The Griffith Waratah Tigers are a rugby league football club based in the town of Griffith, in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia.[1] Since 1964 the club has competed in Group 20 in South Western NSW, which is governed by the NSW Rugby League (formerly Country Rugby League) The Waratah Tigers are the most successful team in the history of Group 20, winning 13 First Grade premierships.[2]
History
Formation
The Griffith Waratah Tigers were formed in November of 1963 at the top of the Area Hotel in Banna Avenue in Griffith.[3]
An article in The Area News from that time recounted the events as follows:[3]
“A public meeting at the Area Hotel last Friday night unanimously elected to form a second rugby league football club in Griffith. The meeting, which was attended by 83 people including Group executives, Griffith Leagues Club and Griffith rugby league club executives, and many first-grade players, discussed the matter for some time, before the chairman of the meeting, Bill Jafftey put the decision to a vote."
Early success
The new club entered the Group 20 Rugby League competition in 1964, and by 1967, had won its first premiership (technically in a competition called Riverina Zone 3 due to the Murrumbidgee Rugby League schism of the 1960s). Further premierships followed in 1969, 1971 and 1972.[3]
Then in the late 1970s, under the captain-coaching of Bob Priest, the Waratah Tigers won three straight Premierships in 1976, 1977 and 1978. The club won the 1985 premiership over Darlington Point-Coleambally, under the coaching of Warren Jowett, before beginning a 23-year premiership drought.
1990s: Close but yet so far
In the 1990s, the Waratah Tigers made five Grand Finals in seven years, with the first three occurring in a row from 1992 to 1994, all resulting in losses to Yanco-Wamoon, who went on to win five straight First Grade titles.[4][5][6] The club then qualified for the 1997 Grand Final, falling painstakingly short against Leeton 25-18, before experiencing the same heartbreak in 1999, losing 20-18 against Narrandera.[7]
2008-2019: Golden Era
In 2008, the Waratah Tigers qualified for their first Grand Final since 1999, where they would face Yenda, who were playing in their seventh Grand Final in eight seasons. Led by a young Andrew Fifita, the Waratahs beat the 2008 Clayton Cup winners 40-36 in a high-scoring affair.[8]
The two sides played off again the following year, with Yenda getting the spoils on that occasion 24-20. However, in 2010, the clubs faced off for the third straight year, and the Waratahs had the last laugh, winning 30-16, with former Gold Coast Titans and Wests Tigers star Ben Jeffery winning the Barry Hails Medal as best on ground.[9]
After a couple of years of West Wyalong and Tullibigeal-Lake Cargelligo dominance, the Tigers returned to the Grand Final in 2014, knocking off the previously undefeated West Wyalong side 22-18 in a tense Grand Final at EW Moore Oval to win the club's 11th premiership. The Waratahs then went back-to-back for the first time since their late 1970s hat-trick, defeating Darlington Point-Coleambally 50-22 in the decider the following year.[10]
In 2017, the club made another Grand Final, the first cross-town derby Grand Final against the Griffith Black & Whites since 1977, with their arch-rival taking home the crown 28-10.[11] The Tigers bounced back the following year to defeat Yenda 30-20 and win their 13th, and to date, their last premiership, before going down to Darlington Point-Coleambally 30-18 in the 2019 decider.[12][13]
2020-present: Pandemic, struggles, recess and the return
In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, causing the Group 20 season to be cancelled. Although the competition returned the following year, it was again cancelled before he finals.
In 2022, the competition completed its first season since 2019, with Waratahs qualifying for the finals before making an early exit.
Then in 2023, the club was forced to withdraw from the Group 20 competition due to a player number crisis, meaning it was the first season that the Waratahs did not enter Group 20 since their foundation in 1964. However, with the club set to fold, President Robert Nascimben and a committee of passionate volunteers, including Mark Jaffrey, Trevor Rice and others, refused to let the club die.[14] In late 2023, the club hired Willie Lolohea as coach for the following year and announced their plans to return to the competition.[15][16]
The club made a return to Group 20 in 2024, fielding three of six grades; First Grade, Reserve Grade and Ladies League Tag.
1 Fred Griffiths; 2 Dennis Mootz, 3 Tony Saxvik, 4 Ross Warburton, 5 Brian Rossetto; 6 Bob Priest, 7 Reg McCulla; 13 Reg Cooper, 12 Gary Saunders, 11 Dennis Calabria, 10 Brian Milthorpe, 9 Ray Brown, 8 Len Bertoldo. Reserves: Peter Thompson, Frank Carnelutti, Bob Lanigan, Lindsay Meyn.
1 Anthony Rickey; 2 Rod Charles , 3 Phil Hurst, 4 Lindsay Meyn, 5 Brian Rossetto; 6 Chris Ross, 7 Mark Townsend; 13 Richard Northey , 12 Michael Scarfone, 11 Errol Hillier , 10 Rex Williams , 9 Tony Moers , 8 Warren Jowett (c). Reserves: Mark Harrigan, Robbie McRae, Mark Jones
