OUR HISTORY
A TIGERS Legacy
Uncover the legends, relish the triumphs, and become a part of the ongoing legacy that defines Griffith Waratah TIGERS RLFC.
Where Tradition Meets Triumph
IT ALL STARTED AT THE PUB
To chronicle the story of Griffith Waratahs RLFC is to tell of courageous men who defied the odds in the club’s pioneer days, of the great players who have worn the black and gold proudly, and of the triumphs and eight premierships in the three decades.
Waratah’s fighting spirit is legendary in the county club league, and the deeds of household names like Len Bertoldo, Fred Griffiths, Ray Brown, Bob Priest, Reg McCalla and other heroes have been etched in club folklore.
The club has packed plenty of tradition into just over 60 years of participating in group 20 and it is a story well worth recording.
The response to the public meeting was overwhelming, and it was rather fitting that the scene of Waratah’s birthplace was an upstairs room in the club’s unofficial headquarters and favourite ‘watering hole’ over the years, The Area Hotel in Banna Avenue.
This is the article from the local newspaper The Area News that appeared following that fateful meeting one Friday night in November 1963:-
“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.
There were some interesting discussions on the matter, and speakers freely discussed the possibilities of forming a second club and the number of players that would be required. Several younger people at the meeting said that they had been forced to go to other sports for the reason that they could not get a game of rugby league even though that sport was their first love.
The great accent was placed on the huge contingent of schoolboy football players now participating in the Saturday afternoon M.I.A Junior Rugby league competition and it was pointed out that long-range provisions had to be made for them. Now that the club has been formed and a committee elected, the new club will approach the Griffith Leagues club this week for financial assistance.
If they are successful in this regard, an approach will then be made to the M.I.A. Constituent League (Griffith and Yenda club delegates and three executives) to seek their support in sponsoring the new club at the group 20 annual general meeting in February.
If the support of these two organisations is forthcoming, the new club will proceed to make arrangements for the 1964 season in expectation of a favourable decision from the Group 20 meeting.
The committee formed to control the new club comprises mostly young sportsman in the town, many of whom are still actively taking part or have just recently completed their rugby league careers.
It is felt that a committee such as this could be progressive enough to win public support, as was evidenced by the number in attendance at the first meeting.
The new committee met for the first time at the Area Hotel last night (Monday), to draw up a constitution and elect delegates to meet leagues Club and M.I.A constituent league official.”
Griffith Waratahs first grade 1964- Back row, left to right: Charlie Edwards (team manager) Doug Alpen, Bruce Livingstone, Reg Cooper, Doug Rawson, Ross Carson, Ron Seaton, Ted Scobie, Bernie Seymour (captain/coach). Front row: Fred Curley, Brain Cooper, Kerry Mcaloon, Reg McCulla, Bill McKay, Jack Slattery (strapper). The ballboy in Gary Tucker
Athol Turner-1976:Big Artie made it to the front page of the Daily Telegraph in September 1976 over the famous “ear lobe incident’. Playing in a reserve grade preliminary final against Lakes United at Griffith, Artie had part of his left ear bitten off. It happened following a melee five minutes from the end of the game. Although the alleged biter claimed he had no teeth, the league instigated an investigation into the case. Big Artie, bewildered by all the publicity, played down the incident saying “There's no grudge, it all happened in the heat of a game’. Waratahs ran out easy 31-15 winners and Turner finished the game.
Two of Griffith Waratahs best best-ever products in Geoff Foster (left) who made a name for himself with Western Suburbs and Les Bertoldo who played for Riverina, Country and NSW in 1975 during the club's golden era.
Ray Brown, a hooker blessed with uncanny ball skills emerged from Waratah's ranks in the late 1970s when the club's awesome forward strength must have equalled any that could have been assembled in NSW County rugby league.
Brown holds the title of Waratah's most famous footballing son, being the club's first and only international.
He began his distinguished career in Waratahs under 16s playing as a halfback but it wasn't long before he switched the engine room and his amazing ball-playing talent became obvious. Brown went straight from juniors into first grade, packing down in the 1976 premiership front row alongside established stars like state prop Len Bertoldo and Larry Salvestro.
After gaining selection for Riverina in 1977, Brown drew attention from Sydney talent scouts in 1978 when he clinched the NSW County Player of the Year award. Wests was the first to acknowledge his ability but he later switched to ‘silvertails’ Manly along with teammates Les Boyd and John Doraphy in a move that caused a storm at the time.
Brown played in the shadow of Test skipper Max Krilich in his early years at Manly, but his ability was such that he eventually gained selection for Australia in the all-conquering 1982 Kangaroos, even though he had played a large slice of that season in Manly reserve grade.
He tasted state-of-origin football during the 1983 series, twice being selected as a reserve for NSW, and was a member of the starting line-up that beat Queensland 10-6 at the Sydney Football Stadium, when injury forced out ever-green clubmate Max Krilich.
Brown, however, is only one of a galaxy of Waratah products who possessed the ability to make the big time of Sydney rugby league others who have gone onto bigger things since donning a Waratah jumper include goal-kicking prop Brain Milthorpe, who played for Illawarra and was a lower-grade coach at Cronulla. He also guided Moss Vale to a premiership and led the southern division to the 1983 Caltex Country Championship.
Looking back over 30 years, the part played by Griffiths's large Italian population in Waratahs on-field success in group 20 has been considerable.
In this period there have been more than 200 registered players of Italian heritage with names like Pilosio, Bertoldo, Calabria, Catanzariti, Sergi, Fattore, Pangello, Salvestro, Rossetto, Scarfone, Andrighetto, Trimboli, Agostini, Papaollo, Carnelutti, Barzan and Moraschi amongst the ‘Italian Stallions’ who made an impact. Probably one of the most memorable moments for the ‘Wogatahs’ came in 1971 when the ‘Argentine Ant’ Reg McCulla led Tahs to victory 13-11 over Black and Whites in the grand final. Seven Italians- Pat Catanzarti, Kevin Calabria, Mick Agostini, Joe Pangello, Dennis Calabria, Len Bertolo and Tony Sergi were all part of the team. Dennis Calabria was arguably one of the best second rovers ever produced by Wartahs, whilst Kevin Calabria would rate one of the best halfbacks. Joe Pangello and Willy Pilodio were real tackling machines who sometimes made 60 tackles per game. Tony ‘Tank’ Sergi, was a gifted ball player who recognised match fitness was better than training but would star in any ear. Larry Salvestro and Frank Carnelutti were regarded as ‘workhorses’ and played in several premiership-winning line-ups.
Mick Agostini was a cheeky halfback in the old-fashioned mould, known to annoy the hell out of the opposition and the referee. Brain Rossetto and Micheal Scrafone represented Riverina and the county along with Len Bertoldo, who went a step further and played for NSW. Bertoldo was respected as one of the fairest and toughest forwards in country football during a career that spanned two decades. Bill Calabria still holds the record for being sent off in record time- Bill received his marching orders playing on the wing in the 25th second against Darlington Point when he knocked out his opponent. It was his first game of rugby league after hanging up his boxing gloves.
Ever since 1967, when Laurie Townsend persuaded Dennis Calabria, Peter Thompson, Tony Sergi and Kevin Calabria to leave soccer and join Waratahs, the Hardwood soccer club became a nursery. Even today, Players like the Serafins, Codemos and Ristagnos have left the round ball game to try their luck at Waratahs.
BEST-EVER WOGATAHS TEAM: Peter Moraschi; Pat Catanzariti, Barry Calabria, Brian Rossetto, Kevin Rossetto, Kevin Calabria, Mick Agostini; Will Pilosio, Micheal Scarfone, Dennis Calabria, Len Bertoldo © , Tony Sergi, Larry Salvestro. Reserves Joe Pangello, John Trimboli, Frank Carnelutti.
-Seectors: The Mario Brothers
Len Bertoldo, Ray Brown and Larry Salvestro get together during the club's last reunion back in 1984.
