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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.
