Thursday, August 9, 2012

25 Years in Campbelltown Team - Part 1

Western Suburbs Magpies and Wests Tigers are giving supporters the chance to nominate their two wingers as part of the countdown to the ‘25 Years in Campbelltown’ Gala Dinner on Friday evening, August 24.
The Magpies established themselves in the City of Campbelltown in 1987 and 25 years later, still play out of Campbelltown Sports Stadium along with the Wests Tigers.

To be held at Wests Leagues Club Campbelltown, a highlight of the gala dinner evening will be the naming of ‘A Best of Team from the 25 Years in Campbelltown and a coach’ featuring 17 players from Western Suburbs Magpies and Wests Tigers.

Supporters can nominate their own ‘best of team from the 25 years in Campbelltown’ by sending at email to website@weststigers.com.au with the closest team chosen to the one selected by a panel of experts winning a table for 10 people at the dinner.

Over the next fortnight, supporters will be able to nominate their own ‘best of team from the 25 years in Campbelltown’ on weststigers.com.au with the closest team chosen to the one selected by a panel of experts winning a table for 10 people at the dinner.

We will also publish the final nominees for each position over different days to help you!

Send your nominated team to website@weststigers.com.au . The winner will be contacted on Wednesday, August 22. All you need to do is nominate a player (and don’t forget your coach) in the following positions:

Full-back (nominees below)
Wing (2 positions)
Centre (2 positions)
Five-eighth
Half
Lock
Second-row (2 positions)
Prop (2 positions)
Hooker
Interchange Bench (4 players)
Coach
Good luck!

Bookings can be made through Proticket on 1300 12 10 12 or in person at Wests Campbelltown.

===FULLBACK=========================================================

ROD PETHYBRIDGE
Strongly built, hard running fullback who played for Wests Magpies in 1986-87, scoring 13 tries in 30 games. Finished second in the Rothman's Medal voting in 1986.

ANDREW LEEDS
A true clubman, Leeds played 113 games for Western Suburbs Magpies from 1993 to 1999. Leeds scored 27 tries, kicked 240 goals, and five field goals for a personal tally of 593 career points for the Magpies. Today, Leeds is the Wests Tigers NRL Rehabilitation Manager, a position he has held since the joint-venture started in 2000. Before joining rugby league, Leeds played 14 rugby union Test matches for Australia.

MATT SEERS
A small but solidly built full-back, the former NSW Origin player joined Wests Tigers in their inaugural season of 2000. Seers went on to play 54 games, scoring 7 tries and proved his versatility by also playing centre and five-eighth for Wests Tigers until his finished at the end of the 2002 season.

BRETT HODGSON
A Campbelltown junior, Hodgson made his debut for Wests Magpies in 1997 and went on to play in the premiership winning 2005 Wests Tigers team. A brilliant attacking player and exceptional goal-kicker, Hodgson holds the Wests Tigers Club record (308) for most points in a season and sits second on the Wests Tigers list for most points for the Club.

===WINGERS=========================================================

JAMIE AINSCOUGH
A tough local junior who represented in Australian Schoolboys in 1989. Commenced his first grade career at Wests during 1990, 1991.

JOHN ALLANSON
Long striding runner who represented Country Origin in his time at Wests, during 1987, 1988.

MARK BELL
Mark Joined Wests from Canberra in 1992, soring 18 tries in 34 games.

JOEL CAINE
Set initial points scoring records for Wests Tigers during his 75 games from 2000-2003.

PHILLIP DUKE
The flying former Origin Player joined Wests in their first two seasons at Campbelltown, 1987 and 1988.

ALLEN GEELAN
Scored the first two tries on Orana Park for the Magpies in their official debut versus Parramatta.

JOHN HOPOATE
The powerful and often controversial local junior returned to Wests Tigers for their first two seasons.

GRAHAM MACKAY
The strong running local junior became an International after debuting at Wests with 16 tries in 47 games.

PAT RICHARDS
Wests Tigers 2005 Grand Final hero, who caught the ‘Benji flick’, was lured to England after only two seasons.

BEAU RYAN
The Wests Tigers’ media personality ‘knows’ his way around several positions but is one of the best finishers in the NRL with 100 games to his name.

WAYNE SIMONDS
A consistent performer at Wests, playing 82 games from 1988-1993, scoring 21 tries.

PAUL SMITH
Joined Wests from Penrith in 1994 and scored 22 tries in 39 games, including a record equalling 18 in his first year.

LOTE TUQIRI
A crowd favourite, the former Wallaby returned to International Rugby League via Wests Tigers in 2010.

TANIELA TUIAKI
A powerful winger who just ran over the top of his opposition. Scored 21 tries in 2009 and was Dally M Winger of the Year.
MATT UTAI
Packing plenty of power into his 168cms, 96kgs frame, Utai has been in fine form for Wests Tigers over the past two seasons. Knows how to find the tryline.

DARREN WILLIS
A resilient player, Willis scored 49 tries in his 144 games with the Magpies from 1992.

===CENTERS============================================================

BLAKE AYSHFORD
The current Wests Tigers centre has scored 30 tries in 80 games since debuting in 2010.

JOHN CARLAW
Experienced after playing for Melbourne and Balmain, the lanky centre played for Wests Tigers in their first two seasons.

OWEN CRAIGIE
The strong running Newcastle Premiership winner joined Wests Tigers, playing 23 games during 2000-01.

SHANE ELFORD
Part of Wests Tigers 2005 Premiership team, joining the Club in 2004 after playing 69 games at Penrith.

ANDREW FARRAR
Australian and NSW Origin centre who joined Wests for seasons 1991, ’92 after 186 games at the Bulldogs.

ELLERY HANLEY
Great Britain International reknowned for his versatility, played for both joint venture teams, including 13 games at Wests in 1989.

TERRY HILL
Australian and NSW Origin player who played for Wests during 1992/’93 playing 33 games, returning to Wests Tigers for four seasons from 2000, playing 49 games

CHRIS LAWRENCE
Current Wests Tigers International centre has scored 68 NRL tries, graduating through Wests Junior Reps and Australian Schoolboys.

JARROD MCCRACKEN
After 80 NRL games at Canterbury and 75 at the Eels, the New Zealand International joined Wests Tigers in 2000.

KEN MCGUINNESS
NSW Origin centre, played 107 games with Wests from 1994 to ’99, joining Wests Tigers in their first season.

JASON STAFFORD
Scored 15 tries in 38 games for Wests in three seasons from 1988.

PAUL WHATUIRA
NZ International who won NRL Premierships at Penrith [2003] and in 2005 with Wests Tigers, where he scored 30 tries in 58 games.



===FIVE EIGHTH======================================================

JASON ALCHIN
Played at Wests from 1992 to ’95 after stints at Canterbury and Saints for a career total of 111 games.

MICHAEL BEUTTNER
A Test and NSW Origin rep, Beuttner played 247 NRL games at the Eels, Bears and Northern Eagles before joining Wests Tigers in 2003.

TREVOR COGGER
Versatile player who has played the most number of games in all grades for Western Suburbs in an 11 year first grade career from 1981.

STEVE GEORGALLIS
Current Wests Tigers Assistant First Grade Coach tallied 226 NRL games, including 168 with Wests from 1993 and 20 with Wests Tigers in their first season in 2000.

KEVIN MCGUINNESS
Versatile, durable Player who tallied 200 NRL matches, scoring 57 tries in 127 games at Wests from 1995 and 30 tries from 54 games at Wests Tigers from 2000.

BENJI MARSHALL
Benji's amazing sidestep and flick passes has seen him become one of the game's most dominant players. The NZ captain is closing in on 1000 points for Wests Tigers.

Other positions players to be announced over the coming days.