Western Suburbs Magpies
The Western Suburbs Magpies were an Australian rugby league club from Sydney . In 1999 the club merged with the Balmain Tigers to form the Wests Tigers .
history
The Western Suburbs Magpies were a founding member of the New South Wales Rugby League Premiership in 1908 . Here they were initially among the most unsuccessful participants - by 1916 alone the "magpies" had collected five wooden spoons . It wasn't until 1930 that the first title was won, followed by a runner-up championship in 1932 and another championship in 1934. A second strong phase with the same yield took place between 1948 and 1952. From 1961 to 1963, the Magpies lost three Grand Finals in a row, all against the St George Dragons . After that one fell back largely into the sporting insignificance. The 17 wooden spoons in the Western Suburbs are still a record in the NRL. In 1999 it merged with the much more successful Balmain Tigers .