I dont Trust the Numbers being given.
Pascoe over inflated the Members numbers and probably undersold the Back of Jersey to FAB,
Richo is smart and will probably have a New and better Sponsor lined up.
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I dont Trust the Numbers being given.
Pascoe over inflated the Members numbers and probably undersold the Back of Jersey to FAB,
Richo is smart and will probably have a New and better Sponsor lined up.
in Richo we trust (and I do 100%) however IMO if the team stinks it up on the field, Richos job is going to be a lot more difficult and ithe honeymoon period will be very short lived.
its an easy sell right now to potential sponsors and supporters that "everything is changing and its a new face" but if nothing changes on the field, its going to be same old same old and an increasingly hard sell.
I dont Trust the Numbers being given.
Pascoe over inflated the Members numbers and probably undersold the Back of Jersey to FAB,
Richo is smart and will probably have a New and better Sponsor lined up.
Slippery slope however.
Trying to move on a sponsor when you can get more out of some else sets a president for the new regime.
One that says contracts mean little. So don't complain when others (sponsors or players) want to walk for any reason.
At face value, it's a really strange thing for Richo to do and a bad look. The sort of amateur hour BS we'd all be smashing Pascoe for.
I really hope there's more to the story.
At face value, it's a really strange thing for Richo to do and a bad look. The sort of amateur hour BS we'd all be smashing Pascoe for.
I really hope there's more to the story.
None of willl ever know the full story but to me, based on Richos side of the story, it seem to me like old mate Fabry looking for an exit.
That’s exactly what I thought. Too bad for FAB, don’t think anyone will notice to be honest.At face value, it's a really strange thing for Richo to do and a bad look. The sort of amateur hour BS we'd all be smashing Pascoe for.
I really hope there's more to the story.
None of willl ever know the full story but to me, based on Richos side of the story, it seem to me like old mate Fabry looking for an exit.
‘It’s a happy camp’: Shane Richardson Q&A with Brent Read
Wests Tigers CEO Shane Richardson sat down with BRENT READ to discuss his first two months in charge, why he believes in Benji Marshall and why the fans shouldn’t lose faith in the club.
The Wests Tigers officially kick off the Benji Marshall era on Saturday afternoon as they begin their 2024 campaign in the nation’s capital.
The pre-season began with lashes of hope under a new regime but the doubts have re-emerged after the Tigers capitulated in their second trial against St George Illawarra, leaving supporters fearing another difficult season.
Chief executive Shane Richardson sat down with Brent Read this week to discuss his first two months in charge, why he believes in Marshall and why the fans shouldn’t lose faith in the club.
Shane Richardson has had a job on his hands at the Wests Tigers. Picture: David Swift
Brent Read: How are the mighty Tigers?
Shane Richardson: We’re just moving along slowly but surely, with purpose and dignity. There were critics before the first trial. As Wayne Bennett said, you start listening to the grandstand and you are in a lot of trouble. We are in a good spot. We are calm, we are on a journey, we know what we want to do, we know our recruitment needs, we know what our juniors are like. Honestly, we are in a good space. You have to win games – I am not stupid. Time will tell how many games we win but we couldn’t have had a better pre-season. We couldn’t do anything more to change the squad around this season. Everyone has trained well, there is no dissension in the team. It is pretty good.
BR: There are some reasons for optimism – young five-eighth Lachlan Galvin is one of the more obvious ones?
SR: The young hooker (Tallyn da Silva) is a good player as well. We have some good young forwards who are 12-18 months away. We’re pretty comfortable with where we are. We have some good team leaders. The coaching staff has melded together. It is a pretty happy camp. I can smell it when it is not a happy camp. It is a happy camp. But again, we haven’t played any games yet. So we will wait and see when the fire and brimstone comes. We are on a journey this year – we have to improve the club overall, not just on the field. It is like people say where do you hope to finish. I am hoping to finish the best we can. If we finish in the top eight, great. If we finish 12th and improve, great.
Benji Marshall will be in charge for his first full season. Picture: Kai Schwoerer/Getty Images
BR: Has it been a harder or bigger job than you expected?
SR: It has probably been a bigger job off the field than on the field. I came in a couple of weeks before Christmas. I looked around, saw what we needed to do. The changes we needed to make, we made quickly. The people we let go, we haven’t replaced them on or off the field. Sometimes you run better on rump than you do on fillet. We have tightened things up and we’re a tighter group. Everyone was disappointed after the trial (against the Dragons). I thought Benji handled himself really well – he addressed the players. He wasn’t happy about the performance but no one was. It is a long journey to come from the bottom of the ladder. You don’t make enormous steps straight away. You have to take those small steps and enjoy them.
BR: What are your impressions of Benji the coach?
SR: I knew nothing about Benji. I signed him for Wayne but I hadn’t had a lot to do with him. He is highly intelligent – he is probably one of the most intelligent coaches I have ever had anything to do with. He picks things up really quickly. He has a deep understanding of the salary cap and the roster and what we are doing there. He has an intricate knowledge of it. I like that he has surrounded himself with people he trusts. They are all part of his era. They are all hard workers. He has a great attitude towards family which I like. He is highly organised – early for every meeting. So far so good but the real pressure for Benji is not his knowledge. Everybody knows what a smart player he was. The real pressure is when the blowtorch is applied. Then that is my job to help him get through that. I have been there before with the blowtorch and I know what you have to do to survive it.
Lachlan Galvin is a talented club junior. Picture: Warren Gannon Photography
BR: Where are you at with appointing the new board?
SR: There are four people on the board currently and we are appointing three more independents over the next 60-90 days. We’re currently drawing up the full requirements to become a board member. There are a lot of high profile people who have expressed an interest. (Chair) Barry O’Farrell is going to go through a real quality process to make sure we get people that complement what we need to grow the club.
BR: What about your future? Have you made a decision yet on whether you will stay beyond the six months that you initially agreed?
SR: I haven’t made a final decision but the bottom line is they have met every commitment. I like the challenge, That is a decision for Barry. Barry has opened discussions with me about it. I think he would like me to stay but I don’t want to pre-empt anything that might happen.
BR: What gives you faith that the club is heading in the right direction?
SR: What gives me faith is that we have a magnificent high performance centre, we have 9,000 juniors, we have a financial backer (in the Holman Barnes Group) that is undoubted, we have an untapped brand in the marketplace. We can only go up. The other thing is I have an understanding of what you need to be a successful club and it is not just the players on the field, it is what you surround them with in terms of ethos and culture. I always say that when you win a premiership you feel successful from the receptionist through to the head coach. There is a lot of synergy now between administration and staff. The other thing is from a commercial point of view, we’re about to unleash next week a strategic plan for the next 18 months. It is a strategic plan based around the whole way the club is viewed. Certainly we will be heavily involved in the southwest as well. We won’t ignore the inner-west. We’re not going to hide anything. It is a journey to set up a really successful club but by the same token, you have to stop the bleeding. All I can do is put the support mechanisms around Benji, be there when we suffer the losses, and stay outside the dressing room when we win.
BR: Do you expect any more player movement given David Nofoaluma’s departure?
SR: We’re not looking at anybody yet. We have a spot and a bit of money left over from the Nofoaluma thing. But I want to build up a bit more – we will do that over the next three months, build a bit of a war chest. Then we’ll go out into the market place fair dinkum.
Adam Doueihi will be returning from a knee reconstruction.
BR: Jarome Luai’s decision to join the club next season showed you can make an impact in the marketplace.
SR: Luai was a big statement for us, not just on the field but off the field. We have a massive amount of players who are Polynesian. We see Luai being what we are as a face moving forward. Part of the strategic plan is built around Luai and what we are trying to do there, what we are trying to do in the digital market space and what we are trying to do in the southwest. He certainly attracts players to the club and retains players hopefully too. We have a really good spine next year, let’s be honest. We have Api Koroisau, we gave a great young hooker (da Silva) coming through, then you have Luai, you have Galvin, you have Bud Sullivan, and Latu (Fainu) … and one of the best young fullbacks in the game in Jahream Bula. We are not in a bad spot.
BR: What about Adam Doueihi. He is a bit of a forgotten man. What are the club’s plans for him once he returns from his third knee reconstruction?
SR: He is really working hard. We don’t expect him back until July. Benji and I had a talk with Adam one week ago and said we’ll just wait until you get back, we will give you every opportunity, you are a junior at the club and we would like to see you here. But we need to see you play. He is really cool about that. He really enjoys what Benji is doing and being part of what is going on. He actually approached us to see what we were doing. If we can retain Adam Doueihi we will do it because he is a junior, he fits in with our development program and he can play multiple positions in the backline. Adam is a cultural fit for the club.
Top 8 2023
On the radio this afternoon someone at the club was the traitor that contacted the media Re the crap about Benji arriving late ect ! Benji is obviously being undermined by someone or a group even at this stage . Richardson needs to rat this out quickly, there are definitely types within the club that want this club to fail !
On the radio this afternoon someone at the club was the traitor that contacted the media Re the crap about Benji arriving late ect ! Benji is obviously being undermined by someone or a group even at this stage . Richardson needs to rat this out quickly, there are definitely types within the club that want this club to fail !
That just sums up the club perfectly. Everyone looking out for their own interests
On the radio this afternoon someone at the club was the traitor that contacted the media Re the crap about Benji arriving late ect ! Benji is obviously being undermined by someone or a group even at this stage . Richardson needs to rat this out quickly, there are definitely types within the club that want this club to fail !
They'll be disappearing in a puff of smoke if Richo finds out.
We really need to get Richo settled and signed for an extended period, asap. Looking at the results for the club yesterday we clearly need him to help sort the right personnel top to bottom, in the office and around the teams.
On the radio this afternoon someone at the club was the traitor that contacted the media Re the crap about Benji arriving late ect ! Benji is obviously being undermined by someone or a group even at this stage . Richardson needs to rat this out quickly, there are definitely types within the club that want this club to fail !
They'll be disappearing in a puff of smoke if Richo finds out.
We really need to get Richo settled and signed for an extended period, asap. Looking at the results for the club yesterday we clearly need him to help sort the right personnel top to bottom, in the office and around the teams.
Yep, this is at least a two year operation.
Wests Tigers Podcast - Talking everything Wests Tigers!
https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/sport/nrl/tigers-ceo-hits-out-at-benji-critics-20240318-p5fdej.html
Hiring Fulton is reason enough for the changes last year.
In memory of Geoff Chisholm (1965-2022)
Is Chammas now a tiger ally cos of Benji? Weird times
Fulton is such a grub. Chairman Lee’s final gift to the club. I rate the Fainu’s, with Tartak and Fulton off us as a club I presume they will be pressured to leave soon enough.
the club is in a tight spot.
if they dont give Latu Fainu game time then how long will it take before he is kicking stones and wanting a release
if the club doesn't pick Galvin in a position he wants to play he will have clubs queuing out the door of the COE to sign him if he kicks stones given his manager
As for Stef well the drums are probably beating there already with the clause to begin with
Fulton didn't want Brooks he wanted Schuster and low balled him and Brooks got a ridiculous deal at Manly and off he went and thankfully the club stood up and avoided Schuster
Luai will help next year and a spine if Api Bula Luai Fainu and at 13 Galvin should send us into the top eight in 2025.
We just need to limit the damage on the brand in 2024 and compete every game
