Mr Helmesy, your petition of some 1700 people is impressive and far more than I thought you would get. So full marks to you. But since you have such a tool, please use it well, thats all i'm saying. You will only get one crack at this, much like when Luke Skywalker meets his Dad.........
Darth Frog
Are you saying we’re up against an evil empire? 😆
Wests Tigers Podcast - Talking everything Wests Tigers!
Chris Lawrence has walked away from the club after Hagipantelis had a dummy spit over a text sent by Lawrence following the flogging by the Cowboys which simply said “You can’t be happy with this?”.
Clearly the Chairman is part of the problem, not the part of the solution.
Wests Tigers DNA my arse.
I would suggest a very large part of the problem.
Wests Tigers Podcast - Talking everything Wests Tigers!
Hi fellas, what’s the latest with the petition? Are you waiting for a certain number of signatures? Momentum seems to have slowed.
Hi fellas, what’s the latest with the petition? Are you waiting for a certain number of signatures? Momentum seems to have slowed.
Finalising our submission/the petition in coming days and then presenting it to them. We will then give them some time to respond. What that response is will shape our actions from there.
Wests Tigers Podcast - Talking everything Wests Tigers!
How many people have signed at this point? And did the meeting with Simon Cook go ahead or is that when you are presenting it?
How many people have signed at this point? And did the meeting with Simon Cook go ahead or is that when you are presenting it?
It did go ahead, presentation/submission upcoming.
Wests Tigers Podcast - Talking everything Wests Tigers!
Benny Elias has called for the NRL to intervene at the Wests Tigers to ensure board members are no longer “a protected species” at the struggling club.
Balmain legend Elias believes the board must be held accountable and wants the club’s 20,000 members to elect directors.
“It really annoys me when people who pay their hard-earned dollars can’t even have a say - the system stinks because it’s the people who own the game,” Elias toldfoxsports.com.au.
“You come to a stage where enough is enough. I’m talking out for the people who support our great club.”
Tigers chairman Leigh Hagipantelis is a major sponsor of the club through his law firm. Elias, who sat on the Wests Tigers board for a decade, believes this could be preventing other board members from challenging him.
“Do I think there’s a conflict of interest? Yes. Do I think the board should reapply for their positions? Yes,” Elias said.
“The Wests Tigers, I believe, are the greatest club in the NRL and I find it very frustrating where we are, we’re looking down the barrel of back-to-back wooden spoons.
“They said things couldn’t get any worse last year when we got our first wooden spoon - well they have, we’ve gone from 16th to 17th.
“But what frustrates me more is a paying member does not have a say in the outcome of the board. I believe the NRL should seriously look at fixing it because I find that disrespectful to the supporters.
“The Dragons are in a similar position and have a look at where they are on the ladder.”
Elias stopped short of saying all clubs should have to operate by those rules.
“There are clubs that have private enterprise and there are sides that are owned by the leagues clubs,” Elias said.
“If I’m Russell Crowe and I paid $5 million for South Sydney then I can do what I want because I paid for it, I bought it. He gets that right.
“With our club, it’s owned by the members of the leagues club. If we’re out of pocket $2 million, the shortfall is made up by the leagues club, the Wests Ashfield Leagues Club.
“If South Sydney has a shortfall it’s made up by Russell Crowe.
“The people own the Wests Tigers, not an individual, not a chairman who is a major sponsor.
“If I’m on the board for BHP I need to make sure I’m making the right decisions and I’m accountable to the shareholders. It should be the same in rugby league. It frustrates me to no end because nobody is accountable.
“The club shouldn’t be influenced so much by one man. I don’t believe any board member would question the chairperson’s directions.”
The Tigers haven’t played finals since 2011 and Elias emphasised the definition of insanity is trying the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.
“The chairman said the buck stops with the board, well he’s on the board so he needs to have a good look in the mirror,” Elias said.
“I know I speak for the masses because I get it every day. I can’t tell you how many people talk to me about what I’m saying now.”
Wests Tigers Podcast - Talking everything Wests Tigers!
nobody is accountable
Clearly
Wests Tigers Podcast - Talking everything Wests Tigers!
Question: as the petition organiser can you send and email via the petition website updating the people who signed and left an email address. There would be a lot of people not on this forum that signed so it would be good to keep them engaged and informed
Statement from Shannon Cavanagh:
If you’ve ever wondered how the ‘members’ of Wests Tigers have been left without any voice and
democratic process ignored, you need to consider this:
In 1999, the members of Wests and Balmain voted to form the Wests Tigers Joint Venture. There
was an undertaking that Wests Tigers would represent Wests and Balmain in First Grade (NRL) and
the two clubs would continue to operate separately in all competitions below NRL, as they had done
for the previous 92 years.
At that stage, both clubs had thousands of members, as Wests and Balmain had been fielding teams
in the top tier competition. Importantly, those members had voting rights.
Over the ensuing years, supporters have naturally become ‘members’ of Wests Tigers, the NRL team,
and membership of the original foundation clubs has dwindled. However, the new Wests Tigers
‘members’ are just ticket holders, not members with any voting rights or ability to influence control
of Wests Tigers.
Power to influence control over the decision making at Wests Tigers has remained with Wests and
Balmain. However, by 2023, very few are aware of that fact, which suits those in power as there is
minimal threat to their positions.
So much so, that from 2018 until it was recently exposed, Balmain did not even bother to convene
an Annual General Meeting or give their members any chance to ask questions or vote for their
representatives who would ultimately make the decisions as to whom to appoint to the Board of
Wests Tigers.
Financial Statements, the preparation and lodgment of which had also been neglected for some
years, indicate that they had not been collecting membership fees during this period, meaning that
even if they had convened the AGM’s as required under the law, there would likely have been very
few ‘financial members’ with any voting rights.
New members have attempted to join Balmain to start the process of initiating much needed
change, however, membership applications have been rejected by the so-called Board of Balmain,
with no explanation given.
I contacted Leslie Glen, the ‘Chairman’ of Balmain to request an explanation for the rejection of
membership applications from three applicants, one a lawyer, another a registered liquidator and
the third, a chartered accountant.
Mr Glen’s response was simply ‘Dear Mr Cavanagh. You have been advised of the Board’s decision. I
do not propose to engage in further discussion on this matter with you. Yours sincerely. Leslie Glen.’
I responded ‘Dear Lesley, The only way to change the decision making at Wests Tigers is through
membership of the two foundation clubs? And you are blocking this? Obviously, this won’t look
good. But thank you for your response. Regards Shannon Cavanagh.’
Wests have been actively seeking and accepting new members, however, until recently, not many
members were aware of the club’s right to appoint a Director to the Board of Wests Tigers. At the
2022 AGM, this was finally acknowledged by the then-Chairman, and that Director was identified.
However, the decision to appoint this person had never been discussed by the Wests Board.
This led to two important questions: firstly, who made the decision to appoint this person and,
secondly, and perhaps of more concern, how was this appointment registered with the Australian
Securities & Investments Commission.
I believe that the control structure of Wests Tigers has been deliberately kept vague. The result has
been that the vast majority think change is impossible and have not bothered to challenge the
current decision makers.
Interestingly, the Chairman of Wests Tigers, Lee Hagipantelis, has not come forth with a clear and
articulate explanation of the control structure and, importantly, how can the members, fans or other
stakeholders initiate change.
Instead he has spread misinformation and delivered insults to those questioning his governance.
Mr Hagipantelis claimed in an article in the SMH on 23 July 2023 that I had ‘declared an intention to
see the Wests Tigers fold and be replaced by the Western Suburbs Magpies in the NRL competition’.
This is simply not true, however I would gladly offer Mr Hagipantelis the opportunity to provide
substantiation of this claim.
To suggest that a divide between Wests and Balmain is in any way responsible for the club’s current
predicament is a desperate attempt to deflect attention away from the real source of the problems.
I personally think that Wests, Balmain and Wests Tigers fans have never been more galvanized.
There is a common enemy and they all want change.
Last week, I was invited to appear on SEN network to explain the structure of Wests Tigers, in
particular, how change could be made, and explained in a way in which the lay-man could
understand. That is, talk straight. I assume that I was contacted, instead of Mr Hagipantelis, as he
has been unable or unwilling to do so previously. Yet, Mr Hagipantelis says ‘I do feel a little sorry for
Cavanagh, obviously suffering from delusions of relevance’.
I thank Mr Hagipantelis for his concern, however, I suggest, that rather than dishing out insults to
those speaking out about the mess we are currently in, he should have a good hard look at himself.
Particularly, given his reported ‘glass jaw’ when it comes to taking criticism.
My advice to concerned members and supporters is to join Wests Magpies, Balmain Tigers and
Wests Ashfield, the owners of Wests Tigers. Ask questions, attend AGMs, vote and keep up the
pressure. It is your right to do so. And don’t give up.
Wests Tigers Podcast - Talking everything Wests Tigers!
Question: as the petition organiser can you send and email via the petition website updating the people who signed and left an email address. There would be a lot of people not on this forum that signed so it would be good to keep them engaged and informed
Yes, I sent an update to them late last week via the petition system.
Wests Tigers Podcast - Talking everything Wests Tigers!
I honestly thought the Wests Magpies made the Board structures pretty clear, but that clarity shows that Holman Barnes controls Wests Football Club (voting majority) and ensures their preferred appointee goes onto the Wests Tigers Board.
If it was not the NRL being in the middle of the CBA negotiations I truly believe they'd be having a closer inspection at the governance of WT.
@jirskyr so do you think this is good thing mate ?
If there’s an avenue for change or at least justification of the boards position and title every period (say 2 years) then that has to be the avenue we should all pursue .
I have zero idea if Lee is the root of all our problems , I would hazard to guess that’s baloney , but rather suggest he is incapable of minimising it .
The thing is , is a 60-80 year old white male from inner city , really the only perspective we can draw from . And yea I know there’s a woman on the board .
Surely there’s some people in the other 60 odd years of life experience not represented on the board who could offer something.
In fact , just looking around at the way society is , and the fact that most boomers are completely at odds with the general ebbs and flows of where society is going , and as a microcosm of this , the business of football , that I would suggest that they are completely I’ll suited to their positions.
Seriously to those reading this just think about . If your of an age and you have uttered something like “I would just tell him to suck it up , and shut up and do what your told” in reference to anything regarding football , or a variation of it , are you really suited to machinations of 2023 nrl life .
Now what if the board think like this . What if 1 person on the board thinks like this . Or “back in my day “ . What if they think like this around business strategies , and governance strategies?
And then when you look at polls and graphs around 55-80 year olds around ideology, the sheer maths says that , not only does 1 of the board think like this , but most probably a fair chunk of the board . Unless our board is somehow living in a vacuum inside of reality , then the latter comment is probably the most likely truth .
It’s to this thought alone that the winds of change have to come .
Im not saying bring in Benny and Robbie , but I am saying , there’s a lot of people on here , and other forums , who bring a wealth of knowledge and fresh perspective , who could offer as much , if not more than 80s pop stars and former real estate agents .
Seriously ….
