BALMAIN TIGERS CONCISE ANNUAL REPORT 2008 Balmain Tigers Rugby League Football Club Limited ABN: 75 002 592 949 SPONSORS Ryde-Eastwood Rugby League Football Club Thank you to all of our sponsors for your continued support. AFL Management - Mario Falcone KOS Sports/X Blades Astor Base Metals Kuburlis Catering Authentic Brickwork Le Montage Balmain Leagues Club Mannings C-Bon Screen Printers McDonalds Col’s Body Shop Melba Studio DTS Pty Ltd Next Generation Fitness Club Essential Man (UTT Group) O’Briens Engineering Foster’s Group O’Donoghues Irish Pubs Glen Smith Plumbing Pepsi / Gatorade THE FIFTH INSTALMENT Granville Mobile Automotive Centre ROBCHEM Sports Strapping Tuesday 19th May 2009 has been set aside for the fifth instalment of the Balmain Tigers Hall of Fame Dinner. The world famous Sydney Cricket Ground has been IGT Poker Machines Ryan Wilks Electrical Contractors selected as the venue for this auspicious occasion. The evening will kick off at 6:00pm with pre-dinner drinks before in the main event at 7:00pm. J.J. Robertson Transport Ryde Eastwood Leagues Club 40 YEARS ON AND STILL GOING STRONG 2009 HALL OF FAME DINNER The 2009 Hall of Fame Dinner will pay special tribute to the When • Tuesday 19 May 2009 team of 1969. “Forty years on and still going strong” is the Time • 6pm • Main event at 7pm teams motto for the 40 year anniversary of their victory over Where • Sydney Cricket Ground the South Sydney Rabbitohs to claim the 1969 Premiership. Tickets • Members $155.00 each Help celebrate this memorable event as members of the Non-Members $195.00 each team relive the glory that was the 1969 Grand Final win and To order your tickets contact enjoy some tales and yarns from the boys. Michelle Nielsen 0414 442 218 Foundation Club 1908 - 008 DIRECTORS DIRECTORS David Trodden Leslie Glen Dawn Fraser AO MBE Mark Crowe Chairman Deputy Chairman Director Director Professional Professional Professional Professional Bachelor of Commerce (UNSW) Consultant Surgeon Balmain Olympian 196, 1960, 196 Chief Executive Officer, Bachelor of Laws (UNSW) District Hospital 197 -9 Director, NRMA Motoring and Australian Marketing Institute Solicitor of Supreme Court of NSW Vila Central Hospital (Republic of Services Ltd Bachelor of Commerce (UNSW) since 198 Vanuatu) 198 -88 Club Involvement Club Involvement Senior Partner – DTA Lawyers Concord Repatriation General Member of the Board since 1997 Member of the Board since 00 Hospital 199 - present Club Involvement Wests Tigers Board since 1999 Committee Member Member of the Board since 1999 Club Involvement Finance (Chairman) Chairman of the Board since 00 Appointed to Board 1989 PCG Wests Tigers Board since 001 Resigned 1999 Corporate Governance Chairman, Wests Tigers Board 008 Re-appointed 000 Committee Member Wests Tigers Board since 001 Finance Committee Member PCG (Chairman) Football Corporate Governance Balmain Tigers Centenary (Chairman) Paul Sironen Steve Lavers Kris Kumar Director Director Director Professional Professional Professional Player 198 - 1998 Player 197 - 198 Managing Director, i Group Pty Ltd Fundraising Manager, Company Director Bachelor of Engineering (Marine) Krispy Kreme Australia Advanced Diploma of Business Masters in Facilities Management & Club Involvement Management (University of Ballarat) Finance (Sydney University) Member of the Board since 00 Club Involvement Club Involvement Wests Tigers Board since 00 Wests Tigers Board since 007 Member of the Board since 00 Committee Member Committee Member Committee Member Football Football PCG Corporate Governance Danny Stapleton Ben Elias Director Director Professional Professional Player 198 - 199 Player 198 - 199 MISSION & VALUES Director, Priority Coatings Pty Ltd Managing Director, Club Involvement BMax Property Group (DPG) Balmain Tigers Rugby League Football Club will continue to promote and maintain our proud history Member of the Board since 00 Bachelor of Business and provide the best opportunities and pathways possible for our up and coming players, coaches Wests Tigers Board (alternate) (Marketing) since 00 Club Involvement and administrators. Committee Member Appointed to Board 1999 Football (Chairman) Resigned 000 Our vision is to remain: PCG Re-appointed 001 • Professional, • Progressive, • Provide Opportunities, and be • Performance Oriented. Foundation Club 1908 - 008 stage in the season, they were at the bottom of the table. However, they then won their last CHAIRMAN’S REPORT five matches in a row to finish in a finals position, playing with the type of spirit which makes everyone proud to be associated with a Tigers team. In the first week of the finals, they beat The celebration of our centenary year in 008 was everything that the minor premiers, North Sydney, very convincingly in a match at North Sydney Oval. In we expected it to be, and everything that a club as great as ours the next week, the Manly side proved to be “a bridge too far” after we had looked the likely deserved it to be. winners of the game at half time. On January, 008, the Leagues Club hosted our 100th birthday Ultimately, it was a season out of which came many positives. Lee Bennett continues to be party which had its strength in its inclusiveness. People at every a shining light as the leader of team and coach Paul Fletcher, in his first year in the role, was different level of the club participated actively in the celebrations. outstanding. As always, our relationship with our Ryde-Eastwood partners is a source of great strength for the club and Malcolm Chapple, John Dunlea, Jim McClymont, Harry Bell The highlights of the centenary year were many. The match in April, and Keith Aggett are invaluable with their support. 008 at Birchgrove Oval was a particular highlight and a unique celebration of the history both of our club in particular, and of JUNIOR TEAMS rugby league in general. The ball relay, which connected the game David Trodden at Birchgrove Oval with the Wests Tigers v South Sydney game The SG Ball team and Harold Matthews team both performed moderately, with neither team at Sydney Cricket Ground later in the afternoon, was an equally making the finals series of their competitions. Not withstanding these results, a number of wonderful celebration of the history of rugby league. It will live long in the memory of those outstanding players are emerging from our juniors. Particular congratulations should go to who attended and it placed our club at the very peak of achievement in terms of the quality Aaron Woods and Junior Rogica, who both made various representatives teams culminating of our centenary celebrations. in their selection in the Australian Schoolboys team. They are first grade players of the future. The Hall of Fame dinner in July, 008 was another highlight. We were able to bring Pat Devery from the United States of America back to his home at Balmain Tigers. He was Darren McLean and David Brooks deserve our thanks for their performance as coaches. reunited with his team mates from the 197 premiership win in Harry Bath and Sid Ryan. David Brooks, as a former first grade player, State of Origin player, Tigers life member, and The night had a particular poignancy. At the Hall of Fame dinner, “From Fraser to Farah” was Tigers Hall of Fame member, makes a wonderful contribution to the junior development of launched, the history of the Balmain Junior League. Its legacy will remain with everybody our club. We are indeed lucky to have the likes of him moulding the Tigers of the future. associated with our club for many years into the future. We owe a great debt of gratitude to the author Chris Karas and those who assisted him with the research including Austin Hoyle, LEICHHARDT OVAL John Stanton and Geoff Large. Further work has been completed on Leichhardt Oval with a new playing surface being laid The club recognised the contributions of many people who have had an association with over the off season. The playing surface had become something of an issue over the past it by awarding over four hundred and fifty centenary medals. One had the feeling that the few years with no work having had been done on it since the 1970’s when the ground was medal program provided a connection (and in some cases, reconnection) between many completely remodelled. The playing surface will now be state of the art. Additionally, there Tigers and their club. It is a connection which will remain strong for years to come. has been a complete refit of the dressing sheds, the media facilities have been upgraded and additional ladies toilets have been placed under the Heritage stand. The next work STATE CUP which is planned for the oval is an upgrade of the Latcham Robinson stand. The Balmain Ryde-Eastwood State Cup team struggled in the early part of the season to find We shortly propose to make a major announcement regarding the future of the Heritage consistent levels of performance. They mixed some very good wins with some quite poor stand. losses, and they were badly affected by injuries in the early to mid part of the season. At one 6 Foundation Club 1908 - 008 7 CHAIRMAN’S REPORT continued In the past couple of annual reports, we have provided cautionary advice to members regarding the critical nature of the approval process to the future of the club. Put in short terms, the club does not have a future without the redevelopment of the site proceeding. WESTS TIGERS The impact of smoking legislation, and the full effect of the poker machine tax, have made the current operation of the club unviable. Although great comfort can be taken from the Wests Tigers were again disappointing in failing to make the finals series for the third year in approval of the masterplan, the major economic crash in the second half of 008 has caused succession.