NRL 2023: Steve ‘Blocker’ Roach backs Blue Wiggle Anthony Field’s dream to buy Wests Tigers, bring back Balmain

Blue Wiggle Anthony Field’s dream to bring Balmain back to the NRL has gained a heavy-weight suporter, with Tigers legend Steve ‘Blocker' Roach confirming he's on board.

“I’m on board.”

With those three words from Tigers legend Steve ‘Blocker’ Roach, Blue Wiggle Anthony Field’s long-held dream of buying out Balmain’s share of Wests Tigers just gathered further momentum.

Field exclusively revealed his ambitions to return Balmain as a stand-alone NRL club to News Corp on Thursday before being inundated by rival media outlets throughout Australia.

“The world would be a better place if Balmain came back,” Field said.

Field, a Tigers fanatic, claimed he would look to acquire Balmain should the global children’s music phenomenon be sold for a “ridiculous” amount of money.

“Mate, I’d love it to happen – I’m on board – anything you want me to do,” said Roach, a 185-game Balmain icon.

Former footballer Steve Roach says he’s on board with Anthony Field’s dream to buy the Wests Tigers and bring back Balmain. Picture: Tracey Nearmy.

Blocker played 185-games for Balmain throughout his career and would love to see the Balmain Tigers back in the NRL.

“Selfishly, I’d love the Balmain Tigers to be back in and this might be the catalyst to get everyone on board.

“With the influence that a bloke Anthony has, how many other people would jump on board? He is massive globally.

“I’d just love our gang to get together and form a consortium to get it going. And this guy could inspire that and I reckon he would get plenty of backing too.

“I just think we’re nomads at the moment. We have no identity, we’re living nowhere. We’ve got four, five different home grounds.

“I’m not saying I’d like Wests out of it. Wests deserve to be in the comp too – they have been good to us. I’d just love them both (clubs) to get back their identities.

“Anthony is fair dinkum and he backed up the story again on Thursday. And what about his little mate Benny Elias? I don’t think I know a more connected bloke in footy than him. I can’t believe the Wests Tigers aren’t using him now.

“But as I said, I don’t want to discard any other club, like Wests.”

While Roach wants Wests to remain in the competition, he admits he would love to see Balmain get their identity back. Picture: Michael Amendolia.

An online News Corp poll clearly showed how much support Balmain has in rugby league. Respondents were asked which past team they would like to see return to the NRL.

The Bears finished first with 36 per cent of the vote with Balmain (19 per cent) running second ahead of Wests Magpies (ten per cent) and Perth Reds (nine per cent).

Field said: “If the Wiggles were sold one day for a ridiculous amount of money, I would definitely do it. I feel like I’m opening up a can of worms here but you can’t sweep tradition under the carpet.”

Roach also expressed a desire to redevelop a decaying Leichhardt Oval.

“I’d love it to be done up. I’d love to find some way where we could all get involved,” Roach said.

“You ask anyone who has played at Leichhardt, or been to Leichhardt, and they love it. That’s our home, mate.”

EXCLUSIVE: WIGGLE PLOTS $20M TIGERS TAKEOVER, WANTS BALMAIN RETURN

World famous Blue Wiggle and Wests Tigers tragic, Anthony Field, has revealed his dream of one day buying into the Wests Tigers and returning Balmain to the NRL as a single-entity team.

The Wiggles founder said he could fund his “fairytale” purchase if the iconic children’s entertainment group was ever sold for a “ridiculous” amount of money.

Field has been a fanatical Tigers fan his entire life and, while respecting and adoring the joint venture side since his beloved Balmain merged with Wests Magpies in 2000, he declared: “The world would be a better place if Balmain came back.”

“All my money now is invested in the Wiggles, and it would be a fairytale, but one day the Wiggles may sell somewhere. If I had that sort of money, yeah, I’d do it, absolutely.

Anthony Field ditches the Blue Wiggle skivvy for Balmain orange. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

“If the Wiggles were sold one day for a ridiculous amount of money, I would definitely do it. I feel like I’m opening up a can of worms here but you can’t sweep tradition under the carpet.”

Field would join the likes of South Sydney’s Russell Crowe, James Packer and Mike Cannon-Brookes, as well as the Manly Sea Eagles’ Scott Penn, as private owners of NRL clubs.

Wests Magpies currently hold 90 per cent of the Wests Tigers licence, with Balmain Tigers accounting for the remaining 10 per cent.

“I tell you what, I would do it in a very respectful way with Wests by trying to convince them that Western Australia would be good for the Wests Magpies — and Campbelltown — and the ‘Tiges’ would come back to Leichhardt,” Field said.

“Rugby league is a tribal sport and the world would be a better place if Balmain came back.

“Look, I buy into Wests Tigers because that’s all we’ve got, but I’ll be honest with you, if they announced tomorrow that Wests had their own team and Balmain had their own team, I don’t think I’d be sad – I’d be really happy, so happy.

“In the meantime, every week I’m buying tickets in the Italian lottery. If you win, that’s $250m, and with that sort of money I would go to Wests Ashfield and respectfully ask them if they’d like to row their own boat again.

Anthony Field and son Antonio at Leichhardt Oval in March. Picture: Instagram

“I hope they would still welcome me at Wests Leagues Club if I go down this path. Balmain is up against it because Wests hold all the cards at the moment, and that’s fine.”

Insiders suggest Wests Tigers would be worth around $20 million, although the Balmain portion would be significantly less.

The Wiggles are believed to be valued at at least $50 million. Field is the majority owner of the children’s supergroup with his personal wealth estimated to be around $20 million.

“I have told Anthony that I would back him 100 per cent if he bought Balmain back,” said Balmain legend, Ben Elias.

And in another throwback, Field would want to strip sponsorship logos from jerseys so clubs could play in a “pure’ football jumper.

“I’d love to get sponsorship off the jumpers so it would be a pure Balmain jumper. It’s absolutely beautiful. In America, they respect the jumper. You could still have sponsors and look after them,” he said.

“And bring the Leagues Club back so we could go somewhere after the games. I live in the past, mate.

Anthony Field and his daughter, Lucia, who became the second blue Wiggle. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

“I’m all for the Wests Tigers but, seriously, the community at Leichhardt is all Balmain and if you go to Campbelltown, all the hard-core people are in Wests jumpers and that’s great.

“Leichhardt is still the greatest ground. Part of the charm is it’s run down and it’s exactly like it was (in the past). When I go there, you could be back in the 1990s when ‘Junior’ (Wayne Pearce) was running around. Leichhardt actually means something, like Lidcombe Oval.”

Field explained how and why he became such a passionate Tigers supporter.

“My grandfather (Donald Ritchie) used to walk from his home in Glebe in the late 1960s and early 1970s – and the great year of 1969 when I was six years old – to Leichhardt Oval and I was privileged enough to go to a few of those games with him,” he said.

“My dad (John) and family, when we lived at Lalor Park, were all Parramatta fans so I was kind of forced to wear the Eels jersey for a while – we had no choice. But, as soon as I was old enough to make up my own mind and had free choice I went straight to Balmain.

The Wests Tigers are on a two-game winning streak.

“Balmain was always everyone’s second team but they became my first team.

“I moved into the area many years ago, living in Drummoyne, and I’m now at Gladesville.

“Actually, when the Wiggles first tasted success there was a house for sale in Mary Street (next to Leichhardt Oval) but I just missed out.

“I would never have upgraded if I got that house, I would have stayed there happy.

“And I remember I took my now-wife (Michaela Patisteas) to a game, she was from Victoria and had no idea about league, one time at Leichhardt Oval. We were watching the Tigers getting absolutely demolished and she had a few drinks and fell backwards off one of the bench seats and I thought: ‘This is the girl I’m going to marry’.”

Field never misses a game.

“If I’m in Sydney and can get to a game, I’m there, mate. And I’ve got all the apps (when overseas), I can’t miss a game,” he said.

Originally published as NRL 2023: Steve ‘Blocker’ Roach backs Blue Wiggle Anthony Field’s dream to buy Wests Tigers, bring back Balmain