Western Suburbs Magpies

History

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 at Ashfield Town Hall, they won only one match the following season and are sometimes considered the League's first wooden spooners (the distinction is disputed with Cumberland, who are sometimes considered to have been awarded an extra bye due to missing the start of the competition). 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. For the 1944 NSWRFL season, Queensland 1910s representative player Henry Bolewski became coach the Western Suburbs club, replacing Alf Blair, who moved to South Sydney. Wests slightly improved on their performance from the previous season, finishing 5th (out of 8), but failing to make the finals, and Bolewski was replaced by club great, Frank McMillan.

Wests won a second pair of premierships, beating Balmain in 1948 and South Sydney 22–12 in 1952. Both times they defeated a club hunting its third title in a row.

1960s

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.

1970s

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.

1980s

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 to keep their spot ensued, unlike the Newtown Jets who did not compete that year. Richard Conti appeared against New South Wales Rugby League bosses John Quayle and Colin Love in 1985, successfully advocating to keep the embattled club in the competition. He was later appointed the chairman of the NSWRL Judiciary.

Eventually, Wests relocated to Campbelltown in 1987. Ironically, this was where Newtown had unsuccessfully tried to move to four years earlier. The move to Campbelltown did not change the clubs fortunes immediately with Western Suburbs finishing last in 1987 and 1988. The 1980s proved to be a tough time for the club with Wests claiming four wooden spoons throughout the decade and finishing second last on two occasions.

1990s

Wests began 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.

The club made the semi-finals in 1991 and 1992 under coach Warren Ryan. Wests were 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 was beaten by a star-studded Canberra side.

The club then slipped down the ladder and the coaching reins were handed over to caretaker Wayne Ellis. The decision to appoint Tommy Raudonikis as coach for the start of the 1995 season sent a shot of adrenaline into the club. Raudonikis took the Magpies to the finals in 1996. However the club could not compete in the player market in 1997 thanks to the Super League war which saw players' contracts soar sky high to unsustainable levels.

In 1998 and 1999, a Magpie team filled with many unknown players struggled to be competitive and twice received 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.

Joint venture

The well documented Super League 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 Western Suburbs 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-Bankstown Bulldogs failed an agreement was reached with the Balmain Tigers on 27 July 1999. The Wests Tigers first competed in the 2000 competition. The club also merged its playing colours from the two joint venture partners.

Major sponsors

Allied Express

Victa (1978–1982)

IPEC Couriers (1984–1985)

Masterton Homes (1986–1992)

Goldstar / LG Electronics (1995–1997)

Signature Security Systems (1998–1999)

Club Hotels (2000)

Save Home Loans (2005)

Wests Ashfield Leagues (2006–2015)

Wests Ashfield Leagues have also been key sponsors & supporters of the club since they were established.

Rebel Sport (Centenary Partner and 2008 Major Sponsor)

Allied Express (2015)

Current days

The Western Suburbs Magpies home matches are played at Lidcombe Oval, Lidcombe and their training facilities are near by.

In 2000 the Western Suburbs Magpies Under 20s team were runners up to the Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs, captained by Mitch Zammit and Luke Duffy. The Western Suburbs Magpies last title was won in 2002 when the Western Suburbs Magpies captained by Liam Fulton won the New South Wales Rugby League Under 18's competition.

From 2000 to 2012, the Western Suburbs Magpies fielded teams in the NSWRL First Grade competition now known as the NSW Cup.

In 2006, the Wests Tigers on advice from Tim Sheens pushed the notion that the NRL side would be better served with a single NSW Cup side. Western Suburbs board opposed this decision and decided to continue fielding their own team. Wests Tigers then allocated all NRL contracted players to the Balmain Tigers (the Wests Magpies had six junior players in that group, as opposed to one from Balmain), citing the advantages of both the NRL and NSW Cup teams training together at Concord Oval. This continued from 2006 to 2007.

Magpies chairman Kevin Hammond was disappointed at the Wests Tigers decision and informed the Wests Tigers of that in 2008, if the Magpies did not receive a fair share of player allocation from the Wests Tigers, they would form a feeder partnership with rivals Canberra Raiders. The Wests Tigers capitulated.

The Western Suburbs Magpies made the semi-finals in 2008, 2009 and 2010. In 2012 funding was withheld from the Magpies by Wests Ashfield Leagues Club Directors (not unanimously) as they now supported Wests Tigers proposal for a single NSW Cup side, even though this was done simply because Balmain couldn't afford a side and Wests could.

This also went against the Magpies Football Club members wishes and they organised a Protest Rally through the streets of Campbelltown. Wests Ashfield Leagues Club under pressure reinstated funding late in the off season after the Magpies players had already signed on to play with other teams.

Home grounds

St Luke's Park was the home ground of the Western Suburbs club in 1910 and 1911. They started playing their matches at Pratten Park in Ashfield in 1912, but after pressure from local residents there the council refused the club permission to use that ground, forcing them to return to St. Luke's Oval from 1915 to 1919. The Magpies have played at three home grounds since foundation. They returned to Pratten Park in 1920, remaining there until 1966, the club then played at Pratten Park sporadically over the next two decades playing games there in 1971, 1972, 1973, 1977 and 1985. The final ever first grade game to be played at Pratten Park was on 18 August 1985 against Penrith, Penrith won the match by 42–16. They then moved to Lidcombe Oval in 1967. 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 (located in adjacent Leumeah), which, after a $25 million renovation, is now called Campbelltown Stadium which is now one of the home grounds of the Wests Tigers. The Magpies' lower grade sides play most home games at Campbelltown Stadium, with the occasional game moved to Lidcombe Oval.

Western Suburbs Magpies Leagues Club

While no leagues club is called the "Western Suburbs Magpies Leagues Club", the businesses "Western Suburbs District Rugby League Football Club Ltd" is a fully controlled entity of Wests Ashfield Leagues Club. The Leagues club was formed in the 1950s and is now one of the leading community Clubs in Sydney.

Board of directors

The current board of directors of the Wests Magpies (Western Suburbs District Rugby League Football Club)

Old salty Dennis Burgess - Chairman WAL appointed

Stephen Montgomery WAL Appointed

Tony Andreacchio – WAL Appointed

Rick Wayde - WAL Appointed

Shannon Cavanagh – FC Member Elected

Allan Fallah – FC Member Elected

Tony Westlake – FC Member Elected

The board of directors comprises 4 members appointed by Wests Ashfield Leagues Club, and 3 members elected by the members of the football club

District Junior competition

The Western Suburbs District Junior Rugby League (WSDJRL) was a completely separate entity to the Western Suburbs Magpies DRLFC. They were known as the "Junior Magpies", and administered the junior rugby league on behalf of the Western Suburbs Magpies and the Wests Tigers joint venture. It consisted of a network of affiliated junior rugby league clubs throughout the greater Campbelltown and Liverpool areas of southwestern Sydney. As of 2016 the following clubs were involved in the WSDJRL;

All Saints JRLFC

All Stars Glenquarie (formally Macquarie Fields Hawks)

Campbelltown City Kangaroos JRLFC

Campbelltown Collegians JRLFC

Campbelltown Warriors JRLFC

Eaglevale St Andrews JRLFC

East Campbelltown Eagles JRLFC

Hinchinbrook Hornets JRLFC

Ingleburn RSL Tigers JRLFC

Liverpool Catholic Club Raiders JRLFC

Macarthur Saints JRLFC (ex-St Thomas More JRLFC)

Minto Cobras JRLFC

Valley United Vikings JRLFC (formally known as East Valley United and also Green Valley United)

The league was placed into administration in January 2019, with the NSWRL stepping in to manage the competition.

The following clubs also competed in the WSDJRL, but have now folded:

Notable players

Hall of Fame

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:

Keith Holman

Jim Abercrombie

Peter Dimond

Arthur Summons

Tommy Raudonikis

Noel Kelly

2010 Inductees

Dick Vest

Bill Keato

Trevor Cogger

1997 MIA players

Wayne Shields

2012 Inductees

Clarrie Prentice

Frank Stanmore

Wayne Smith

Team of the Century

In 2004 the club named its Team of the Century:

International Representatives

The following Western Suburbs Magpies players have represented their countries in international competition.

Magpies Test Captains

Herb Gilbert – 1920

Frank McMillan – 1933 to 1934

Col Maxwell – 1948 to 1949

Arthur Summons – 1963 to 1964

Tommy Raudonikis – 1973

Records

Club honours

Premierships: 4 – 1930 beat St George; 1934 beat Easts; 1948 beat Balmain; 1952 beat South Sydney

Runners Up: 8 – 1918; 1925; 1932; 1950; 1958; 1961; 1962; 1963

Minor Premierships: 6 – 1930; 1934; 1948; 1952; 1961; 1978

Amco Cup: 1 – 1977

City Cup: 2 – 1918; 1919

NSWRL Club Championships: 4 – 1948; 1960; 1961; 1991

State Cup / Jersey Flegg U20s: 1 – 1965

Ampol Cup: 1 – 1963

NSWRL Reserve Grade: 3 (1936, 1961, 1981)

NSWRL Third Grade: 7 (1936, 1938, 1939, 1944, 1958, 1961, 1967)

Under 23 Premiership: 1 (1977)

President's Cup: 5 (1925, 1945, 1947, 1958, 1992)

Flegg Memorial Trophy: 2 (1961, 1981)

NSWRL SG Ball U18's: 2 (1971, 2002)

Largest crowd:

Lidcombe Oval: 21,015 vs Parramatta (30 July 1978)

Campbelltown Sports Ground: 17,286 vs St George (2 August 1991)

Pratten Park: 12,407 vs St George (15 June 1964)

Biggest defeat: 67–0 vs South Sydney (Agricultural Showground, 23 July 1910)

Individual

Most First Grade Games

201 – Tommy Raudonikis (1969–1979)

200 – Keith Holman (1949–1961)

161 – Tedda Courtney (1909, 1911–1924)

161 – Wayne Smith (1976–1984)

160 – Trevor Cogger (1981–1991)

155 – Peter Dimond (1958–1967)

148 – John Donnelly (1975–1984)

148 – Steve Georgallis (1993–1999)

144 – Darren Willis (1992–1998)

143 – Nev Charlton (1954-1961)

141 – Frank McMillan (1921–1924, 1926–1935)

Most Tries in a Match: Alan Ridley, 6 vs Newtown, Pratten Park, 11 July 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, 31 August 1935

Most Points in a Match: Les Mead, 27 (1 try, 12 goals) v Canterbury, Pratten Park, 31 August 1935

Most Points in a Season: Peter Rowles, 215 (8 tries, 94 goals, 3 field goals) in 1978

All Time 1st Grade Numbered Players List

Below is a list of all players that played for the Western Suburbs Magpies in the NSWRL, ARL and NRL First Grade competitions from 1908 to 1999.

Notable fans

Doug Sutherland, mayor of Sydney (1980–87)

Trooper Mark Donaldson VC

Paul Gerantonis (1969–current)

Malcolm T. Elliott (radio broadcaster)

John Singleton (entrepreneur, businessman and horse racing identity)

Steve Waugh (former Australian Cricket captain)

Ken Callander

John Coates (Australian Olympic Committee chairman)

Michael Clarke former Australian Cricket Captain