@dirty-reds No body of work other than what he has been saying since he became CEO. My comment was clearly over the top hyperbole.
I dont like people who try to present themselves as Messiahs and that is my impression of Richo since he started. His constant criticism of the old admin, which I never liked, has been really bad form. Make the changes you need to make, no need to keep criticising the old admin publicly.
Just my view.
in my experience it is quite common for the incoming admin to heap criticism on the last admin. You “kitchen sink” all the problems and have a clean slate to start again. The worst thing you can do is not call out when you see issues in the early days of your role because very quickly those problems become yours. Yes Richo is a bit punchy but I think (hope) that’s coming from the position of a guy who has nothing to prove, has created multiple successful NRL organisations and is implementing shock therapy on an organisation that has stagnated for the last 10 years. The proof will be in the pudding of Ofcourse but I don’t really have a problem with his style and I’m glad we have a CEO who is confident that he knows exactly how to fix us.
I honestly haven't heard Richo having much of a crack at the previous admin but it is difficult when having to do things like reset our membership numbers because the previous numbers were misleading. How do you announce that while not sounding critical.
The other thing I would like to address is Gary Barnier, I will be honest that I was concerned when I heard that Gary was a fan of the club. This was totally erased as I was lucky enough to be able to meet Gary and participate in the review. After that first meeting I had no doubt about how professional Gary is and the manner that he was going to conduct the review.
In memory of Geoff Chisholm (1965-2022)
Just my view.
All good mate. Appreciate the response.
I actually think Richo has been carefully critical of process rather than any individual.
Appreciate that he does come across as quite boisterous and the media appearances do make mention of his previous jobs a fair bit.
End of the day, proof will be in the pudding.
@garry Every interview he does he slips in something about the past admin. With the membership reporting, all he had to say was we are changing how we are reporting as we only want to count members who make financial contributions. Anyway I will give him the benefit of the doubt and hopefully he proves me wrong. I did once say Benji wouldnt make it as a player so I have form in being wrong.
Regarding Gary B, my issue is not with him being a fan and again I do not doubt he approached his role with the review with the aim of being independent. I have no doubt he acted with all integrity.
My issue with HB selecting Gary to conduct the review is twofold.
Firstly, it risked the review being subject to confirmation bias as Gary was the person who called for the review.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confirmation_bias
In my experience confirmation bias is a real thing and it is very hard to extricate your mind from a position once you have already reached it.
Secondly, it risked the review being subject to criticism. It meant that the findings were not unimpeachable.
My concerns are nearly wholly with Holman Barnes and not Gary or Tony.
This is the last I will say on the topic.
I am glad with the outcome as I had wanted Lee and Justin gone for many years.
We need people like Gary Barnier in our fan base. For too long the Wests Tigers board lived the life of those in privileged positions while the club they were charged with running crumbled to a decimated mess. Things are changing but we are naive if we don't expect some push back from those who fell on their swords. As fans we need to keep a close eye on this and agitate if we need to. We can't go backwards now we seem to be significantly moving forward
Our fan base is fun of talented people. Many willing to put their time energy and skills into making this club better (like running a supporters club, podcast or perhaps organising a petition!). We need these people to be engaged and contributing and we are lucky to have had the review because the result has been a massive change in direction for what was a failing club. Now that we have changed course it is Barry’s job to oversee Richo’s strategy now that we know it has been approved by the board. Good governance means that Barry will step back and allow Richo to execute his plan and if he fails it is Barry’s job to hold Richo accountable.
Now that we have changed course it is Barry’s job to oversee Richo’s strategy now that we know it has been approved by the board. Good governance means that Barry will step back and allow Richo to execute his plan and if he fails it is Barry’s job to hold Richo accountable.
This is a very important point. One of the problems with Lee was, in my view, he stepped beyond the role of a chair. The Fulton hire is the best example of this.
Too much of a fan and not enough chairperson was definitely an issue with the former administration
Hi Gary,
Just want to send you a quick message. As a long time suffering WT fan I want to thank you for the work you and your co-workers did.
Obviously the work is not as attractive as kicking winning field goals however the work you did cannot be underestimated.
I hope those individuals bringing the club down back the new direction 200 percent.
If you can keep us updated with the implementation of the strategic plan will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks again, for the work you, Richardson and others have done. We clearly lacked senior strategic management which you guys have delivered.
Thank you
Go wests tigers.
@southerntiger I feel I need to respond to your comments around unprofessionalism. I raised observations and recommended that a review be done. That is an incredibly common way that consulting firms such as McKinsey, Bain and Boston Consulting Group are engaged in doing similar governance reviews. Any such reviews are done entirely appropriately and are often scrutinised by senate committees and the like with no issue ever being raised as to how the review was commenced
You may well not have experience with 360 degree reviews but I can assure you that the way the engagement occurred is very normal. I would encourage you to highlight where else you feel I have been unprofessional. I would even be happy to sit down with you and understand your point of view if I can. So far it just feels like you lack experience in these matters.
With regard to calling Richo a grifter, I would encourage you to fall back on your legal training and consider the implications of calling people names.
Finally, it does feel like form matters more to you than substance. I would be interested to hear from you whether you disagree with any of the actions taken to date as part of the review and why. Again I would be happy to sit down face to face and constructively understand your point of view.
Best regards, Gary
At the end of the day Gary you can't please everyone. What you have achieved is nothing short of remarkable and I am writing to personally say thankyou.
When I listened to your interview on the podcast (thanks Garry and Steve for organising) I felt like I was looking in the mirror. I have followed Balmain/WT since I was 5 (now aged 40). The club and the team is a huge part of my life. Watching us stumble, over the past decade in particular, has been really difficult.
During some of our darker recent days I lined up on here to throw stones at the club's administration. At one point I called a board member (whose phone number I stumbled across during a property search on Domain) and begged him to stand aside.
When the review started I admit to having thought it was futile because Turkeys don't vote for Xmas. For you to get the board to do the right thing for the club, its members and supporters is a miracle. It gives hope to us all for brighter days ahead.
The skills matrix document you have prepared for independent board appointments is where you have really delivered tangible value.
Never again will we see WT board appoints from individuals whose sole qualification is "living in the Ashfield area for 50 years" or "managing the career of an Australian Idol singer." In the professional area rugby league clubs need professional administrators.
Thank you again for your efforts.
