Wests Tigers today announced an exciting Centenary initiative with the launch of the Wests Tigers Ball Relay.

On April 20, 1908, the Balmain Tigers and Wests Magpies created history, playing the first ever match of First Grade rugby league in Australia at Birchgrove Oval.

100 years to the day, on April 20, 2008, Wests Tigers will create history when they hold the game’s first ever Ball Relay.

To commemorate the game’s Centenary, Wests Tigers will conduct an ‘Olympic’ style relay during the NRL’s Heritage Round.

The relay will start at Birchgrove Oval following a State Cup match between Balmain and Wests and will continue along a designated route to the Sydney Cricket Ground where Wests Tigers will play the South Sydney Rabbitohs.

The Ball Relay will take in some of Rugby League’s most historical sites running along Darling Street just hundreds of metres from where two of rugby league’s greatest names lived at East Balmain.

As the relay runners head along Darling Street, they will pass Duke Street, where the house once stood of rugby league’s first superstar figure Dally Messenger. Messenger spent the first 18 months of his life in the Inner West Street, in 1883-84.

His father Charlie, a boat builder, operated a boatshed at Mort Bay but increasing land prices in the area forced him to move and relocate the structure to Double Bay – otherwise Messenger might have been a Tiger.

Running across Duke St is Duke Place, where Balmain rugby league legend Wayne Pearce spent his formative years – including when he made his debut for the Tigers in 1980 – growing up with the neighbourhood folklore that the great ‘Dally’ once lived around the corner.

Pearce’s father was grounds man at Leichhardt Oval for years and a young Wayne used to ride his pushbike across Victoria Road to the ground to sell hot dogs for pocket money.

After winding its way through the streets of Balmain the relay will travel across Sydney Harbour aboar the Dawn Fraser River Cat, under Harbour Bridge, pass the Opera house and through the heart of the City to the historical Sydney Cricket Ground.

The relay will begin at Birchgrove Oval at the end of the Balmain and Wests State Cup match with the game’s players handing the match ball to the oldest living player from Balmain, Sid Ryan and the oldest living Wests player, Bill Keato.

Barns and Keato will then continue the relay, passing the ball on to Balmain and Wests legends from the 40s, 50s and 60s.

Recognising the past, present and future of rugby league the relay will include 12 legs, featuring representatives from foundation clubs – Norths, Souths, Newtown, and Newcastle, as well as celebrity supporters, community members, junior league representatives and fans.

Women will also be recognised for their significant contribution to the game with the NRL’s Harvey Norman Women in League carrying the ball during a leg of the historic relay.

The relay will culminate with a surprise ending prior to the NRL First Grade kick off at Sydney Cricket Ground.