Manly-Warringah is known universally as Manly; Canterbury Bankstown as Canterbury and Cronulla Sutherland as Cronulla but the NRL and media tend to lop off the first name of Wests Tigers. Tough as $2 steak: Magpies legend Les Boyd and Tommy Raudonikis Credit:John O'Gready Not so for another joint venture club, St George Illawarra. Many Steelers supporters will argue their club disappeared in the merger but Illawarra joined the then NSWRL in 1982, while the Magpies are a 1908 foundation club. All of which makes it difficult for passionate Wests supporters to understand why, with the March 31 deadline expiring for penniless Balmain to remain in the joint venture, that the Ashfield-based Magpies club have steadfastly insisted the Tigers name will remain forever.

Reports last week said Wests weren't fussed about the March 31 deadline passing; Balmain would definitely have a minimum 25 per cent of the venture, with 10 years to pay off a debt to acquire another 25 per cent, restoring their equity to 50:50. The Ashfield club is maintaining a strict vow of confidentiality on negotiations with Balmain's creditors, the NRL, but it would surprise if the Leichhardt Tigers were given another 10 years to acquire a second 25 per cent. But Wests insist the retentions of the Tigers name and some Balmain equity are not negotiable. Given this, the question must be asked: would Balmain do for Wests what Wests are doing for Balmain? Based on the early operation of the Wests Tigers joint venture, the answer would be, no.

Big games were predominantly played at Leichhardt; the players ran out in gold jumpers, with the tiny magpie emblem on the sleeve obscured by tape; ex-Tigers players became the popular spokesmen for the club and most people called the club, Balmain. Balmain-based directors of the merged entity will tell you Wests directors were inept. But the Wests vote was divided three ways – the Ashfield licensed club, the Magpies football club and Wests club at Campbelltown. Now, however, Wests Campbelltown has exited the joint venture and the relationship between Ashfield and the Magpies is very tight. So, why this nobility, this extraordinary generosity to the old Tigers with their licensed club now a vandalised site on Victoria Road?

Because Wests have been on the executioner's block three times and know what it is like to be threatened with excision from history. Many at NRL headquarters believe rugby league began in 1998 and some of the eight-member ARL Commission believe the kick off was even later … when they were appointed. Furthermore, there is collective feeling among Sydney licensed clubs that their role in propagating rugby league is under-valued by the code's bosses. The unity among Sydney NRL clubs has never been stronger, despite attempts to divide them over the allocation of $1.2 billion in funds to Sydney stadiums. Contrast this with the era of the cartel of strong Sydney clubs when the late Bill "The King" Carson, then president of Wests, stood up at a Monday night meeting of the NSWRL after a vote on co-operation was defeated and said, "In here, it's catch and kill your own."

The NSWRL voted Wests out in 1983 but the club went to the courts and won because an unincorporated body did not have the power to kick out a member. The league then incorporated and voted Wests out at the end of 1984 but the Magpies went to the Equity Court and won under the oppression of a minority law. The NSWRL successfully appealed to the NSW Supreme Court but Wests was granted leave to the High Court and used the time to re-group. At the end of the Super League war, when the number of clubs was to be cut from 20 to 14, Wests were again on the chopping block, ranked among the vulnerable. Balmain always had a friend at headquarters during these turbulent times, despite Wests having two leagues clubs and more territory. Loading

Wests have never had a strong voice in town, as Kelly and Boyd will attest after multiple visits to the Phillip Street judiciary. These gnarled heroes may well be proud of their club's nobility to Balmain and respect it for maintaining confidentiality with headquarters but King Billy's words still rule.