Hi, Paws our future is South West Sydney, no matter what name or mascot we call it. Locking in any ground for 15 years to get funding needs careful consideration with all parties involved and if HBG, as 90% owners, weren't kept informed, I think it would be disrespectful in my opinion.
HBG, Independent Directors Sacked
- Thread starter BlackWhiteGold
- Start date
I reckon this is another bit of damage control by HBG. I am of course happy he is gone from the Tigers board but he is still leading HBG and as evidenced by the events of 2 weeks ago still would have significant influence over the board as HBG can just remove people they don't like. Additionally, with all the new appointees to the Tigers board from the HBG he'd still have a lot of influence over those specific members especially if one ends up being Claire Burgess.
You can see how terrified HBG and the NRL are of the backlash and they're trying to make out as if they are reforming themselves to dissuade people from attending.
They remove the directors which they allegedly had big issues with, only to then agree to NRL terms to re-instate them as long as HBG just increase their numbers to have a majority (in which case the independent directors become pointless).
Then Dennis steps down, except only from one board which is good but he still holds substantial influence.
To the naked eye of a casual observer it looks like the issues have been fixed and everyone should be happy but it's all a smokescreen where they've now managed to gain more control over the club. Don't let any of these facades dissuade you from attending the rally. Enough is enough and HBG have to go.
You can see how terrified HBG and the NRL are of the backlash and they're trying to make out as if they are reforming themselves to dissuade people from attending.
They remove the directors which they allegedly had big issues with, only to then agree to NRL terms to re-instate them as long as HBG just increase their numbers to have a majority (in which case the independent directors become pointless).
Then Dennis steps down, except only from one board which is good but he still holds substantial influence.
To the naked eye of a casual observer it looks like the issues have been fixed and everyone should be happy but it's all a smokescreen where they've now managed to gain more control over the club. Don't let any of these facades dissuade you from attending the rally. Enough is enough and HBG have to go.
nrlsurvivor
Well-known member
Thanks for sharing the press conference link Derek. I only saw the end of it. Will they post the full version at some stage?
liltiger
Well-known member
About time 10 years too late. Muppet might still stir up trouble from the background though. If he remains on the HBG board.
user118245
Well-known member
New guy seems decent
supercoach
Well-known member
Yes your right, but the big plan was for SM to take over the ship when all the ground work was completed and the ship was powering ahead, rather than now when it’s run aground and waiting for the salvage team.
I have a lot of confidence in SM but I would have preferred Richo for another 18 months. Although after the last week’s Richo could never have been effective
UnderTheBus
Well-known member
I'll say it again. If Dennis Burgess was the chairman of any other organisation, he would be sacked given the events of the past two weeks that he oversaw.
Why has he not been sacked? If they did sack him, it just might be the final straw for liquor and gaming to swoop in a take over the joint. None of the 20 debentures want to lose their status so are treading water very carefully atm.
pawsandclaws1
Well-known member
I agree the club's initiatives in the Southwest growth areas, the COE UWS and Campbelltown Oval. I also agree with the WTs Board's decision on Leichhardt Oval. These align imo with the NRL's plans for the expansion of the NRL, tv rights and sponsorship. The NRL via PVL has said the club "will always be Weststigers" and in relation to HBG being kept informed, this is from a SMH article which
"Despite having representation on the Tigers board, HBG claimed it was left out of key decisions such as the team’s stadia policy. It’s a claim that prompted a legal letter from the sacked directors, resulting in a video from HBG chief executive Daniel Paton being taken down from the company’s website".
Buttface
Well-known member
So they shuffled his deck chair to the back so we can’t see him.Interim Wests Tigers chief executive Shaun Mielekamp believes he is equipped to take on arguably the toughest job in Australian sport and has vowed to personally call every disgruntled fan to outline his blueprint for the club.
Mielekamp will take over from Shane Richardson following revelations that coach Benji Marshall has committed to the club until 2029 and sacked chairman Barry O’Farrell will return for a third stint in the role. Mielekamp’s promotion from general manager of football, as well as Marshall’s three-year contract extension, were confirmed at Tigers headquarters on Friday.
In his first interview, former Central Coast Mariners CEO Mielekamp revealed he has ambitions to assume the role full-time.
“I’m really excited about the interim role, and I’m going to really lean into it and embrace that,” Mielekamp told this masthead. “It is in my DNA, so I will work extremely hard and of course I want to do such a good job that it’s impossible for me not to be the CEO long-term.
“What I do know is if I do a tremendous job and they appoint someone else, they’re going to be brilliant because they’re going to have to do a better job than what I’ve done. But absolutely – do I see that I’m going to deliver so well in this job that I’ll be the long-term CEO? That’s the goal.”
In a rare show of unity, all club stakeholders are keen for Marshall to extend his stay to provide stability.
Wests Tigers interim CEO Shaun Mielekamp.Credit:Getty Images
“There’s a collective agreement that Benji is vital in keeping the unity and stability of the club, and we’re backing him,” Mielekamp said.
Marshall’s re-signing is viewed as a vital step towards ensuring key players Jarome Luai and Jahream Bula also recommit.
“It’s at the top of the pile,” Mielekamp said of the star spine players. “We’ve got two guys who want to be here, who want to be with the coach.
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“We’ve got good people, so I’m sure that things will work out pretty positively. Let’s just take a breath and just move forward.”
Tigers fans have vented their displeasure about the latest boardroom brawling, with many contacting the club directly. Mielekamp has begun calling all of them back and has promised to give every member who wants one a personal audience.
“I’ve actually spent all morning calling members, every second I get a gap,” he said. “I’ll call every member that’s asked for a refund, that’s written in and made a complaint. I’ve got through some, I’ve got a lot to get to.
“My message to the members is every member can come and meet me directly. As part of your membership you do have a voice and you have the opportunity to come and meet me … All our members want the same thing. So let’s communicate.”
Despite a history of bickering between the Balmain and Western Suburbs factions – and within the HBG itself – Mielekamp believes the infighting is over.
“The reason I’ve got confidence is everybody I’ve met – every board and every stakeholder – they all want the same thing,” he said.
“So it’s just about communication. I’m actually surprised by how distracted everyone has got at times. When they wind it back, what’s really important is the players, that they’ve got the resources, they’ve got the structure. And our members.
“Just having that clarity for everybody, that’s actually what this is really about. They all do want the same thing. There are a lot of scars, there is a lot of history, but moving forward everybody I speak to actually wants the same thing – a bit of unity and stability, some good communication. I’m very confident that this is something that we will move forward on.”
The twin announcements come as Holman Barnes chairman and influential club powerbroker Dennis Burgess quits the Tigers board.
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Burgess’ position has come under scrutiny throughout the week when it emerged that his Instagram account follows hundreds of sexually explicit pages.
He denied those headlines were the cause of his resignation in an interview with News Corp, claiming instead that his withdrawal from the Tigers board is being made to create stability at the joint venture.
Burgess will remain chairman of HBG, which will hold a five-person majority on the club’s new nine-member board.
Out of sight out of mind.
What a load of BS, I’m sure my club thinks I’m stupid.
liltiger
Well-known member
Guaranteed with in 2 - 2.5 years we will be back here.
mikey
Well-known member
Haven't got my glasses on. Is that a muffin he's eating?
Buttface
Well-known member
Your knobbery make me ashamed to say I am born and bred Magpie.
Is Dennis ok now that his deck chair is all the way back next to yours now?
Is Dennis ok now that his deck chair is all the way back next to yours now?
liltiger
Well-known member
What are you on.
WestsEffTheRest
Well-known member
Bird flu from hanging out with too many Magpies
weststigers
Well-known member
Can't stand this narrative - HBG run the club. If we want to get technical, Balmain used to have a 14% say on the WT board (1 of 7 board members).
Interesting how we've bumped our board to 9...now Balmain get 1 of 9 board members...an 11% say...seems to be a petty way of making sure the voice matches the shareholding. Had the NRL not stepped in, HBG would have had the other 89%.
This petty crap isn't coincedental. All the talk of Wests being disrespected and not represented and vague comments about ownership, but no one can articulate their reasoning with clarity...seems to all come down to scorekeeping for me.
weststigers
Well-known member
Fentanyl
liltiger
Well-known member
Desperation to keep the playing group on side and try to re capture the fan base. For me HBG horse bolted long, long ago. We could win the next 3 comps in a row, they're toxic, incompetent and cut throat, stopping at nothing to get what they want, they gotta go.
