Anthony Field, better known as the Blue Wiggle, said friends teased him when he told them he planned to pen a new victory song for his beloved Wests Tigers.
“How long will fans be waiting to sing that song?” the mates would cheekily ask Field.
Field and his Wiggles bandmates have spent the past few weeks working on the song which, they hope, will be played after every Tigers home win. They pitched the tune to Tigers officials for the first time on Friday.
The world-famous children’s group has also written a “rev-up song”, which would be played in the middle of games, and feature dance moves that incorporate the punching actions made famous by Balmain legend Laurie Nichols and an uppercut to acknowledge Wests Magpies icon Tommy Raudonikis.
There are hopes for a third song to be played after each try, which would be set to The Great Escape theme tune.
Star recruit Jarome Luai even recorded vocals for the proposed victory song, with Field admitting the halfback had the talent to pursue a career in music once his football commitments were finished.
Jarome Luai records with Purple Wiggle, John Pearce, and Yellow Wiggle, Tsehay Hawkins.Credit: Instagram
Luai posted an image of him recording with The Wiggles on Instagram during the week.
Field grew up a Balmain fan, but after being swept up by the buzz generated by the Tigers’s high-profile summer recruitment drive – headlined by Luai’s arrival from Penrith – said he wanted to do his part to improve the overall game-day experience.
Blue Wiggle Anthony Field loves the Wests TigersCredit: Guilia McGauran
He attended a Sydney Thunder Big Bash game and noticed how well the western Sydney franchise engaged with their audience, which gave Field the idea to try and do likewise for his NRL team.
“It’s been a rough road for any Tigers fan [they have collected three straight NRL wooden spoons], but it just feels better this year,” Field said.
“Good things are happening with ‘Richo’ [chief executive Shane Richardson] in charge, [coach] Benji [Marshall] is coming of age – he has the right people around him – and the players look like they are brothers and ready.
“I spoke to Jarome the other day [during recording], and there was no sense of sarcasm when he spoke about us winning games.
“When we thought about a victory song, any person who wasn’t a Tigers fan laughed and said, ‘That song will never be played’, or, ‘That song will only be played a couple of times a year’.
“Tigers fans have a great sense of humour. You have to have one to keep supporting them after all these years.
“But when we win, it means more. And we really celebrate. The first few lines to the song are: ‘Nobody said we could do it, but we’ve done it, nobody said we could win, but we’ve won it’.”
Field and nephews Seamus and Dom – also known to Wiggles fans as the “Tree of Wisdom” – wrote the lyrics in their studio in Sydney’s Hills district.
Luai was joined in the recording studio by Tigers co-captain Api Koroisau and new signings Terrell May and Sunia Turuva. The final call on whether to adopt the song will be up to the Tigers’ hierarchy.
Luai was the only player to sing the victory song, and Field said: “His voice is incredible. I would love to produce an album for him because his singing talent is as good as his rugby league talent. His voice is superb.”
Field has regularly worn his Balmain jersey to games, but said this year he would make a point of donning the Wests Tigers’ colours.
The Tigers kick off their campaign on Friday evening when they host Newcastle at Campbelltown. It will be four-time premiership winner Luai’s first official outing for his new club after he was kept on ice during the trials.
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