As Wests Tigers prepare to take on the North Queensland Cowboys in a crucial match up at Leichhardt Oval on Friday night, Wests Tigers Digital is taking a look back at some of the memories that make the ground so special.
2005 was a wonderful season for obvious reasons with many great moments, but one of the stand out occasions was the 42-20 defeat of traditional rivals South Sydney in front of a jam packed Leichhardt Oval.
DON'T MISS THE NEXT CHAPTER - GET YOUR TICKETS TO LEICHHARDT OVAL NOW
Hours before the demolition of traditional rivals South Sydney, it was fast becoming apparent to those who had arrived in the ground that this day was going to be big.
As thousands of fans streamed into the ground, the lines to enter were getting longer, not shorter as kick off approached.
Regular visitors to Leichhardt Oval can judge the size of the crowd by the depth of fans standing on the hill. An hour prior to kick off, almost the entirety of the hill was on its feet.
When the gates were closed 20 minutes before kick off with a recorded 22,877 inside the ground, police were desperately trying remove determined punters from trees and the roofs of surrounding houses.
"I've never seen it like this, it was unbelievable," a 21-year-old Robbie Farah told the Sydney Morning Herald.
"I got shivers down my spine running out. I saw people sitting on the rooftops of houses."
Farah went on to score a hat-trick against a South Sydney side which simply couldn't match the attacking prowess of a Wests Tigers side riding a wave of emotion from the faithful inside the ground.
Those who saw the cheeky Rabbitohs fan who'd had enough of the slaughter climb the old scoreboard in an attempt to add to his team's tally will forever remember it as one of the special moments served up every time by one of rugby league's great landmarks.
It wasn't the seven tries scored by Wests Tigers which remain the defining image of that day. Rather it was the images of the thousands of fans rallying behind their side and lifting them to heights not even the most ardent Member had dreamed of.
Leichhardt Oval summed up why rugby league and Wests Tigers are so special to those who have had the chance to experience the atmosphere.
2005 was a wonderful season for obvious reasons with many great moments, but one of the stand out occasions was the 42-20 defeat of traditional rivals South Sydney in front of a jam packed Leichhardt Oval.
DON'T MISS THE NEXT CHAPTER - GET YOUR TICKETS TO LEICHHARDT OVAL NOW
Hours before the demolition of traditional rivals South Sydney, it was fast becoming apparent to those who had arrived in the ground that this day was going to be big.
As thousands of fans streamed into the ground, the lines to enter were getting longer, not shorter as kick off approached.
Regular visitors to Leichhardt Oval can judge the size of the crowd by the depth of fans standing on the hill. An hour prior to kick off, almost the entirety of the hill was on its feet.
When the gates were closed 20 minutes before kick off with a recorded 22,877 inside the ground, police were desperately trying remove determined punters from trees and the roofs of surrounding houses.
"I've never seen it like this, it was unbelievable," a 21-year-old Robbie Farah told the Sydney Morning Herald.
"I got shivers down my spine running out. I saw people sitting on the rooftops of houses."
Farah went on to score a hat-trick against a South Sydney side which simply couldn't match the attacking prowess of a Wests Tigers side riding a wave of emotion from the faithful inside the ground.
Those who saw the cheeky Rabbitohs fan who'd had enough of the slaughter climb the old scoreboard in an attempt to add to his team's tally will forever remember it as one of the special moments served up every time by one of rugby league's great landmarks.
It wasn't the seven tries scored by Wests Tigers which remain the defining image of that day. Rather it was the images of the thousands of fans rallying behind their side and lifting them to heights not even the most ardent Member had dreamed of.
Leichhardt Oval summed up why rugby league and Wests Tigers are so special to those who have had the chance to experience the atmosphere.
