Chairman’s comments
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Joel Helmes
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Where did he make the comments?
avocadoontoast
Well-known member
Wests Tigers chairman opens up on salary cap pain Ivan Cleary left behind
Ivan Cleary left Wests with big name salary cap gambles before heading back to the Panthers, and while fans may hold a grudge, the Tigers’ boss has a message for the Penrith coach ahead of their grudge match.
While the blood of Wests Tigers fans would still be boiling, chairman Lee Hagipantelis says he has no resentment towards Ivan Cleary for the salary cap pain that remains two years after Cleary jumped off the bus.
Ahead of Saturday’s grudge match against Cleary’s table-topping Penrith Panthers, Hagipantelis said: “No, not at all. I don’t hold any resentment towards anyone.”
The Tigers boss also backed Benji Marshall to make up his own mind if he should retire or play on next season, while declaring “the board has absolute faith and confidence in Madge Maguire”.
It was two years ago this month that Cleary came up with his now infamous “misinformation” defence, when publicly declaring his intention to see out his Tigers contract that would have only expired this year.
But while Cleary backed a winner by hotfooting it to Penrith and taking over a roster that is overflowing with talent, the Tigers look certain to miss the finals for the ninth straight season.
To make matters worse, they continue to be burdened by Cleary’s big money gambles that included Russell Packer, Moses Mbye, Josh Reynolds, Chris McQueen and Elijah Taylor.
Hagipantelis had no doubt those decisions would have been made with the club’s best interests.
“But it is a situation that is there that needs to be reviewed and corrected, and we are in the course of doing that,” he added.
“But these things do not happen overnight. You do not review and change a roster in a year.
“People have contracts, they have expectations and they are entitled to expect them to be fulfilled unless you can come to some agreement.”
Hagipantelis also responded to some stinging criticism from rugby league Immortals Andrew Johns and Mal Meninga following the first half debacle against the Roosters.
In a match where the Tigers were fighting for their season’s survival, they capitulated against an understrength opposition.
Johns labelled the first half defence “pathetic”, and said it resembled “under 10s” and a team playing with “no soul”.
Meninga also told Fox League “there’s no real effort”.
Hagipantelis responded: “Someone like Andrew Johns and Mal Meninga have got an enormous amount of credibility in the game and I respect their opinion.
“We have not achieved the level of success that we demand of ourselves, let alone what our fans and members demand.
“People are perfectly entitled to be critical of that. I know Andrew Johns. I have met Mal once or twice. I respect their views and they are entitled to express them.
“And if we don’t perform well and we don’t achieve the standards we set for ourselves we are entitled to be kicked in the butt. Publicly and privately.
“I stood there on Saturday night. I spoke to a number of board members at Leichhardt and I just shook and said, ‘Gentlemen, this is not good enough … there are 3,500 people out here at Leichhardt who are going to go home with their head down and despondent. We have an obligation to these people to provide to them a product of which they can be proud’.”
There has been rumblings for some time that certain players are fed up with Maguire’s hard-edge discipline.
Maguire still has next season to run on his existing contract.
“At the end of this year everyone is planning to sit down and discuss Madge’s expectations and ours,” Hagipantelis said.
“As I have said publicly, the board has absolute faith and confidence in Madge Maguire, and he shares our vision moving forward.
“And that is what he said, he wants to return this club to premiership success.
“If you look at us objectively at the moment, and there is no point sugarcoating it, we are a long way from that.
“We have all got a lot of work to do and we have to ask ourselves a lot of questions.”
There is also the question if Benji should play on after he produced another mixed bag against the Roosters.
“From my understanding there has been no formal discussions with Benji as to his intentions as yet,” Hagipantelis said.
“Look, Benji is an iconic figure within the Wests Tigers and he will make the right decision. I am certain of it.”
Hagipantelis said as tough as it has been on the fans they need to understand it is not an easy fix, which he has learned first-hand in his first season as chairman.
“So much goes on inside a club that you can’t publicly disclose. But I can’t assure everyone it is not a simple task,” he added.
“It is all about the wins and losses. That is how we are going to be judged.
“But if you look roster I am absolutely convinced it is a better roster than what we had last year, and a better roster than we had the year before.
“But it is constantly improving.”
Ivan Cleary left Wests with big name salary cap gambles before heading back to the Panthers, and while fans may hold a grudge, the Tigers’ boss has a message for the Penrith coach ahead of their grudge match.
While the blood of Wests Tigers fans would still be boiling, chairman Lee Hagipantelis says he has no resentment towards Ivan Cleary for the salary cap pain that remains two years after Cleary jumped off the bus.
Ahead of Saturday’s grudge match against Cleary’s table-topping Penrith Panthers, Hagipantelis said: “No, not at all. I don’t hold any resentment towards anyone.”
The Tigers boss also backed Benji Marshall to make up his own mind if he should retire or play on next season, while declaring “the board has absolute faith and confidence in Madge Maguire”.
It was two years ago this month that Cleary came up with his now infamous “misinformation” defence, when publicly declaring his intention to see out his Tigers contract that would have only expired this year.
But while Cleary backed a winner by hotfooting it to Penrith and taking over a roster that is overflowing with talent, the Tigers look certain to miss the finals for the ninth straight season.
To make matters worse, they continue to be burdened by Cleary’s big money gambles that included Russell Packer, Moses Mbye, Josh Reynolds, Chris McQueen and Elijah Taylor.
Hagipantelis had no doubt those decisions would have been made with the club’s best interests.
“But it is a situation that is there that needs to be reviewed and corrected, and we are in the course of doing that,” he added.
“But these things do not happen overnight. You do not review and change a roster in a year.
“People have contracts, they have expectations and they are entitled to expect them to be fulfilled unless you can come to some agreement.”
Hagipantelis also responded to some stinging criticism from rugby league Immortals Andrew Johns and Mal Meninga following the first half debacle against the Roosters.
In a match where the Tigers were fighting for their season’s survival, they capitulated against an understrength opposition.
Johns labelled the first half defence “pathetic”, and said it resembled “under 10s” and a team playing with “no soul”.
Meninga also told Fox League “there’s no real effort”.
Hagipantelis responded: “Someone like Andrew Johns and Mal Meninga have got an enormous amount of credibility in the game and I respect their opinion.
“We have not achieved the level of success that we demand of ourselves, let alone what our fans and members demand.
“People are perfectly entitled to be critical of that. I know Andrew Johns. I have met Mal once or twice. I respect their views and they are entitled to express them.
“And if we don’t perform well and we don’t achieve the standards we set for ourselves we are entitled to be kicked in the butt. Publicly and privately.
“I stood there on Saturday night. I spoke to a number of board members at Leichhardt and I just shook and said, ‘Gentlemen, this is not good enough … there are 3,500 people out here at Leichhardt who are going to go home with their head down and despondent. We have an obligation to these people to provide to them a product of which they can be proud’.”
There has been rumblings for some time that certain players are fed up with Maguire’s hard-edge discipline.
Maguire still has next season to run on his existing contract.
“At the end of this year everyone is planning to sit down and discuss Madge’s expectations and ours,” Hagipantelis said.
“As I have said publicly, the board has absolute faith and confidence in Madge Maguire, and he shares our vision moving forward.
“And that is what he said, he wants to return this club to premiership success.
“If you look at us objectively at the moment, and there is no point sugarcoating it, we are a long way from that.
“We have all got a lot of work to do and we have to ask ourselves a lot of questions.”
There is also the question if Benji should play on after he produced another mixed bag against the Roosters.
“From my understanding there has been no formal discussions with Benji as to his intentions as yet,” Hagipantelis said.
“Look, Benji is an iconic figure within the Wests Tigers and he will make the right decision. I am certain of it.”
Hagipantelis said as tough as it has been on the fans they need to understand it is not an easy fix, which he has learned first-hand in his first season as chairman.
“So much goes on inside a club that you can’t publicly disclose. But I can’t assure everyone it is not a simple task,” he added.
“It is all about the wins and losses. That is how we are going to be judged.
“But if you look roster I am absolutely convinced it is a better roster than what we had last year, and a better roster than we had the year before.
“But it is constantly improving.”
JD Tiger
New member
We have some (hopefully) good young kids, but they're all marked as potential. Although our roster may be a slightly better roster than last year*, it still is significantly below the pack. And that's Ivan's fault.
Why don't the Tigers hierarchy come out and rip into Ivan? it won't gain much, but what's there to lose?
Why don't the Tigers hierarchy come out and rip into Ivan? it won't gain much, but what's there to lose?
gallagher
Well-known member
I've heard all that before. Year after year
gallagher
Well-known member
@JD-Tiger said in [Chairman’s comments](/post/1213199) said:
If they rip into Ivan the media will then ask some uncomfortable questions about the CEO and the board sitting idly by while it all happened. At the moment the spotlight isn't on them and they wouldn't like that to change.
JD Tiger
New member
@gallagher said in [Chairman’s comments](/post/1213204) said:
That's a good point. I don't think I've heard about our Board changing (to my limited knowledge) since someone in there back-stabbed Marina Go. So our Board could still be questionable.
happy_tiger
Well-known member
My God ..I've read better interviews from Seibold
Spud_Murphy
New member
@Tcat said in [Chairman’s comments](/post/1213207) said:
Agreed, bringing this all up again only shows that we are still not over it two years on, still lamenting what Ivan did to us. This is exactly the reason that we haven’t moved on, imo. This club loves living in the past, whether good (2005) or bad (regurgitated stories about Cleary, JT & Farah, losing the big 3 blah, blah). Over it, every team has its scars, let’s just concentrate on playing football like a professional team.
What else do you really want him to say.
We all hate Ivan and deservedly so.
We all hate Ivan and deservedly so.
happy_tiger
Well-known member
@Spartan117 said in [Chairman’s comments](/post/1213224) said:
Unless you despise Iv your not even trying 117
sheer64
Well-known member
Drop the politics, we dropped the ball again.
Aesopian
Well-known member
@Tcat said in [Chairman’s comments](/post/1213207) said:
DT at it again this morning pouring more fuel on the fire. And of course J Rey took the bait.
Tigerbuck63
Well-known member
Some of his comments are valid, others well as supporters we have to question the logical.
Has backed Benji Marshall to make up his own mind if he should retire or play on next season???? (Why should that not be the coaches decision)
Tigers look certain to miss the finals for the ninth straight season.
(Well its a fail this season)
To make matters worse, they continue to be burdened by Cleary’s big money gambles that included Russell Packer, Moses Mbye, Josh Reynolds, Chris McQueen and Elijah Taylor.
(The CEO Pascoe also allowed this and was great mates with Cleary from his time at the Panthers prior)
“I stood there on Saturday night. I spoke to a number of board members at Leichhardt and I just shook and said, ‘Gentlemen, this is not good enough … there are 3,500 people out here at Leichhardt who are going to go home with their head down and despondent. We have an obligation to these people to provide to them a product of which they can be proud’.”
(Great statement actions not words)
“As I have said publicly, the board has absolute faith and confidence in Madge Maguire, and he shares our vision moving forward. (Most members still have confidence but we have to ? the 1st half performance from the Team)
Until we get rid of some dead wood the roster will not improve.
Has backed Benji Marshall to make up his own mind if he should retire or play on next season???? (Why should that not be the coaches decision)
Tigers look certain to miss the finals for the ninth straight season.
(Well its a fail this season)
To make matters worse, they continue to be burdened by Cleary’s big money gambles that included Russell Packer, Moses Mbye, Josh Reynolds, Chris McQueen and Elijah Taylor.
(The CEO Pascoe also allowed this and was great mates with Cleary from his time at the Panthers prior)
“I stood there on Saturday night. I spoke to a number of board members at Leichhardt and I just shook and said, ‘Gentlemen, this is not good enough … there are 3,500 people out here at Leichhardt who are going to go home with their head down and despondent. We have an obligation to these people to provide to them a product of which they can be proud’.”
(Great statement actions not words)
“As I have said publicly, the board has absolute faith and confidence in Madge Maguire, and he shares our vision moving forward. (Most members still have confidence but we have to ? the 1st half performance from the Team)
Until we get rid of some dead wood the roster will not improve.
avocadoontoast
Well-known member
@Aesopian said in [Chairman’s comments](/post/1213235) said:
Probably best for Reynolds not to comment on that. The WT have set him up for life and he's given us nothing in return.
Aesopian
Well-known member
@avocadoontoast said in [Chairman’s comments](/post/1213238) said:
Yeah, not sure what he's trying to achieve by commenting. Nothing positive could come from it.
