The second joint venture club in the NRL, the Wests Tigers was formed in 2000 combining the Balmain Tigers and the Western Suburbs Magpies. Both clubs experienced successful periods throughout the history of the NSWRL, however as new franchises entered the competition in the 1980’s and 90’s, results suffered and it became increasingly evident that the Western and Inner Western Sydney based clubs would struggle to survive.
In 1998, the newly formed NRL competition gave hope to those sides who were facing difficulty by offering $6 million in funding for clubs that decided to merge. The Tigers and Magpies were brought together in 2000 after both clubs’ boards voted unanimously in favour of the merger.
The Wests Tigers have been playing home games at the traditional Leichhardt Oval, Campbelltown Stadium as well as ANZ Stadium since their inception. The first three years of existence proved to be a trying time for the joint venture with poor finishes on the ladder and several negative incidents both on and off the field.
When Tim Sheens was appointed as head coach in 2003, the Tigers transformed into one of the most entertaining attacking teams in the competition. The club added experienced players such as Brett Hodgson to their roster and unearthed teenage sensations Benji Marshall and Robbie Farah who were able to breathe new life into the fledgling club. After narrowly missing out on finals football in 2004, the Tigers set the competition a light in 2005 as they stormed into the top four and clinched a maiden Premiership against the Cowboys.
Although a large majority of the Premiership winning side remained at the club, the Tigers did not make the finals again until 2010. The club has been through numerous restructures in recent times which has resulted in a high turnover of coaches and players, making it difficult for fans to be optimistic about their prospects over coming seasons.
