HBG, Independent Directors Sacked

[wstigers11]

I used to feel the same way but have changed my stance on it a little bit.

Board instability etc is annoying but the major issue is lack of funding. We have teams in every single NSWRL and NRL comps but our budget is the lowest collectively.

If you want owners to invest heavily in the Club, they have to be involved. Not many owners are going to say here's $10m, do whatever you want.

Dogs position changed once they got money with Laundys AND they got Gus in there who knows what he's doing.

You need owners to care and it's hard to care without getting involved. It's also hard to spend millions without getting involved.

Even if it's not a direct involvement, whoever is spending money will put someone there who they trust to get involved.

Watched the UFC fights yesterday, one of the fighters is working as a wrestling coach for the dogs. They’ve got the best of the best because they have the funds to do it.

 

[Bus 2 Terrigal Lagoon]

I think 90% of the forum hope your right ...

As a spokesman for the 10% Club,
In direct response to your Laundy fantasy, I’d like to blurt,
CHEWY ON YOUR BOOT!

 

[Vicious]

You must have a short memory. Before all of this stuff blew up you were crying about how poor our squad is for this year saying we won't make the top 8 when "a ball has not even been kicked as yet in the 2026 season."
https://weststigersforum.com/threads/signings-suggestions-rumours-discussion.27347/post-2194486
https://weststigersforum.com/threads/signings-suggestions-rumours-discussion.27347/post-2195050 https://weststigersforum.com/threads/signings-suggestions-rumours-discussion.27347/post-2195071

V

Post in thread 'Signings, Suggestions & Rumours Discussion'

Nov 4, 2025

You gunna hold them all accountable too?

Making broad, generalising statements is cowardly.

Direct your tears to those in charge, no one here can make a difference

This forum showcases how many of our supporters are happy to accept failure as long as we improve a couple of positions and do not get the wooden soon.
As long as a good portion of our supporter base is satisfied we will continue along the same path.
** There are a few people on this forum who genuinely believe we can make the top 8 in 2026. Time will tell, I hope they prove to be correct.
** Others such as yourself...

• Vicious

• 

Nothing has changed, I still believe our playing roster is poor in certain areas and I don’t believe our now removed CEO helped us in that regard.
However I’m coming into the 2026 season with an open mind, knowing a tight knit playing squad with a good mindset and positive attitude can overcome it and perform better than other clubs with a better quality playing roster.
Strong consideration also given to the fact we don’t really know how improved our younger emerging players and our more experienced players who have worked hard throughout the off season will be.
I don’t believe we have a top 8 squad in regards to proven talent within our playing roster, but that is not to say it cannot change during the 2026 season.

 

[Vicious]

Watched the UFC fights yesterday, one of the fighters is working as a wrestling coach for the dogs. They’ve got the best of the best because they have the funds to do it.

With all due respect I do not think lack of a decent creating coach is our problem.

 

[wstigers11]

With all due respect I do not think lack of a decent creating coach is our problem.

How bout a halves coach? A goal kicking coach? Notice how we don’t have them.

 

[Rock Hopper Steve]

As a spokesman for the 10% Club,
In direct response to your Laundy fantasy, I’d like to blurt,
CHEWY ON YOUR BOOT!

Congratulations, that would have to be the first post I've seen from you that was clever, I'm shocked.

 

[WestsEffTheRest]

Nothing has changed, I still believe our playing roster is poor in certain areas and I don’t believe our now removed CEO helped us in that regard.
However I’m coming into the 2026 season with an open mind, knowing a tight knit playing squad with a good mindset and positive attitude can overcome and perform better than other clubs with a better quality playing roster.
Strong consideration also given to the fact we don’t really know how improved our younger emerging players and our more experienced players who have worked hard throughout the off season will be.
I don’t believe we have a top 8 squad in regards to proven talent within our playing roster, but that is not to say it cannot change during the 2026 season.

And you don't think Richo helped create an environment that allowed that to happen? Realistically how much change can Richo inflict to the top 30 in 18 months.

 

[Vicious]

And you don't think Richo helped create an environment that allowed that to happen? Realistically how much change can Richo inflict to the top 30 in 18 months.

All the high profile players that have signed with us over the past 18 months done so because of Benji and that has been well documented, not a secret.

 

[weststigers]

Is he though ? He couldn’t even relay basic messages between the 2 boards. He either was a Machiavellian type figure , causing major disruption , or he was asleep at the wheel .
I wouldn’t be putting my money on him being some scheming genius !
For me I always got the impression that it was the new CEO for HBG who has been the one pushing all this . Either fairly or unfairly . His head is now in almost every wests tigers corporate photo since December . It can’t be a coincidence IMO.

Honestly mate, I doubt Paton has that much power - he is hired and fired by the HBG board. Burgess has been there for far longer than him. Paton is a "Johnny come lately" in all of this - he was only appointed in August 2025 I believe.

 

[Tigerwould]

A lot of decisions that in hindsight have turned out to be poor.
It’s always easy to make good decisions in hindsight.
Every NRL club makes bad decisions which never get highlighted to the extent they do with Wests Tigers.
Yes they need to be a lot better and early indications based on quotes coming from Shaun Mielecamp and Barry O’Farrell would indicate there is a strong focus on better decision making and much better harmony between the owners and the rugby league club.

Shaun Mielecamp and Barry O’Farrell are both smart enough to say harmonious words this close to the start of the season. That doesn’t mean HBG destructive actions towards the football department should be forgiven.

 

[WestsEffTheRest]

All the high profile players that have signed with us over the past 18 months done so because of Benji and that has been well documented, not a secret.

And who has Benji credited for allowing him to sign those players? Was it not Benji who called Richo the best administrator he's ever seen on the Mayday pod?

 

[diedpretty]

Wests Leagues kicked off October 1955
So from 1956 on 👍

Technically HBG didn't come in to effect until 2019 - although i find it strange that in their annual report they say they commenced in 1955 and make no mention of the rebranding from Wests Ashfield.

 

[Vicious]

And who has Benji credited for allowing him to sign those players? Was it not Benji who called Richo the best administrator he's ever seen on the Mayday pod?

I’d be very surprised if Benji and the vast majority of our players are not much happier with Shaun Mielekamp.

 

[cochise]

And you know we will get that from private ownership ?
There is a perception that Wests Tigers are the only NRL club that makes bad decisions, when in fact every NRL club makes bad decisions, no one is perfect.

How many of those other clubs have 15 years without finals, that's a lot of bad decisions.

 

[cochise]

Why don’t we see how season 2026 turns out before wanting to upend the place ?
Fair dinkum a ball has not even been kicked as yet in the 2026 season and we already want to find problems.

Why? HBG upended the place after we started moving forward for the first time in a decade.