The Wests Tigers’ boardroom drama is finally expected to be resolved on Tuesday night as Holman Barnes Group directors prepare to face their own mortality at their final board meeting of the year.
The Tigers’ majority owners have had a snapshot of the independent review into the club’s governance but are yet to put the report’s recommendations into action.
That time has now arrived as the club faces a defining moment in their history.
The Holman Barnes Group, responding to the protests of club supporters, courageously backed a review into the club.
It will all be for nothing if they now ignore the recommendations, which are likely to see the board significantly overhauled as the Tigers look to form a more rounded group of directors capable of comparing favourably with the game’s elite clubs.
The expectation is that the review will recommend they start again.
For that to happen, Holman Barnes Group directors will need to vote for their own demise.
The alternative would be to dig in their heels and face the wrath of Tigers fans. Most interest will surround the future of chair Lee Hagipantelis and chief executive Justin Pascoe.
Hagipantelis is expected to go as part of sweeping changes at board level, although he will likely be given the chance to apply again for a place on the board.
Pascoe’s future is likely to be for another day.
The review, conducted by former NRL chief financial officer Tony Crawford and managing director of Cooperage Capital Pty Ltd, Gary Barnier, was aimed at governance rather than club operations and there is a view that Pascoe should be given the chance to show what he can do without board interference.
The other concern is that boardroom ructions threaten to become a distraction to coach Benji Marshall as he attempts to reshape his squad and make them more competitive heading into the 2024 season, hence the desire to resolve the issue before the new year.
The club is knee-deep
in talks with Penrith superstar Jarome Luai and Warriors prop Addin Fonua-Blake, Marshall having personally led negotiations with the pair.
Marshall is also attempting to clean out some of the players who haven’t performed in recent years, led by winger David Nofoaluma.
The Samoan international has two years remaining on a contract that is due to pay him about $500,000 a season but Marshall and the club have made it clear that he is free to leave.
In a sign of how far his stocks have slid, the Tigers haven’t been able to generate any interest in Nofoaluma and he
recently sat out training in protest at his treatment.
While the Tigers need the cap space to sign Luai and Fonua-Blake, it is understood the stance on Nofoaluma is purely performance related – he has struggled to keep his place in the NRL side in recent seasons.
