Inside story: The 2026 jersey reveal that crushed Wests Tigers’ independent board
A jersey deemed ‘too Balmain’ has helped trigger the dramatic downfall of Wests Tigers’ independent board in a stunning corporate power play, leaving CEO Shane Richardson in a precarious position.
Michael Carayannis
@mcarayannis
2 min read
December 1, 2025 - 7:15PM
News Sport Network
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Shane Richardson is under pressure following the dismantling of the independent board.
The new Wests Tigers jersey – dubbed too Balmain dominant – is among the list of the four grievances which led to four independent board members lasting less than a year before being blindsided by their axing.
Some of the directors only learnt of their removal via the media before being informed formally by the Holman Barnes group.
The
decision by Holman Barnes to regain full control of the Wests Tigers after trumpeting the implementation of an independent review should be cause for concern for the Tigers faithful.
For the first time in a while it seemed like the Tigers were on the right track. The club was profitable and stable with the four now dumped independent board members – Barry O’Farrell, Annabelle Williams, Charlie Viola and Michelle McDowell — all professional heavyweights.
But again the Tigers are now on the brink of implosion with the Holman Barnes Group – who has been embroiled in their own governance issues this year – again running the show.
“Tigers haven’t had the best track record,” Jarome Luai says as he talks about what comes next for him at the Wests Tigers
It is understood that the relationship between the owners of the
Tigers and some of the board members was at breaking point because of a string of recent decisions.
Among them includes the recently launched Wests Tigers new jersey – dubbed as too gold – and the club’s stadiums policy which they weren’t given a chance to veto.
Another big issue was a push from the independent board members who wanted to update the shareholding agreement.
While the Tigers board was supposed to be independent, the Holman Barnes Group still had control over a range of key decisions such as the hiring and firing of senior players and signing off of staff members.
Initially there was support for this change when it was raised months ago. Discussions progressed and centred around the club being profitable and having operating expenses in the account for the next two or three years. If that could be achieved then there could be a change in the shareholding agreement which enables the board to make all the decisions — not just the smaller ones.
But in more recent weeks there had been a shift from Holman Barnes which ultimately led to the removal of the majority of the Tigers board on Monday.
The other major problem according to Holman Barnes was a breakdown in communication between the two boards. This despite two Holman Barnes board members being appointed to the Tigers board ensuring they should have been kept abreast of any major decisions.
Holman Barnes chief executive Daniel Paton also sits on a shareholding deed committee which includes members of the Tigers board. Paton will be among the changes on the Tigers board.
While coach Benji Marshall won’t be impacted by the changes. The same can’t be said for chief executive Shane Richardson.
