fantastic night to be a Wests fan as wherever you turned you were likely to bump into one of the Gladiators you charged onto the field to be near when you were a kid sitting on the bike track waiting for that final hooter.

The night was kicked off by a passionate speech from Magpies Chairman Kevin Hammond that placed the Wests teams of the 70's not only as a highpoint in the 99 season history of the club, but also as central to the development of the game into the sports entertainment industry it has become. As the crowd settled into their meal a video presentation highlighting the players and some of the stories behind the scenes kept everyone's attention.

The interviews with various players brought the biggest cheers of the night with Bruce Gibbs' straight talking, Stephen Knight's appreciation, and Snoozer Elford's story telling. The most poignant interview however was with rugged Front Rower Jim Murphy speaking from the heart. Jim's statement that "Wests isn't a club - it's family" resonated with all present and told the real story of the evening. The family was gathering together and the love of the Magpies was in everyone's heart.

Fullback:
John Dorahy

Wingers:
Russell Mullins
Don Rogers

Centres:
Ron Giteau
Steve Knight

5/8:
Graeme O'Grady

Half Back:
Tom Raudonikis

Lock:
Les Boyd

2nd Row:
John Elford
Geoff Foster

Props:
Jim Murphy
John Donnelly

Hooker:
Ray Brown

Reserves:
Johnny Baker
Bruce Gibbs
Mick Liubinskas
Wayne Smith

Coach:
Don Parish

Coach of the Century:
Roy Masters

Wests Forever!