Tigers Retro Jerseys

The Balmain Tigers (also known as the Sydney Tigers from 1995–96) are a rugby league football club based in Balmain, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney. They were a founding member of the New South Wales Rugby League and one of the most successful in the history of the premiership, with eleven titles. In 1999 they merged with the neighbouring Western Suburbs Magpies club to form the Wests Tigers for competition in the National Rugby League (NRL). They still field independent teams in the lower divisions. At the time of the merger only South Sydney Rabbitohs and the St George Dragons had won more titles than the Tigers.

The club's home ground was Leichhardt Oval, in Sydney's inner west. They were also known as The Watersiders in their earlier days.

History

Foundation club

In 1908 Australia's first season of rugby league began in Sydney and the Balmain club were one of nine foundation clubs to compete. Their home ground was Birchgrove Park. Balmain reached their first Grand Final in only the second year in the competition against the previous year's champions, South Sydney, but would protest as the match was scheduled as a warm up for a Kangaroos vs. Wallabies game at Souths' home ground. Souths were officially awarded the Premiership when they kicked off to an empty half of the field.

After a string of poor years the Tigers managed a strong turn-around to become a dominant force in the Australian Rugby League with the club's first, second and third Premierships coming in successive years dominating the 1915, 1916 and 1917 seasons. Tigers dominance continued winning the 1919 and 1920 seasons comfortably. When they won the 1924 premiership this would be the last success for Balmain for over a decade to come.

Golden era

It would not be until 1939 the Tigers won back the Premiership smashing Souths 33-4. The weekend of the Final will also be remembered for the invasion of Poland by Germany which led to England and Australia going to War.

Post-World War II marked a golden era for Balmain with the Tigers reaching five consecutive Grand Finals winning three of them. In the 1944 Grand Final the Tigers beat the strong favourites Newtown 19-16. Balmain reached the Grand Final again in 1945 but fell at the last hurdle against Easts 22-18. The loss was not long remembered as the Tigers went on to take out the next two seasons, beating St George 14-12 in 1946, and Canterbury 13-9 in 1947. On the hunt for a third successive title, they lost to Wests in 1948.