Getting a bit sick of people saying Lee will pull his sponsorship if he’s removed. I’m sure he’s not paying his deal week to week, the sponsorship would be locked in via a contract that I think would be pretty much unbreakable if the club is willing to see out its side of the deal.
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Wests Tigers fans are slow to trust. And with good reason.
They’ve been burned 1000 times before, by broken promises of change, by expectations placed on kids too young to bear the weight, by then losing those kids to see them blossom elsewhere, by new coaches and new recruits and a net result of failure since 2011.
All they want is a club they can believe in, with solid, pragmatic governance that makes sense.
They want their highly paid players to go to training and dig in when things get hard.
They want accountability.
And that’s why there’s hope for the week ahead.
It’s among the most important week in the club’s history in terms of shaping the future of the Wests Tigers and ending more than a decade of mediocrity.
On Tuesday the Tigers will hold the final board meeting of the year where results of an independent review into the club’s governance is expected to lead to action based on the report’s recommendations.
Wests Tigers chairman Lee Hagipantelis and CEO Justin Pascoe. Picture: Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images
It’s anticipated those recommendations include major structural changes within the board, which could see the end of chairman and major sponsor Lee Hagipantelis from Bryden’s Lawyers.
And if the recommendations are accepted and put into action, directors of the Holman Barnes Group, who hold a majority on the Tigers board, may be forced to vote themselves out.
It’s a line in the sand moment too for coach Benji Marshall, who faces the first test of his coaching mettle with veteran winger David Nofoaluma this week.
The pair played 63 games together between 2013 and 2020, but this shift in their relationship is a difficult one to navigate.
Nofoaluma is unhappy at how he is being treated at training and refused to turn up last week, but he’s expected back on Monday.
As one of the big earners at the club, Nofoaluma is a leader and should be setting standards at training. However, his future is not certain, and he’s been in and out of first grade recently.
How Marshall handles this week will shape how he’s seen by the playing group and fans alike.
David Nofoaluma at pre-season training before he refused to turn up. Picture: Tigers Instagram
All considered, the next few days are a true turning point for the club that could turn them into a powerhouse of the NRL, re-engage their loyal fan base and spark a brighter future.
And that’s no hyperbole.
It all started from a petition with more than 2000 signatures of Tigers fans, which was organised by a handful of fed up supporters.
Steve Stretton from the Wests Tigers fan podcast is one of them.
“We’re delighted that Holman Barnes listened to the fanbase through us with the review, that they took our petition seriously and instructed a review take place. Our hope now is whatever the recommendations are, that they’re put in place,” he says.
“From the outset, we’re not about pointing the finger, we just want our club to be successful and we want change to happen that will allow us to be successful.
“Our hope is the club is put before any individual gain.”
Wests Tigers coach Benji Marshall has a big job on his hands. Picture: Tigers Instagram
Fans like Stretton can be polarising, but they’re powerful. And so they should be.
The loyalist of fans ask for change, instead of allowing themselves to grow indifferent to a 12-year finals drought, multiple coaching changes and two consecutive wooden spoons.
In a society where time is money, energy spent by regular citizens trying to provoke action in an NRL club is truly unique.
“The one thing about Wests Tigers fans, it’s an extremely passionate fan base and an extremely broad fanbase. When the Wests Tigers are doing well, it engages so many people,” Stretton says.
“The fact that there are so many rusted on fans who are so passionate about the club after 11 years of absolute rubbish performances, really, it just shows how deep the fanbase goes.”
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It’s a shame they’ve been the butt of the joke for so long now.
If the Tigers’ board is forced to start again on Tuesday, they’re not starting from scratch.
At least they’ll never be irrelevant. They’ll never have to beg fans to care for as long as they’ve still got them.
In memory of Geoff Chisholm (1965-2022)
Getting a bit sick of people saying Lee will pull his sponsorship if he’s removed. I’m sure he’s not paying his deal week to week, the sponsorship would be locked in via a contract that I think would be pretty much unbreakable if the club is willing to see out its side of the deal.
Lee probably wrote the contract for us and has an out hidden in the fine print.
In memory of Geoff Chisholm (1965-2022)
Getting a bit sick of people saying Lee will pull his sponsorship if he’s removed. I’m sure he’s not paying his deal week to week, the sponsorship would be locked in via a contract that I think would be pretty much unbreakable if the club is willing to see out its side of the deal.
Lee probably wrote the contract for us and has an out hidden in the fine print.
this would be the best outcome. $1m a year is not special for an nRL front sponsor. I would like to get the big black splodge off the front of our jersey and replace it with something more simple and tasteful
Wow!!!
Great article!
Again! Well done to Garry, Steve, Joel and the team! If you get this over the line, it truly is a miracle!
I truly believe this is make or break time for our club
Top 8 2023
this would be the best outcome. $1m a year is not special for an nRL front sponsor. I would like to get the big black splodge off the front of our jersey and replace it with something more simple and tasteful
Agree with the $ amount.
While I don't agree with the conflict of interest, IF the club is going to offer chairmanship to our major sponsor, at least charge the right value for the privilege.
I would of been charging at least 5 X the going sponsorship rate, to be sponsor and chairman.
$5 mill a year at least
Top 8 2023
Getting a bit sick of people saying Lee will pull his sponsorship if he’s removed. I’m sure he’s not paying his deal week to week, the sponsorship would be locked in via a contract that I think would be pretty much unbreakable if the club is willing to see out its side of the deal.
Lee probably wrote the contract for us and has an out hidden in the fine print.
this would be the best outcome. $1m a year is not special for an nRL front sponsor. I would like to get the big black splodge off the front of our jersey and replace it with something more simple and tasteful
I will buy a new jersey the day we get one without his sponsorship on the front.
In memory of Geoff Chisholm (1965-2022)
Interesting comment that. Brydens might do better without Lee as the Tigers chair. His talk and ineffectual actions may turn tigers fans away from using his firm.
Interesting comment that. Brydens might do better without Lee as the Tigers chair. His talk and ineffectual actions may turn tigers fans away from using his firm.
Lee and Brydens are getting 100x the advertising/media attention than any other jersey sponsor, Thanks to the fact he has profile now he's chairman.
No fan know the name of any other chair other than Uncle Nick and Lee.
He's getting great sponsorship return for his $1m a year
Top 8 2023
Getting a bit sick of people saying Lee will pull his sponsorship if he’s removed. I’m sure he’s not paying his deal week to week, the sponsorship would be locked in via a contract that I think would be pretty much unbreakable if the club is willing to see out its side of the deal.
Lee probably wrote the contract for us and has an out hidden in the fine print.
this would be the best outcome. $1m a year is not special for an nRL front sponsor. I would like to get the big black splodge off the front of our jersey and replace it with something more simple and tasteful
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Guys, steady on re the Sponsor. Clearly comments alluding to a Million a year being no big deal is ludicrous. Do you know how hard it is to get someone to pay that sort of money, remembering our success over the past 10 years. How about the sponsors we have had that went bust and couldnt pay. Say what you like about Lee, but I dont see anybody else taking a lazy mill out of their pockets and its not bloody likely we would be inundated with offers from anybody else offering the same deal. And yes it was a typical stupid Wests Tigers decision to offer the major sponsor the Chairmanship.
The Frog
I won’t be buying anything with that logo on it.Getting a bit sick of people saying Lee will pull his sponsorship if he’s removed. I’m sure he’s not paying his deal week to week, the sponsorship would be locked in via a contract that I think would be pretty much unbreakable if the club is willing to see out its side of the deal.
Lee probably wrote the contract for us and has an out hidden in the fine print.
this would be the best outcome. $1m a year is not special for an nRL front sponsor. I would like to get the big black splodge off the front of our jersey and replace it with something more simple and tasteful
I certainly won’t have anything to do with them.Interesting comment that. Brydens might do better without Lee as the Tigers chair. His talk and ineffectual actions may turn tigers fans away from using his firm.
Veteran NRL powerbroker Shane Richardson has been linked with a move to the troubled Wests Tigers.
It comes in the countdown to a Tigers board meeting on Tuesday that is expected to pass on recommendations of the recent independent review by Tony Crawford.
Interestingly, Richardson formed a very close working relationship with Crawford when the two worked together at the NRL during Dave Smith’s term as chief executive.
It is expected Crawford’s review will lead to some dramatic changes.
There has been mounting pressure on Tigers chairman Lee Hagipantelis and chief executive Justin Pascoe, while the club has also been reportedly searching for a new general manager of football.
Richardson has been unable to be contacted for comment, but the speculation linking him to the Tigers has been doing the rounds within the NRL in recent days and is gaining momentum.
Former South Sydney boss Shane Richardson has been linked to the Wests Tigers. Picture: Gregg Porteous, NRL Photos
Former South Sydney boss Shane Richardson has been linked to the Wests Tigers. Picture: Gregg Porteous, NRL Photos
Richardson has the runs on the board to handle either the chief executive or GM role equally well if the Tigers decide to head in a new direction.
Richardson is one of the game’s most experienced and successful administrators who has worked at the top level for more than 25 years.
He worked previously at South Sydney in roles ranging from chief executive to GM of football, and was instrumental in building the foundations on the road to the Rabbitohs’ drought-breaking premiership in 2014.
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He was also at Penrith working alongside John Lang when the Panthers won the comp in 2003, while prior to that he and Lang formed a formidable combination at Cronulla.
Richardson has also been working as a consultant as part of the Brisbane Tigers’ bid to get an NRL licence.
In more recent years, he also set up a company with his son Brent, Rich Media, to promote athlete brand awareness. Their clients include big name NRL personalities Adam Reynolds and Greg Inglis.
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Wests Tigers Podcast - Talking everything Wests Tigers!
Getting Richardson would be a huge coup for the club.
