HBG, Independent Directors Sacked

Wests Tigers fans' announce new fan group following club turmoil​

By SEN
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If it hadn’t been obvious to the Holman Barnes Group (HBG) already, the Wests Tigers fans have certainly made their displeasure known towards the group which owns 90% of the NRL side.

A rally, which had been organised by Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne, took place at Pratten Park Bowling Club on Saturday, with roughly 700 supporters in attendance, according to the mayor.

The fans were gathering to express their frustration with HBG over their actions across the last few weeks to sack independent board members, which have raised calls for the board to have an independent majority.

Some of those in attendance included Balmain Tigers legend Steve ‘Blocker’ Roach.
During the rally, Byrne announced that he, alongside others, would be launching a fan-led organisation to help express their concerns with ownership.

“Today I announce that we will form Wests Tigers Unite, a new grassroots organisation to give fans a real say at Wests Tigers,” he said.

“We will draw from the successful examples around the world of fans' associations at different sports that have been set up when this sort of situation occurs.”

Since December 1, HBG sacked four independent directors of the club in Annabelle Williams, Charlie Viola, Michelle McDowell and former NSW Premier and chairman of the club Barry O'Farrell.


But the NRL would get involved in the days after, which resulted in HBG inviting the four independent members back in a massive backflip.

Williams, McDowell and O’Farrell are reportedly set to return to the board following the NRL's demands, with Viola appearing unlikely to return at this stage.

In the midst of all this turmoil, club CEO Shane Richardson decided to resign from his position on December 8, with former Central Coast Mariners CEO Shaun Mielekamp being appointed to his position on an interim basis.

After all that, Dennis Burgess, the chairman of HBG, would also resign days later in relation to following over 200 accounts showing inappropriate content on his Instagram.
It has been confirmed by Byrne to News Corp that should the situation not improve by the time the Tigers hold their first practice game at Leichhardt against the Panthers on February 20, fans will once again rally.
 
Spartan117 said:
I actually agree to a certain point, If we had poor or impotent leadership like in the past then it can actually be worse.

I want the HBG to have more options than just a few debenture holders. Open Up the WT directorship to the Best and brightest.

Currently the HBG are all inbred.
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Lot's of side issues make their way into the discussion, but this is the central one.

How can you have great leadership when the talent pool is 20 and they just recycle each other from board to board?
 
Craegus said:
When are you going to realise that people have had enough of you and your posting that is being done to purely antagonise people. I could have easily replied to a full probably 50 posts from you today alone, so don’t take the one I did as the one I am referring to, this is towards every single one of them which is especially now also filled with a very annoying trend of posting everything in bold so that it is more noticeable to everyone, and done purely to be seen and have only you be focused on more.

Every person you have attacked has explained their points reasonable reasonably and have the support of the majority. Everyone has the right to an opinion, but they also should be heard and not completed disregarded as you seem to do constantly. Further to this the vast majority of not all that you attack are made up of Wests Tigers fans, and only Wests Tigers fans, not Magpies, not Balmain, and even if they supported one in the past (even I did), unlike you they have moved on.

May I suggest that you first move on yourself with your views and actually be constructive on here, rather than trying your hardest to be destructive. And if you can’t, go and find another forum to sprout your opinions, because I think I can say it with confidence, it is not wanted here.
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OK, thank you for your very kind and respectful words Sir 🙂, much appreciated.
But not only that, I'm truly honoured that a "VIP" WTF member would actually bother to reply to someone that is considered so low on here by 99%, due to the fact I'm a WESTS TIGERS follower since 2000~~ that prev. followed the Mighty Wests Magpies, and show my apparent disloyalty according to 99% on here, by still taking an interest in the Magpies.

I imagine this disclosure would be a great shock to you as I feel you must read my posts with only one eye, as the other one was pecked out by a Magpie when you were skylarking on your 3 wheeled training skateboard.

I'm actually really pleased you've told me 'people have had enough of me AND my posting', that I antagonize people, that you could have replied to 50 or more posts of mine just today [that's b/s as I have never done anywhere near 50 posts in one day] and each one of them show "a very annoying trend of posting everything in bold type".

Yep, you're 💯correct.

Now to address your very bold, bold type claim.
As I've already said, you only look at WTF with one eye, so for that reason you would NOT have noticed 99% of the posters on here are anti-Magpie, some more so than others, and I suggest 90% of that 99% express their feelings accompanied with abuse, and again some more so than others. You must be very surprised, maybe even shocked.

But what is NOT surprising is 99% of the posters on here that say positive things about Wests Magpies do not use abusive language.

And I'll bet y'all thinkin 'but there's only 2 or 3 that post on here fairly often with another 2 or 3 that jump in when they feel it's necessary'.
Now I can hear y'all thinkin 'why is that so'.
Well, I'll tell y'all...it's because of the abuse that any and every poster that says anything positive about the MAGPIES is made to feel very unwelcome and it's been happening for MANY years.

In closing I say~~this is definitely not about me.

I'm simply attempting to get decent and reasonable people to read the words with both eyes open and a clear mind.
Then, if you like my post say so OR if you don't like my post say so.

My thanks to anyone that had enough patience to get this far.

As this post will probably be deleted and I'm suspended AGAIN...
I'd like to take this opportunity to wish EVERYONE a Very Happy
Christmas and probably more important~~ a SAFE CHRISTMAS.
🎄✝️🎅🎄🤶✝️⛪🎅🎄✝️🤶🎄⛪✝️🎅🎄🤶🎄✝️⛪🎅🎄✝️🎄
 
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Vicious said:
If Darcy and many others get their way, that Magpies jersey will become extinct as they do not want the Magpues in any shape or form, not in NSW Cup, not in the junior reps.
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Thats not true. There are many arguments to have 1 united branding through the divisions. We'll get there one day. But if there are compromises to go back to the strong WT board, then I doubt people will hesitate. I.e. Magpies nsw cup and a black and white jersey each year.

NSW cup magpies or balmain makes no logical or financial sense. Its all emotion. Thats why you see the push for united branding. That's all there is to it.

I think a lot of supporters would be ok with that if it meant HBG didnt control WT board (and what we saw two weeks ago has a new check and balance - e.g. mandatory internal mediaton)
 
Vicious said:
If Darcy and many others get their way, that Magpies jersey will become extinct as they do not want the Magpues in any shape or form, not in NSW Cup, not in the junior reps.
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Nice conspiracy, but there will always be representation in grades like Harrold Matt's, sg ball and flegg. The same way north sydney bears have had sides since their merger with manly.

The one the Magpies will eventually lose is the NSW cup team, it will become a Wests Tigers team....

Magpies fans seem to think it's a conspiracy against them, it's not, it's about brand alignment for the primary NRL team - Wests tigers; not Wests magpies.

I understand the loyalty and attachment to the Maggie's... But that shouldn't halt the progression of the Wests Tigers club into the future. They are the main brand and if we are a true joint venture, magpie fans should understand why this is important.

The magpies will always be the backbone to our club , we all know that. So quit with the conspiracy theories.
 
Spartan117 said:

Wests Tigers board member quits amid "sexually explicit" Instagram expose​

By SEN

Death, taxes and chaos at the Wests Tigers.

Chairman of the Holman Barnes Group, Dennis Burgess, who serves on the board of the NRL club, has resigned from his position.
View attachment 30991

It comes just days after it was reported that Burgess followed hundreds of sexually explicit pages on Instagram, though he insists it is not the catalyst behind his decision to step away.

Using the handle "wildmandenny", more than 200 of the 4500 accounts Burgess follows on Instagram display inappropriate content.

“No-one has forced me out, it’s my decision," he told News Corp. “That Instagram page is a relic from my old music life.
“I haven’t touched it since 2017.

“To be clear, I wasn’t ever steering it – someone helping with promotions was driving the account and they likely followed just about everyone to boost the profile.
“Yeah sure, it really should’ve been a generic music handle rather than me, but to me it’s long since been forgotten.

“I wouldn’t say I was hacked, in the technical sense of the word. But I’ve sure been blindsided by it because I was not in control of it.
“At the end of the day, people have jumped on it and weaponised it for their own reasons.”

Burgess' resignation comes just days after the club sacked four board members before being forced to overturn their decision by the NRL.

CEO Shane Richardson was also removed from his position and the club, in the midst of the chaos and instability, looks set to hand Benji Marshall a new contract extending through to 2030.

Burgess has been a director of the Holman Barnes Group since 2001.
It was only in April this year that he was appointed as chairman of the Holman Barnes Group. He has also been serving as a chairman with the Western Suburbs District Rugby League Football Club.

In his professional life, the former singer has been the chairman of the Australian Songwriters Association since 2003.

With his services to the performing arts and the music industry, he was awarded a medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in 2024

www.sen.com.au

Wests Tigers board member quits amid "sexually explicit" Instagram expose

Death, taxes and chaos at the Wests Tigers.
www.sen.com.au www.sen.com.au
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Which part of this pic doesn't scream reality bypass? He needs to take the De Lorean back to the sixties.
 
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