Mid Season Review - CEO & HBG

P

pacey

Well-known member
At the start of the season, Wests Tigers diehard fans were told that despite Richo leaving, nothing was changing.

I assume that included recruitment, because there is clearly still a lot of work to do before next season.

Mid-season review:

Missed opportunity:
Unable to extend Luai.

Positive moves:
Re-signed Benji, Bula, the May brothers and Turuva.
Signed Averillo
Let To’a go

While we started the season well, it has become pretty clear that we still have a major depth problem. Over the next few months, I think it is critical that the club secures more quality depth across the squad.

When Richo was at the helm, he brought in players like KPP, Jock Madden, Royce Hunt and Bunty, who have proven to be decent backup options. Some other signings have not quite hit the mark, but at least there was clear movement in the market. I think we will see how great the signing of Jacob Andrew’s will be in years to come.

That is why I think the next few months are so important. Head office needs to show that recruitment has not stalled and that there is still a proper plan in place.

If the club fails to bring in the right players before next season, that is not just bad luck. That is a failure of management again. I might be the only one, but I feel the club is very quiet right now.
 
pacey said:
At the start of the season, Wests Tigers diehard fans were told that despite Richo leaving, nothing was changing.

I assume that included recruitment, because there is clearly still a lot of work to do before next season.

Mid-season review:

Missed opportunity:
Unable to extend Luai.

Positive moves:
Re-signed Benji, Bula, the May brothers and Turuva.
Signed Averillo
Let To’a go

While we started the season well, it has become pretty clear that we still have a major depth problem. Over the next few months, I think it is critical that the club secures more quality depth across the squad.

When Richo was at the helm, he brought in players like KPP, Jock Madden, Royce Hunt and Bunty, who have proven to be decent backup options. Some other signings have not quite hit the mark, but at least there was clear movement in the market. I think we will see how great the signing of Jacob Andrew’s will be in years to come.

That is why I think the next few months are so important. Head office needs to show that recruitment has not stalled and that there is still a proper plan in place.

If the club fails to bring in the right players before next season, that is not just bad luck. That is a failure of management again. I might be the only one, but I feel the club is very quiet right now.
Click to expand...
My feeling is we've paid a significant premium to retain Bula..May's.. Turuva..Makasini ..and we don't have a lot of $$ to throw at established nrl players
It's a sellers market with the new teams coming on board,so sort of understand
Big issue is we aren't swamped with juniors coming through..and if they do,they hit a wall
 
I just saw this post on facebook

Facebook

www.facebook.com www.facebook.com

The Orange Lie: How Wests Tigers Boardroom Politics Quietly Flipped The Home Jersey

Every single year, without fail, I shell out hard-earned cash for the new Wests Tigers home jersey. It’s a ritual. You wear the colors, support the badge, and expect that when the boys run out onto our turf, they’re wearing the strip marketed as the heartbeat of the club. But more than halfway through the 2026 season, I’m not just disappointed, I’m flat-out pissed off. The fans have been sold a dummy, handed a mislabeled product, and left holding merchandise that corporate politics has quietly sidelined.

Let’s be entirely clear: I’m not here to hunt for cheap headlines, and I've got no interest in handing Jason Darcy a microphone. But the facts are damning. This boardroom circus has already cost our club a world-class administrator in Shane Richardson, who, for the record, completely beat every single rubbish allegation thrown his way. It forced independent directors out the door and left us completely devoid of a permanent CEO. Shaun Mielekamp has stepped in as the interim fella and is doing a serviceable job steadying the ship, but we shouldn't even be in this holding pattern. And what was the catalyst for all this self-inflicted chaos? The now-infamous boardroom wingeing that there was simply "too much orange."

When the season kicked off, management loudly proclaimed the vibrant orange jersey was our official home kit, while the white was relegated to away duties. When whispers grew into roars that the Holman Barnes Group (HBG), the Magpies-aligned heavyweights pulling the financial strings, were furious with the Balmain-heavy design, they denied it flat out. They looked fans dead in the eye and swore the "too much orange" line was a myth, claiming the friction with Richardson was strictly about governance.

But track the team sheets and the script completely flips. The numbers don't lie.

Through the first 16 rounds, the Wests Tigers have played nine designated home games. If the orange jersey was truly our primary home strip, it should have dominated those fixtures. Instead, the white "away" jersey has been worn in six of those nine matches. When we hosted the Knights and Broncos at Campbelltown, the Raiders at Leichhardt, the Bulldogs and Panthers at CommBank, and the Dolphins back at Campbelltown, the boys walked out in white.

Meanwhile, the official orange strip has been virtually quarantined. It has only appeared at three home fixtures all year: Round 2 against the Cowboys, Magic Round against Manly, and Round 15 against the Titans. The rest of the time, it’s only seen on away trips when color matchups happen to align cleanly. Do the math: out of nine home games so far this season, the Tigers have run out in their away white jersey 67 per cent of the time.

The conclusion here is damning. There was immense truth to the "too much orange" complaint, no matter how desperately HBG tried to spin it. Rather than face the absolute PR disaster of a public merchandise recall, or openly admit they caved to factional Western Suburbs versus Balmain warfare, the club chose a quiet compromise.

They kept the cash registers ringing by selling the orange jersey to loyal fans as the premier home strip, while behind closed doors, they instructed the kit man to pack the white gear for our own backyard. Factional politics won, the marketing department mislabeled the product, and the fans who faithfully buy the gear every single year are the ones left hung out to dry.

If you appreciate unfiltered, data-driven takes like this, following me really helps keep the page going!

#WestsTigers #NRL #RugbyLeague #Tigers #Balmain #Magpies
 
I would care :., but nothing is going to change so what’s the point ?

If they only care about the color of the jersey … fine ..when it goes beyond that is the issue ..
 
Don't think Luai going could be categorised as a missed opportunity. I think his departure would have helped us secure more important players and clears the pathway for Javon and Latu.
 
I much prefer the jerseys we have had the past few years rather than these current ones ..: that’s both the orange one and the black and white one
 
Whilst i dont personally care which jersey they wear, and the reality is we wear multiple types of jersey every year. I find it quite childish to focus or complain about this.......having said that, its obvious it is an issue for somebody or some group at the club and there was a rumor that things blew up because of to too much orange. So for me whilst the outcome is "meh", the fact that someone or a group of people cared enough to make the decision to use the white away jersey for home games is a concern and while its childish for us to care....its really childish for someone to have cared enough to actually change it.
 
If the club promotes its home and away kit and you like one buy one then yours disappear from the games shows how small minded the directors are , it’s very small I get it , and if their are complaints and the data if it is right then the club has duded the fans who bought them , I’m not fussed but get what some are saying , it’s a poor look .
 
TheEnz said:
Whilst i dont personally care which jersey they wear, and the reality is we wear multiple types of jersey every year. I find it quite childish to focus or complain about this.......having said that, its obvious it is an issue for somebody or some group at the club and there was a rumor that things blew up because of to too much orange. So for me whilst the outcome is "meh", the fact that someone or a group of people cared enough to make the decision to use the white away jersey for home games is a concern and while its childish for us to care....its really childish for someone to have cared enough to actually change it.
Click to expand...

Yeah it’s childish … they own the club though so they can dictate it … what are the rest of us gunna do ? Have another rally at Pratten Park like the last one I went to ?
 
I had a look at the Facebook post and regardless what some might think his post does have some merit to it. He did make one mistake, we did wear our traditional home jersey against the Raiders at Leichhardt but we’ve only worn the orange home jersey for 4 home games while the white away jersey has been worn for 5 home games. So far each jersey has been worn 6 times each, we did wear our multicultural jersey for rounds 3 and 4 so technically we can’t count those. But to have the away jersey worn for only 1 actual away game and the rest are home games and technically beating the home jersey for being worn at home games I can see why the post he targeted HBG in it because it does add potential truth to the rumours that Richo and the independents were removed for making the orange jersey the home jersey. When next seasons jerseys are revealed and if the orange is gone to just a strip, or back to the away jersey, it’ll only confirm the rumours.
 
pacey said:
At the start of the season, Wests Tigers diehard fans were told that despite Richo leaving, nothing was changing.

I assume that included recruitment, because there is clearly still a lot of work to do before next season.

Mid-season review:

Missed opportunity:
Unable to extend Luai.

Positive moves:
Re-signed Benji, Bula, the May brothers and Turuva.
Signed Averillo
Let To’a go

While we started the season well, it has become pretty clear that we still have a major depth problem. Over the next few months, I think it is critical that the club secures more quality depth across the squad.

When Richo was at the helm, he brought in players like KPP, Jock Madden, Royce Hunt and Bunty, who have proven to be decent backup options. Some other signings have not quite hit the mark, but at least there was clear movement in the market. I think we will see how great the signing of Jacob Andrew’s will be in years to come.

That is why I think the next few months are so important. Head office needs to show that recruitment has not stalled and that there is still a proper plan in place.

If the club fails to bring in the right players before next season, that is not just bad luck. That is a failure of management again. I might be the only one, but I feel the club is very quiet right now.
Click to expand...
Luai leaving is a postive.

Who organises player retention and purchasing? It's Benji, the football club and Shannon Gallant, it's not the CEO and HBG. (However, HBG could hand over some more cash for players.) They've done a pretty good job considering, we are desperate for a high quality forward/front rower.

Actually HBG could hand over some more cash for more coaches, specialists and another recruitment guy.

They have seemed to handle the home ground/s situation quite well.

Not playing the reggies before fist grade is a negative.

The memberships seem a little better this year.

Sponsors/Marketing as well?

Pathways?

Maybe someone with more knowledge in these areas could assess it better
 
Last edited:
mtd#2 said:
I just saw this post on facebook

Facebook

www.facebook.com www.facebook.com

The Orange Lie: How Wests Tigers Boardroom Politics Quietly Flipped The Home Jersey

Every single year, without fail, I shell out hard-earned cash for the new Wests Tigers home jersey. It’s a ritual. You wear the colors, support the badge, and expect that when the boys run out onto our turf, they’re wearing the strip marketed as the heartbeat of the club. But more than halfway through the 2026 season, I’m not just disappointed, I’m flat-out pissed off. The fans have been sold a dummy, handed a mislabeled product, and left holding merchandise that corporate politics has quietly sidelined.

Let’s be entirely clear: I’m not here to hunt for cheap headlines, and I've got no interest in handing Jason Darcy a microphone. But the facts are damning. This boardroom circus has already cost our club a world-class administrator in Shane Richardson, who, for the record, completely beat every single rubbish allegation thrown his way. It forced independent directors out the door and left us completely devoid of a permanent CEO. Shaun Mielekamp has stepped in as the interim fella and is doing a serviceable job steadying the ship, but we shouldn't even be in this holding pattern. And what was the catalyst for all this self-inflicted chaos? The now-infamous boardroom wingeing that there was simply "too much orange."

When the season kicked off, management loudly proclaimed the vibrant orange jersey was our official home kit, while the white was relegated to away duties. When whispers grew into roars that the Holman Barnes Group (HBG), the Magpies-aligned heavyweights pulling the financial strings, were furious with the Balmain-heavy design, they denied it flat out. They looked fans dead in the eye and swore the "too much orange" line was a myth, claiming the friction with Richardson was strictly about governance.

But track the team sheets and the script completely flips. The numbers don't lie.

Through the first 16 rounds, the Wests Tigers have played nine designated home games. If the orange jersey was truly our primary home strip, it should have dominated those fixtures. Instead, the white "away" jersey has been worn in six of those nine matches. When we hosted the Knights and Broncos at Campbelltown, the Raiders at Leichhardt, the Bulldogs and Panthers at CommBank, and the Dolphins back at Campbelltown, the boys walked out in white.

Meanwhile, the official orange strip has been virtually quarantined. It has only appeared at three home fixtures all year: Round 2 against the Cowboys, Magic Round against Manly, and Round 15 against the Titans. The rest of the time, it’s only seen on away trips when color matchups happen to align cleanly. Do the math: out of nine home games so far this season, the Tigers have run out in their away white jersey 67 per cent of the time.

The conclusion here is damning. There was immense truth to the "too much orange" complaint, no matter how desperately HBG tried to spin it. Rather than face the absolute PR disaster of a public merchandise recall, or openly admit they caved to factional Western Suburbs versus Balmain warfare, the club chose a quiet compromise.

They kept the cash registers ringing by selling the orange jersey to loyal fans as the premier home strip, while behind closed doors, they instructed the kit man to pack the white gear for our own backyard. Factional politics won, the marketing department mislabeled the product, and the fans who faithfully buy the gear every single year are the ones left hung out to dry.

If you appreciate unfiltered, data-driven takes like this, following me really helps keep the page going!

#WestsTigers #NRL #RugbyLeague #Tigers #Balmain #Magpies
Click to expand...
Surely that is you ?
 
Glenji95 said:
I had a look at the Facebook post and regardless what some might think his post does have some merit to it. He did make one mistake, we did wear our traditional home jersey against the Raiders at Leichhardt but we’ve only worn the orange home jersey for 4 home games while the white away jersey has been worn for 5 home games. So far each jersey has been worn 6 times each, we did wear our multicultural jersey for rounds 3 and 4 so technically we can’t count those. But to have the away jersey worn for only 1 actual away game and the rest are home games and technically beating the home jersey for being worn at home games I can see why the post he targeted HBG in it because it does add potential truth to the rumours that Richo and the independents were removed for making the orange jersey the home jersey. When next seasons jerseys are revealed and if the orange is gone to just a strip, or back to the away jersey, it’ll only confirm the rumours.
Click to expand...
If we are being serious, out hone and away jerseys and our player track suits look like something you get from TEMU.
Whoever was in charge including the uniform designs and colours should be sacked instantly.
 
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