Breaking news: HBG takeover

[BlackWhiteGold]

Have you written to the NRL mate? Often times people get outraged but do nothing. I hope as many fans as possible are voicing their concerns.

Yes I have and embedded that graphic that @cochise posted last night.

I have the utmost confidence that PVL & Richo are working behind-the-scenes on a way forward. How that looks is anyone's guess.

The NRL owe Richo a lot for his work for them over the years, in recent times the ESL buy-out proposal situation. It's time for them to have his back.

 

[Vicious]

Answer me this and if it's suffice I promise to stfu

1.How can a board meeting take place with two representatives from HBG yet HBG claim to not know what's happening?

2. How can BOARD DECIsions be made without HBG knowing, if they MUST be present for a vote?

You have my word, if you can give me a legit answer to these questions then I'll be on my merry way...

1. It has been suggested based on the statement from the HBG spokesperson that certain agendas were not being presented before the board.
If agendas are not being presented before the board, how could the board members know about them prior to being revealed ?
2. That’s the question that needs to be answered and you would imagine it will be revealed very soon. I don’t know the answer and I don’t know if it’s true or not, but neither do you, therefore I have the right to await the answers before blaming anybody.

 

[innsaneink]

I think with PVL involved sanity might prevail , unless I’ve missed something whilst sleeping.
Sometimes I think the nrl encourages stories like X teams are the pinup teams Y teams are the dregs , and everyone else in between . Just as it creates drama and narratives , and adds to the spectacle . But I can’t see how letting the tigers be run. Off a cliff is good for business for the nrl. It was fun whilst it lasted re. 3 spoons , but now it f it continues our place in the nrl , surely should be in question , as a viable entity moving forward . Especially with consortiums in Brisbane , Adelaide , Christchurch , Rockhampton/Bundaberg , central coast , all waiting to stick thier hand up for a team.
The logo should be wests tigers at all grades. The Harold Matt’s kids should pull on the same jersey as luai and Bula . There should be connective tissue there.
But there’s literally zero. The first time you put on a wests tigers jersey is jersey flegg for a year or / then your back wearing the magpies again . Training in the middle of Sydney for some reason . It makes zero sense and never has … queue crazy magpies logic about how it does make sense …

I know eh.
I recently saw a photo of four of our promising juniors all in different jumpers

 

[BlackWhiteGold]

Former Tigers co-captain Chris Lawrence takes swipe at club over boardroom war

Club legend Chris Lawrence has taken to social media to blast what he calls ulterior motives that have dismantled the Wests Tigers and stalled the club’s potential for more than a decade.

Pamela Whaley
December 3, 2025 - 12:00PM

Former Wests Tigers co-captain Chris Lawrence has taken aim at the ulterior motives, competing agendas and self-driven motivations that have rocked the club in the wake of another boardroom civil war.

Lawrence, a Wests Tigers legend who played 253 games for the club across a 15-year career, has taken to LinkedIn to express his frustrations after chair Barry O’Farrell and three independent board members were dumped by powerful owners Holman Barnes Group, casting the fragile the club back into familiar instability.

The senseless infighting follows the best Wests Tigers season of the past four years, finishing 13th with some quality recruits after three consecutive wooden spoons and 14 years since their last finals appearance.

Lawrence was a part of the 2011 team that made semi-finals under Tim Sheens and says he’s sick of internal politics preventing the club from once again reaching its potential.

“Sad to see the Wests Tigers in the headlines again!” he wrote.

“It’s disappointing to once again see the internal politics at the Wests Tigers playing out so publicly with the news of board members being removed.

“Without knowing the finer details, it’s fair to assume there are faults - and differing perspectives - on both sides. That’s usually the case in situations like this.

“But one issue that’s has sat over the club for a long time is the presence of ulterior motives, competing agendas and self-driven motivations among certain decision-makers or factions. These dynamics have consistently caused disruption at a club that desperately needs: stability, alignment, consistency, and a clear direction.

“The Tigers are an organisation with huge potential - potential that hasn’t been unlocked for many years. But without unity at the top no club can move forward.

“It’s sad to see the club I love back in the headlines for negative reasons when what everyone truly wants is progress and stability.”

Inner West mayor Darcy Byrne is a passionate Wests Tigers fan and has organised a rally for December 13, with protesters to march from Pratten Park, a former home of the Western Sydney Magpies, to Wests Ashfield Leagues Club.

They will demand the Holman Barnes Group resign.

“It’s as clear as day that allowing the Holman Barnes Group to eliminate independent directors from the Wests Tigers board could mean the death of our famous rugby league club,” he wrote in a press release on Wednesday.

“The fact that the same people who oversaw 15 years of failure and three wooden spoons have now launched a coup to take back total control over Wests Tigers makes clear how dire the situation is.”

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/former-tigers-cocaptain-chris-lawrence-takes-swipe-at-club-over-boardroom-war/news-story/cddaad956f1b44097f4a4dcf9aa8ed04

 

[coivtny]

"Cos" you're really showing it

Touché.

 

[hammertime]

Former Tigers co-captain Chris Lawrence takes swipe at club over boardroom war

Club legend Chris Lawrence has taken to social media to blast what he calls ulterior motives that have dismantled the Wests Tigers and stalled the club’s potential for more than a decade.

Pamela Whaley
December 3, 2025 - 12:00PM

Former Wests Tigers co-captain Chris Lawrence has taken aim at the ulterior motives, competing agendas and self-driven motivations that have rocked the club in the wake of another boardroom civil war.

Lawrence, a Wests Tigers legend who played 253 games for the club across a 15-year career, has taken to LinkedIn to express his frustrations after chair Barry O’Farrell and three independent board members were dumped by powerful owners Holman Barnes Group, casting the fragile the club back into familiar instability.

The senseless infighting follows the best Wests Tigers season of the past four years, finishing 13th with some quality recruits after three consecutive wooden spoons and 14 years since their last finals appearance.

Lawrence was a part of the 2011 team that made semi-finals under Tim Sheens and says he’s sick of internal politics preventing the club from once again reaching its potential.

“Sad to see the Wests Tigers in the headlines again!” he wrote.

“It’s disappointing to once again see the internal politics at the Wests Tigers playing out so publicly with the news of board members being removed.

“Without knowing the finer details, it’s fair to assume there are faults - and differing perspectives - on both sides. That’s usually the case in situations like this.

“But one issue that’s has sat over the club for a long time is the presence of ulterior motives, competing agendas and self-driven motivations among certain decision-makers or factions. These dynamics have consistently caused disruption at a club that desperately needs: stability, alignment, consistency, and a clear direction.

“The Tigers are an organisation with huge potential - potential that hasn’t been unlocked for many years. But without unity at the top no club can move forward.

“It’s sad to see the club I love back in the headlines for negative reasons when what everyone truly wants is progress and stability.”

Inner West mayor Darcy Byrne is a passionate Wests Tigers fan and has organised a rally for December 13, with protesters to march from Pratten Park, a former home of the Western Sydney Magpies, to Wests Ashfield Leagues Club.

They will demand the Holman Barnes Group resign.

“It’s as clear as day that allowing the Holman Barnes Group to eliminate independent directors from the Wests Tigers board could mean the death of our famous rugby league club,” he wrote in a press release on Wednesday.

“The fact that the same people who oversaw 15 years of failure and three wooden spoons have now launched a coup to take back total control over Wests Tigers makes clear how dire the situation is.”

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/former-tigers-cocaptain-chris-lawrence-takes-swipe-at-club-over-boardroom-war/news-story/cddaad956f1b44097f4a4dcf9aa8ed04

Chris's comments are on point for the most part, but the word factions keeps coming up. How can it be factional? The board reps are independent and only met each other 11 months ago for the first time.

Has nothing to do with that.

 

[innsaneink]

I disagree.
I reckon most of the players (like every other Gen Z’r on the planet) aren’t having deep n meaningful conversations about the Wests Ts board.

Their agents would be keeping a close eye on things tho

 

[mtd#2]

1. It has been suggested based on the statement from the HBG spokesperson that certain agendas were not being presented before the board.
If agendas are not being presented before the board, how could the board members know about them prior to being revealed ?

If issues ARE being voted on by the board (including HBG reps) how can they not be presented? It defies logic.

Instead of organising a sit down to set expectations from both sides, they threw their toys out of the cot and sacked 4 independent directors.

The HBG statement said they wanted full control.. yet they don't want to dabble in football operations... How does that make sense when this whole thing is about them being upset they weren't involved in football operations? It's bullshit, that's why... Even their statement contradicts their actions.

 

[Telltails]

Chris's comments are on point for the most part, but the word factions keeps coming up. How can it be factional? The board reps are independent and only met each other 11 months ago for the first time.

Has nothing to do with that.

It's about maintaining control. Romero, was removed the three other directors before her, and now the independents. There is no guarantee that the next people who are elected to be on the board will earn their positions, but instead aligned with the people behind the decision to sack the formers.

 

[mtd#2]

It's about maintaining control. Romero, was removed the three other directors before her, and now the independents. There is no guarantee that the next people who are elected to be on the board will earn their positions, but instead aligned with the people behind the decision to sack the formers.

@Vicious this is the problem mate
There is a history of this behaviour.
It isn't the first time the HBG have thrown their toys out of the cot...

 

[GNR4LIFE]

The "Blue Wiggle" has zero power, unfortunately i can't say the same for HBG and Burgess

They don’t have the power to bring back the Magpies.

 

[innsaneink]

I’d prefer to see the Gosford Townies return to Grahame Park - it’s been 26 long years 🙄

Didnt think you would reply....cant or wont...pretty cowardly
Thanks.for clarifying your position

 

[Lestronge]

I know eh.
I recently saw a photo of four of our promising juniors all in different jumpers

It’s stupid. It serves no purpose other than to appease the dying whims of old men .
It’s a hugely not talked about core fabric behind the Penrith surge .
There’s a silly soccer movie called Goal , and in there the main character is playing with the youth team and him and his mates are constantly looking over at the main training ground talking about what it’s like to train there, and how they’ll get there one day .
How do you get that when Jimbo jones from Eagle Vale trains in a magpies jersey out of some random field . Or John smith from Five dock trains out of birch grove in a Balmain jersey . All you get is confusion about which club you’re representing . Is it Balmain , is it wests tigers , magpies ? Your junior club . None of the above ? All of the above … think about that messaging being lost on a 16 year old . And we wonder why a huge chuck of the C- town kids have no loyalty to wests tigers . Why would they ? It’s this mythical thing played on a tv . It has zero tangibility to their reality . But cool Dennis have the club play out of lidcombe in juniors in the middle of Canterbury bulldogs area … that makes heaps of sense …

 

[BAGNF05]

Yes I have and embedded that graphic that @cochise posted last night.

I have the utmost confidence that PVL & Richo are working behind-the-scenes on a way forward. How that looks is anyone's guess.

The NRL owe Richo a lot for his work for them over the years, in recent times the ESL buy-out proposal situation. It's time for them to have his back.

Good on you. It was only two years ago many said, what good would fans rallying do? Silly that we have to be rallying again so soon but hey, some people have very short memories…

 

[liltiger]

Same. Also bought the new jersey and it arrived last week. Really disappointed in HBG right now.

The other thing imo is this is prob the best looking jersey we've had since maybe the 2005 training jersey imo. Nothing to do with the color but the design imo is fire.

 

[BlackWhiteGold]

The "Blue Wiggle" has zero power, unfortunately i can't say the same for HBG and Burgess

But if Anthony Field and a group of very prominent & influential people who are WT supporters band together (Harry Triguboff, WT Foundation 13 members, ex players etc), that will give PVL even more ammunition to step in.

 

[Lestronge]

Ok .,. It seems a very stock standard response to a media enquiry and that they aren’t actually doing anything , but I would love to be wrong on this and they take some action … time will tell

Doesn’t being put on notice mean you’re being investigated ?

 

[innsaneink]

It’s a B from me.

Thanks....see @Bus 2 Terrigal its not hard to answer simply

 

[Vicious]

If issues ARE being voted on by the board (including HBG reps) how can they not be presented? It defies logic.

Instead of organising a sit down to set expectations from both sides, they threw their toys out of the cot and sacked 4 independent directors.

The HBG statement said they wanted full control.. yet they don't want to dabble in football operations... How does that make sense when this whole thing is about them being upset they weren't involved in football operations? It's bullshit, that's why... Even their statement contradicts their actions.

If the 4 independents got dismissed for no valid reason there will be repercussions.
You have every right to dismiss the comments made by the HBG spokesperson as does many others on this forum.
However most logical people understand everyone looks at things differently and respects other peoples right to reserve judgement until there is concrete evidence and not believe they have the right to be critical and abusive to people who are not willing to agree with them.
We all know the HBG have been dysfunctional for a long time and some still involved may not have good intentions for the Wests Tigers.
That doesn’t mean they did not have a valid reason to dismiss the 4 independents, I don’t know if there was a valid reason and neither do you.
The answers will all be revealed very soon now it has been highlighted.

 

[UnderTheBus]

Not investigating…but Monitoring ..ok … isn’t what they should be doing anyway ?

A step in the right direction, nonetheless.