The Magpies' two leagues clubs at Ashfield and Campbelltown would be renamed ''Wests Tigers'' if an NRL proposal was accepted, ranking it among the worst rebranding ideas ever to come from the headquarters of a corporation, akin to Coca-Cola's decision to launch ''New Coke''.

The NRL sought to rebadge the licensed clubs controlled by Wests and Balmain with the Wests Tigers logo during talks to settle the dispute between the co-owners of the NRL club.

Wests' palace at Ashfield, whose foyer has giant portraits of the Magpies' rugby league and cricket teams of the century, would have had the magpie on its roof replaced by the tiger which has been caged since Balmain's Victoria Road club closed with debts of $7 million.

Ditto, Wests Leagues' booming premises at Campbelltown, while Balmain's two small operations at Flemington Markets and Five Dock would have had ''Wests'' added to their doors. Not only does the proposal of the NRL - aged only 15 - ignore the 105-year history of both Wests and Balmain, it is oblivious to the cause of the tension between the foundation clubs.

Wests Tigers has lost a generation of Magpie fans because the NRL's own literature refers to it as the Tigers; some call it ''Balmain'' and its players are seemingly always dressed in orange.