The strife torn Wests Tigers merger is set to suffer another body blow with the Kiwi South Island Kea franchise opening secret talks with Balmain.
In a stunning move, Wide World of Sports can reveal that Kea bosses contacted their Balmain counterparts last week to discuss a possible partnership.
It comes in the wake of revelations of just how large the divide is between the Western Suburbs and Balmain sides of the Wests Tigers joint venture.
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The Kea, based in Christchurch, are hoping to become the 19th team to enter the NRL and believe that joining forces with Balmain, a foundation club when rugby league was born in Australia in 1908, will be a massive boost to their chances.
That would leave Western Suburbs to return as a stand alone club in the NRL - a move several influential board members at Concord have been pushing for in recent times.
Wests Tigers.
Wests Tigers. (Getty)
Reports on the weekend of leaked texts and emails showed that the animosity between Wests and Balmain has reached a point where the two clubs will find it difficult to co-exist into the future.
Many senior Balmain officials want to remain in the merger with Wests - but that seems doomed.
And if it does fall apart, they will entertain joining up with the Kea - their only way of staying in the NRL's top tier.
The Kea plan to divide their games between their home stadium in Christchurch and Balmain's spiritual home ground of Leichhardt Oval, a venue cherished by many fans in the NRL.
NRL officials rejected the Kea bid several months ago but the possible union with Balmain adds plenty of attraction to the bid.
https://amp.nine.com.au/article/5f6e4099-3a67-493e-9a2a-e4f180450289
Top 8 2023
Making a mountain out of a mole-hill (pun intended) would be kind to this nonsense.
For the record, we have been completely blindsided by the Mole’s story today. It has zero connection to anything to do with the petition.
On a personal note, I find the report (if there is any truth in it) heartbreaking. As a Balmain Football Club member I would never support any break away from Wests Tigers.
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@helmesy Im born and bred a Balmain man. Im NOW a Wests Tigers Man. Balmain own nothing, maybe their Name. I'm just waiting for Benny to pop up and declare it a great idea (that will officially confirm its not).
For the record, we have been completely blindsided by the Mole’s story today. It has zero connection to anything to do with the petition.
Understood and agreed, but it is a massive problem with the petition. The petition is for a revision into the governance of a completely separate body to WT with a massively broad remit that for the most part has nothing to do with WT and by extension us as fans. I completely understand everyones intention and motivation here, and I understand that the intent is to generate change in HBG to allow the review recommendations to be fully implemented and gain independence in the board, but....the fact that the petition only targets one side of the merger was ALWAYS going to stir up partisan arguments (despite the fact that HBG are the massively dominant partner).
On a personal note, I find the report (if there is any truth in it) heartbreaking. As a Balmain Football Club member I would never support any break away from Wests Tigers.
Agreed 100% however I dont actually think it matters if it ever got to a vote. The fact that they have already had meetings to discuss it is damning.
IMO if the review recommendations are not implemented prior to the season starting, I genuinely fear for the future of the Wests Tigers.
On a personal note, I find the report (if there is any truth in it) heartbreaking.
The report merely states that someone from a random failed bid made a call/email to someone from Balmain. They probably did the same for several other entities.
From there, the Mole has extrapolated things out to this somehow being certain doom for Wests Tigers, based on literally nothing.
It's the sort of story that gets put out on 30/12, when a faded gossip merchant has nothing else to publish.
@tiger5150 In some way this could well be the thinking of the few holding up the full implementation of the review which they agreed to one year ago .. I have personally thought the Weststigers are a spent force … if the few can not get there act together after 25 seasons there never going to we all have to be realistic here! And this new development about Balmain these guys are worse than HBG they only have any relevance at all because the HBG gave them an olive branch … I would not have and that decision would have been business based only .. as I have said the Weststigers are done sorry guys after 25 seasons the fools will get what they wanted from the start no one will have anything , who is your second team !
My understanding is this story has been manipulated for someone else's gain.
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that kea bid apparently reached out to a number of teams not just balmain, bs story
Who's The Mole? And, why should anything he/she/it writes be taken seriously?
@mercy-rule Tony Adams is the Mole. Been around for a hundred years. I think he was friends with Sheensy.
