HANSARD EXTRACT
| Adjournment:
National Rugby League |
| 13 October 2005 |
Mr HAYES
(Werriwa)
(12.25
p.m.)—The
night of
2 October 2005
will be a night that lives long in the memory of many people in
south-west
Sydney. It was a night that saw people from all walks of life
gathered around television screens in pubs, clubs and family homes,
all in one united hope—the hope that the mighty Wests Tigers would
take out the NRL grand final. I am happy to report that they did,
and in spectacular style. The streets of Campbelltown in particular,
where I live, were abuzz for a week, with perfect strangers coming
together in shops and on streets, contemplating the prospects of the
Wests Tigers at the grand final. Cars were decorated with balloons
and streamers; shop windows were adorned with posters; and the air
was filled with a nervous expectation.
It has been a long time since the western suburbs has won a
premiership—1952, in fact—and it was back in 1969 when
Balmain won a premiership. But this was the first occasion that the
new five-year-old merged joint venture, the Wests Tigers, had made
it to a grand final. Needless to say, in the days leading up to the
grand final, supporters in the south-west of Sydney were already
walking tall, looking forward to a great game and hopefully a great
victory. That is exactly what we got: a great game, a tremendous
victory and fabulous celebrations of the win. I do not know if the
players have come back to earth as yet, but I do know that there is
still a spring in the step of Tigers fans in the streets of
Ingleburn, Campbelltown and Liverpool. It is amazing what a win like
this can do for a local community like the one I represent.
There are a number of people who must be congratulated for taking
the team from rank outsiders earlier in the season to a premiership
win. Naturally, Scotty Prince and the players had a great deal to do
with it, both the high-profile players and the not-so-high-profile
players who toiled away tirelessly throughout the year and have
become heroes in the community and examples to many aspiring young
players who strap on their football boots every weekend.
Of course, a team is only as good as its support staff and Wests has
been blessed with a fine coaching staff, led by Tim Sheens, himself
no stranger to grand final success. To be honest, when I stood on
the hill at Campbelltown Stadium with the Leader of the Opposition
during my election campaign, watching Wests Tigers lose to the
Canberra Raiders in a trial match, I did not think that I would see
Wests Tigers making it to a semi-final let alone taking out the
grand final. Tim Sheens and his coaching staff, strongly supported
and encouraged by club officials, particularly the CEO, Steve Noyce,
can be rightly proud of the results that they have now attained.
While the Lord Mayor of
Sydney, Clover Moore, has decided not to put on a street parade to
recognise the victory of this fine Sydney based side, I am proud to
report that the West Tigers will lead a street parade through
Campbelltown early in November. In fact, on 5 November the Tigers
will lead more than 80 floats down Queen Street in the Festival of
the Fisher’s Ghost street parade. The Tigers may not be considered
good enough by the Lord Mayor of
Sydney
to have their own street parade, but they will certainly be greeted
by thousands of cheering fans who will line Queen Street and
congratulate their team. I will be one of those fans, and I am proud
to say that this year, my team, the Wests Tigers, took out the
premiership.
Congratulations to the players, the support staff, the
administration and of course the fans on a superb effort this
season. Let us hope that this time next year I will be proudly
hanging the 2006 grand final-winning Wests Tigers T-shirt in the
window of my parliamentary office.
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