HBG, Independent Directors Sacked

Jolls said:
Mate, I know nothing of Richo apart from what he has stated. As for the club I have been a member long enought to know it well and have taken the time to read the constitution and by laws so tha tI understand how the joint ooperates.

Richo clearly stated that he would only take the job on if he had an independed board. You are 100% correct that he also stated that if you weren't in for the crocodile roll you weren't wanted.

But he didn't do exactly the same thing as Galvin or TDS who were contracted to the club. He alowed them to walk becase they weren't ivested in the future. In his case HBG broke their contract with him.

What I stated to you earlier was: If he stays he is morally corrupt for not standing by his commitment to the independent board; if he goes he wasn't in it for the crocodile roll. This is a lose lose situation.

Richo didn't break the contract conditions HBG did.

So nothing went backwards?
  • Members not renewing reduced club revenue.
  • Potential members walking away due to the turmoil.
  • Another restart of the plan under different leadership.
  • A realignment of the staff and player values by the interimm CEO
Need I go on?

I don't think he walked on water at all and I questioned some of his decisions. But he had a proven track record of turning clubs around and our leadership forced his hand to make a decision - compromise his morals or walk.

If you bothered to read anything I have written the issue with the Club wasn't Richo - it it isn't necessarily HBG as such (even though they have been at the centre of most of the issues). The issue we have is the mis alignment of the two boards and our failure to move from joint venture thinking to being a single entity.

It is fine if in your opinion is that Richo lacks conviction - but the alternate argument is equally as valid and plenty, including myself, value moral courage above proving a point.
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How about stephano who walked out with an origin clause in his contract was he clapped and pat on the back through the tunnel at concord before he departed or was he abused?

Can we compaire stephano and richardson as the same thing contractually speaking?


In summary and conclusion my issue with richardson are

- he talked about the crocodile roll but just another Ivan who left the club

- talked out of school with vagas

- prob talked out of school committing venues without talking to HBG

- the fact we fell with Shaun i haven't seen any damage in shane leacing


I thought SR was a good footy manager tho and did the best he could with recruitment

I know its easy to hate on hbg but you cant just wish they cease to exist, and not see things from their view standing in their shoes too
 
area52 said:
The players aren't some walking contractual documents yeah, they're the ones putting their body on the line. Its a very tough sport players risk permanent injury

Its not some internet victory for me i just think your being manipulative

You love richardson but you don't know the bloke or the club.

What is known tho is he threw dirt on players about something and did the exact same thing but he is gone now.

There were numerous examples of him talking out of school. Like others have mentioned here i tend to agree his doesnt walk on water like others think of him


I don't see any evidence the club has gone backwards since he has departed.
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Most of this makes no sense.
Starting to get irrational it seems.
 
area52 said:
How about stephano who walked out with an origin clause in his contract was he clapped and pat on the back through the tunnel at concord before he departed or was he abused?

Can we compaire stephano and richardson as the same thing contractually speaking?


In summary and conclusion my issue with richardson are

- he talked about the crocodile roll but just another Ivan who left the club

- talked out of school with vagas

- prob talked out of school committing venues without talking to HBG

- the fact we fell with Shaun i haven't seen any damage in shane leacing


I thought SR was a good footy manager tho and did the best he could with recruitment

I know its easy to hate on hbg but you cant just wish they cease to exist, and not see things from their view standing in their shoes too
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What did Richo have to do with Stefano's contract?

Stefano was able to walk because he had a clause that allowed him to do so. I also expect that if he wasn't in for the crocodile roll he could have walked the same as Galvin and TDS.

Yes, I agree he walked out on the corocodile role but held his moral ground in relation to the independent board - either way he was going to lose.

Why were his comments out of school in relation to Vegas. Shaun made the same statement at the forum - we are trying to win games and Vegas is not conducinve to that - we need to be a better football club before we entertain Vegas. We may be forced by the NRL to go earlier than we wanted - but the club can have an opinion without talking out of school - he was the CEO with an independent board.

None of us unwashed know what was out of school. HBG had two members on the board and the Stadia Strategy was discussed in the media. To say they were caught with their pants down is a bit of a stretch. He may have had "quiet discussion" on the side - but only those involced hknow and they are subject to NDAs. Have you wondered why not all of the Indpendents chose to come back?

If you have read my posts you will know that I don't "hate on HBG" or "wish they cease to exist". HBG are the rightful owners - the issue is the misalignment of the WT and HBG charters. In fact I think it is imprtant that HBG is part of the solution - what we need to do it move from acting as merged entities to being one - Wests Tigers; based on the foundations of Western Suburbs Magpies and Balmain Tigers.

When we make that transition, align the boards and start talking about "we" then we are on the right track.
 
Jolls said:
This unity discussion is a symptom of the Club's problem and unfortunately it really doesn't help get us all rowing in the right direction. First let's identify the root casue of the issue. Most of what is thrown around on this forum is about self interest from both sides of the fence: it isn't about unity. We as supporters need to take a long hard look at ourselves and determine if we are part of the problem or want to be part of the solution. We have the freedom to make our own decsions and change the direction we take when debating the future of our club.

Is the Root Cause “Self-Interest”?​

There is some truth in this line. The joint venture Wests Tigers has always been emotionally fragile because it has merged two proud foundation clubs. Unfortunately, the financial collapse of Balmain Leagues Club led to Wests Ashfield acquiring the controlling interest in the football club structure. That power shift altered not just voting rights — but perceived legitimacy. Legacy supporters on both sides have long felt: “We saved you"; “You took us over”; “You erased us” and “We carry the burden” to name a few.

So yes — ego, historical grievance, and institutional self-interest have absolutely fuelled tension.

But that is not the root cause of our problems.

The Root Cause?​

The root cause is the structural misalignment of incentives; with the key issue being that Wests Tigers performance incentives do not align with the controlling entity’s financial incentives. If we look at the competing interests:
  • Wests Ashfield (as the primary financial backer) is incentivised toward asset stability and risk mitigation.
  • The NRL football program is incentivised toward competitive risk, bold recruitment, and performance volatility.
Those incentives clash. When football decisions are filtered through governance layers shaped by leagues-club economics rather than elite sport performance models, friction occurs - and this is what we have witnessed for the last 15 years or so.

Why? Our Identities Were Never Fully Integrated​

The joint venture was administratively merged and was never emotionally unified. Even now, with those that argue that it is only Wests Tigers there is no unity because most also see rusted on Magpies and Tigers as "the problem". The brand “Wests Tigers” exists — but only psychologically:
  • Some still see Balmain.
  • Some still see Wests.
  • Most probably see a single modern entity; that is constantly beeing dragged down by our history. This continues to fester - with some labelled as dinosours, Fibros or Balmainge
That identity tension feeds: board suspicion; media attention; factional leaks; inter-fanbase tribalism and of course the internal politics at the HBG level.

Politics → Governance Instability → Football Instability which kills performance cultures.

The evidence is there for all three elements of the fan base to see: board changes; CEO turnover; coach turnover and recruitment philosophy shifts. Every reset we endure prevents long-term cohesion. This is where we are right now - another reset and raised animosity between the different elements of the fan base.

Elite NRL clubs sustain success - Wests Tigers is not an elite club - and despite on field success will never be until the root cause of the clubs woes is addressed. What do we need?

Stable governance structures that empower football departments rather than interfere with them.

Wests Tigers’ problem isn't passion; all three elements of the fan base have it in bucketloads. Governance architecture is still a problem with the fan base - perceived or otherwise there is a smell that permeates every discussion.

So What Is the Root Cause?​

The root casue is not just self-interest; it is not Balmain vs Wests vs Wests Tigers alone.
The root cause is: A joint venture that never completed the psychological and structural transition from shared custody to unified ownership.

Until that shift happens, the club will oscillate between factions, narratives, and resets.

The Solution: Move From “Joint Venture” to “Single Entity”​

The problem isn’t Balmain; it isn’t Wests; it isn't the 90% ownership model. The problem is that we still operate as a managed alliance rather than a unified professional sporting organisation.

In my view change requires six deliberate moves.

1. Constitutional Reform. Constitutional reform that ends factional representation. This would remove legacy-based board allocation. No more: “Balmain or Wests appointed directors”. This must be the first step - unless constituational reform is undertaken management can "retake" ownership and direction as it sees fit. This does not change the ownership model - so Wests Ashfield retains it shares and benefits.

2. Skills-based, independent governance appointments. I know that this was the goal under Richo however, given that the constitutional reform had not take place this was reversed. Elite NRL clubs do
not seat directors to protect history; they seat directors to drive performance. Until Wests Tigers governance reflects that model, politics will always bleed into football.

3. Ring-Fence Football Operations Completely. Create a clearly defined separation:
  • Board = Strategy + Financial oversight
  • Football Department = Performance + Recruitment + Culture
No informal influence; no “phone calls”; no legacy appeasement signings. Empower a Head of Football with contractual autonomy with stability in football leadership for 5+ years minimum. We can probably go close to doing that right now.

4. Formally Declare the Identity Reset. This matters more than people think. The club should publicly declare:

“The joint venture era is complete. We are one unified club.”

Not legally but culturally.

We need to celebrate our previous premierships and our foundation history but we need to stop framing the present through the lens of past sacrifice. That can be driven by the fan base and each individual fan right here and right now.

Symbolism drives culture → Culture drives standards → Standards drive results.

5. Align the Incentives Between the Majority Owner and the NRL Club. The Wests Ashfield majority stake has created financial stability; however, that stability is not linked ot the NRL Club's ambition. HBG must formally commit to:
  • Minimum football investment thresholds.
  • Long-term facilities planning.
  • Development pathways aligned with Western Sydney growth.
Not reactive spending — structured and forecast investment. This is a big alignment hurdle that needs to be overcome. The goal must be to go from us and
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Mate everything that’s been said , has been spoken about all over the podcasts , forums etc. the simple fact is the only solution to the problem is time .
The brutality of life means older generations who never transitioned but sit in places of power will die out (literally), and eventually the club will shift to a Wests tigers . There will be no magpies nor Balmain , ultimately because the question will be asked by those say millennials and younger , wtf is a magpie and Balmain . Because whilst I do see how the magpies represents a lot of older people’s youth and identity , it isn’t held in the same regard and reverence by younger generations . In fact it’s quite the opposite .
Same for Balmain .
Whilst once an area of dock workers and middle class hard working peoples , it has transitioned into a yuppy haven with people who are just as likely to ask “who the F are the tigers” as much as they are to follow the team. LO however being a borderline tourist attraction for people to have a final destination after a pub crawl , almost like an inner city Berlin Love Parade , where people are met by screams and Guns and roses , and cert crashes for 80 minutes , rather than techno music , naked young people and copious amounts of MDMA, puts life still into the Wests tigers brand .
The reality is, and I’m a demon as much as anyone for harping on about the following , the reality is that no matter what we say and do people see it as “thier club” . So that implies ownership which inevitably leads to selfish decisions.
Simply the current times we live in , have made true altruism as mythical as Zeus and the Minotaurs , which means people either through necessity or social engineering , simply don’t want to concede , let alone do what’s right for the collective . Which means a stalemate of shit being thrown over the fences for the next period of time is the only real way forward z
It’s the same with every single issue in the world . And it sux because our kids are gonna suffer because we are incapable of being able to compromise . I fear the team is destined to be the nrl also rans , like an nrl west ham. Or Everton . Forever meh …
 
Lestronge said:
Mate everything that’s been said , has been spoken about all over the podcasts , forums etc. the simple fact is the only solution to the problem is time .
The brutality of life means older generations who never transitioned but sit in places of power will die out (literally), and eventually the club will shift to a Wests tigers . There will be no magpies nor Balmain , ultimately because the question will be asked by those say millennials and younger , wtf is a magpie and Balmain . Because whilst I do see how the magpies represents a lot of older people’s youth and identity , it isn’t held in the same regard and reverence by younger generations . In fact it’s quite the opposite .
Same for Balmain .
Whilst once an area of dock workers and middle class hard working peoples , it has transitioned into a yuppy haven with people who are just as likely to ask “who the F are the tigers” as much as they are to follow the team. LO however being a borderline tourist attraction for people to have a final destination after a pub crawl , almost like an inner city Berlin Love Parade , where people are met by screams and Guns and roses , and cert crashes for 80 minutes , rather than techno music , naked young people and copious amounts of MDMA, puts life still into the Wests tigers brand .
The reality is, and I’m a demon as much as anyone for harping on about the following , the reality is that no matter what we say and do people see it as “thier club” . So that implies ownership which inevitably leads to selfish decisions.
Simply the current times we live in , have made true altruism as mythical as Zeus and the Minotaurs , which means people either through necessity or social engineering , simply don’t want to concede , let alone do what’s right for the collective . Which means a stalemate of shit being thrown over the fences for the next period of time is the only real way forward z
It’s the same with every single issue in the world . And it sux because our kids are gonna suffer because we are incapable of being able to compromise . I fear the team is destined to be the nrl also rans , like an nrl west ham. Or Everton . Forever meh …
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Wait until everyone dies solid strategy
 
Jolls said:
While I tend to agree that the debenture system may be part of the problem it is a Wests Ashfield Governance Structure that needs to be changed form within. Members need to push the narrative that it is outdated, and I believe that there are discussions (possible not beneficial ones) around restructuring.

Both HBG and WT boards would be much better off recruiting membership against a skill matrix as opposed to jobs for the boys/girls that the debenture system promotes.

We need to reframe the discussion from WA/Balmain to board members with marketing expertise, financial accumen, influence at the top end of town etc. To be quite honest the most important member of WT and HBG would be somone experinced in reform - not a toe cutter - but someone that can chart the specified and implied tasks that the two boards should be preforming and from that developing distinct and nested mission statements with goals and tasks that can be measured.

Once board alignment is achieved it is just like a plumbers dream - shit flows downhill.
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So HBG are electing the 2 independent (member elected) board roles at the moment. On the website they had the instructions on how to nominate for one of the roles, however they did not provide the nomination form. I meet the requirements to nominate, as I have board certification & experience and am a paid up member of WA and have been for over 5 years. I could easily get the 4 signatures required. So I sent a request for a nomination form 2 weeks ago and have heard crickets ever since. So it seems that even those 2 board roles that are non-debenture holder roles are also tightly controlled. Perhaps they saw my membership number in the Wests Tigers Unite call for an extraordinary general meeting and have blacklisted me.
 
Lestronge said:
Mate everything that’s been said , has been spoken about all over the podcasts , forums etc. the simple fact is the only solution to the problem is time .
The brutality of life means older generations who never transitioned but sit in places of power will die out (literally), and eventually the club will shift to a Wests tigers . There will be no magpies nor Balmain , ultimately because the question will be asked by those say millennials and younger , wtf is a magpie and Balmain . Because whilst I do see how the magpies represents a lot of older people’s youth and identity , it isn’t held in the same regard and reverence by younger generations . In fact it’s quite the opposite .
Same for Balmain .
Whilst once an area of dock workers and middle class hard working peoples , it has transitioned into a yuppy haven with people who are just as likely to ask “who the F are the tigers” as much as they are to follow the team. LO however being a borderline tourist attraction for people to have a final destination after a pub crawl , almost like an inner city Berlin Love Parade , where people are met by screams and Guns and roses , and cert crashes for 80 minutes , rather than techno music , naked young people and copious amounts of MDMA, puts life still into the Wests tigers brand .
The reality is, and I’m a demon as much as anyone for harping on about the following , the reality is that no matter what we say and do people see it as “thier club” . So that implies ownership which inevitably leads to selfish decisions.
Simply the current times we live in , have made true altruism as mythical as Zeus and the Minotaurs , which means people either through necessity or social engineering , simply don’t want to concede , let alone do what’s right for the collective . Which means a stalemate of shit being thrown over the fences for the next period of time is the only real way forward z
It’s the same with every single issue in the world . And it sux because our kids are gonna suffer because we are incapable of being able to compromise . I fear the team is destined to be the nrl also rans , like an nrl west ham. Or Everton . Forever meh …
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I get where you are coming from but I'm an optimist. You are correct in that the passing of the old brigade will make it easier to achieve.

I shake my head when I see it on here all of the time - we are all here becase we support Wests Tigers but some can't help but continee to bring up the past.

If we can get the rusted ons here to start talking about one club with one structure and an aligned future there is a chance we could change the narrative.

Utopian view I know, but if everyone on this forum spoke to every other fan they know about aligned boards and a single identity based on the foundation of Wests and Balmain and that discussion can be sold - there is opportunity. We can't force HBG to change or they will do what they have just done - circle the Wagons and put up the defences. I can only assume that they felt threatened by Richo and the independent board.

What if the HBG came to the realisation that there was more power in a single united entity that the factional approach to the JV. Even with 90% ownership they haven't been able to overcome it.

With the archaic debenture system I can't see there being a drive from the top down unless the unclean are putting soft pressure on from below.

It has to start somewhere so whay can't we all be better people and lead by example?
 
TheEnz said:
So HBG are electing the 2 independent (member elected) board roles at the moment. On the website they had the instructions on how to nominate for one of the roles, however they did not provide the nomination form. I meet the requirements to nominate, as I have board certification & experience and am a paid up member of WA and have been for over 5 years. I could easily get the 4 signatures required. So I sent a request for a nomination form 2 weeks ago and have heard crickets ever since. So it seems that even those 2 board roles that are non-debenture holder roles are also tightly controlled. Perhaps they saw my membership number in the Wests Tigers Unite call for an extraordinary general meeting and have blacklisted me.
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Surely that is illegal. I think it is guys in your position that are key. Turning discussions at the club into the benefits of a unified outlook and one club is where it probably needs to start.
 
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