No suprise there given history
It's time to take the fight back to HBG
- Thread starter balmain boy
- Start date
To work out the dynamics of any organisation.. Look at where the power lies..
With Wests Tigers, its no secret that its not with the CEO. Look what happened to Shane Richardson
How many different boards does Mielekamp report to. He may have ideas that he wants to implement. Some might even be beneficial in the short / long term. Doesn't mean they will necessarily come to fruition though
Its not a guarantee. Nothing can be guaranteed
However it at least introduces the opportunity for accountability, where currently - there is none. Thats a pretty important step in the right direction
When a small group of people more or less have absolute power with very little accountability. I think we all know what direction things tend to go in..
Why does HBG losing the license worry you so much? You yourself set up a petition to get an independent board into the club, but them actually losing the license worries you a lot. Why are you against it if you don’t mind me asking?
cochise
Well-known member
I don't think they will lose the licence for starters. So it's being realistic.
I'm also don't really see having a private owner as being any better than what we have now.
Right now I think there is a potential to get a positive situation in place.
How would it introduce accountability?
What do the panthers do?
Seems legal (debentures) to me any legal people out there think otherwise?
No ones saying its illegal
The second paragraph i would say yes but dont know if that enough to have it blown up
Pringle Gold
Active member
I don’t disagree there are significant structural and governance flaws within the Tigers set-up. It’s clear HBG are the major issue and problem.
However that doesn’t excuse SM’s public praise of HBGs decision to invest in the Mariners and divert more funds away from the club.
Name one other NRL club CEO that would openly praise a decision that is detrimental to their club.
Mrs A is still a paying member,so it won't be hers,good chance his will be considering the time lines of his removal from the club
king_sirro
Well-known member
Can someone tell me is Tony Andrecchio pro Wests Tigers?
Not PRO Balmain, not pro Magpies...2 teams i don't give a shit about
Is he a positive for Wests Tigers?
Not PRO Balmain, not pro Magpies...2 teams i don't give a shit about
Is he a positive for Wests Tigers?
Michael Searle from the gold coast titans - manly connection for the central coast beagles did a good job of scuttling the club
hammertime
Well-known member
You cant blame SM for that. The bloke knows these guys have egos and hes playing to that. It will allow him to get more done.
The funding isn't mutually exclusive. HBG have more than enough to go around.
SMs behaviour is just a result of playing to their behaviours. The rot is at the top.
100 % Wests Tigers
Its a fundamental change in the governance structure. But to answer your question, members would have the right to vote in decision makers, and therefore; also vote out decision makers, should performance be considered sub par. For example. Whereas at the moment, you have debenture holders warring eachother and wasting members money on legal fee's, with no real consequence
Leck
Well-known member
Pull out the popcorn 🍿, and watch our team demise - version 2026/27.
.... Can we please find a private owner and get rid of these HBG clowns.
According to The Sydney Morning Herald, Tony Andreacchio, a former director on the Holman Barnes Group board who was dumped in January last year, and his wife, Denise, have launched a case against Holman Barnes Group and have threatened to bring two years of issues to light in court.
He isn't chasing a payout; he wants his seat back.
Andreacchio sent a legal letter in March, and his lawyers were ready to continue with legal proceedings if HBG refused.
Holman Barnes Group has made the Tigers into a $100 million licensed club operation built on poker machines.
They own 90 per cent of the Tigers and hold a majority on the team's board, having final say on the future of the club, which has long struggled in the NRL.
The case is in the NSW Supreme Court and targets HBG's governance model, which dates back to the 1950s.
Control of HBG, and the Tigers, sits with an exclusive group of 20 "debenture holders."
They fill five of the seven board seats, and the other two are elected.
The Andreacchios describe this system as "oppressive" and "unfairly discriminatory" against members.
They want the court to declare the debenture-holding directors' positions vacant and call a new election in which club members vote for all seven board spots.
The defendants are HBG, chairman Dennis Burgess and the other 19 debenture holders individually.
Two of them sit on the Tigers board, with former Wests Magpies fullback Leo Epifanias and Michael Liubinskas.
Tony Andreacchio was banned along with two other HBG directors for a combined 15 years.
His ban was six years, with allegations made that he yelled at a fellow HBG director and made inappropriate comments.
Tony's wife is part of the claim because she is still a club member.
According to documents filed with the court, he is asking the court to declare the finding of unreasonable conduct against him, find that his expulsion was "designed to entrench the debenture holders' control of the board", rule his sacking as a director and the stripping of his membership invalid, reinstate him as a financial member and award him damages.
Rick Wayde and David Gilbert were the other two directors suspended, with Wayde challenging his eight-year ban in court before settling with the club in December 2025.
Andreacchio, Wayde and Gilbert had started a review of the Tigers' operations, which led to an independent board at the football club in January 2025.
HBG took power back less than a year later, with football club chief executive Shane Richardson resigning as a result.
Barry O'Farrell, the Tigers' independent chairman, was dismissed briefly but reinstated at the request of Australian Rugby League Commission chair Peter V'landys.
The matter is set to be heard on October 26.
.... Can we please find a private owner and get rid of these HBG clowns.
According to The Sydney Morning Herald, Tony Andreacchio, a former director on the Holman Barnes Group board who was dumped in January last year, and his wife, Denise, have launched a case against Holman Barnes Group and have threatened to bring two years of issues to light in court.
He isn't chasing a payout; he wants his seat back.
Andreacchio sent a legal letter in March, and his lawyers were ready to continue with legal proceedings if HBG refused.
Holman Barnes Group has made the Tigers into a $100 million licensed club operation built on poker machines.
They own 90 per cent of the Tigers and hold a majority on the team's board, having final say on the future of the club, which has long struggled in the NRL.
The case is in the NSW Supreme Court and targets HBG's governance model, which dates back to the 1950s.
Control of HBG, and the Tigers, sits with an exclusive group of 20 "debenture holders."
They fill five of the seven board seats, and the other two are elected.
The Andreacchios describe this system as "oppressive" and "unfairly discriminatory" against members.
They want the court to declare the debenture-holding directors' positions vacant and call a new election in which club members vote for all seven board spots.
The defendants are HBG, chairman Dennis Burgess and the other 19 debenture holders individually.
Two of them sit on the Tigers board, with former Wests Magpies fullback Leo Epifanias and Michael Liubinskas.
Tony Andreacchio was banned along with two other HBG directors for a combined 15 years.
His ban was six years, with allegations made that he yelled at a fellow HBG director and made inappropriate comments.
Tony's wife is part of the claim because she is still a club member.
According to documents filed with the court, he is asking the court to declare the finding of unreasonable conduct against him, find that his expulsion was "designed to entrench the debenture holders' control of the board", rule his sacking as a director and the stripping of his membership invalid, reinstate him as a financial member and award him damages.
Rick Wayde and David Gilbert were the other two directors suspended, with Wayde challenging his eight-year ban in court before settling with the club in December 2025.
Andreacchio, Wayde and Gilbert had started a review of the Tigers' operations, which led to an independent board at the football club in January 2025.
HBG took power back less than a year later, with football club chief executive Shane Richardson resigning as a result.
Barry O'Farrell, the Tigers' independent chairman, was dismissed briefly but reinstated at the request of Australian Rugby League Commission chair Peter V'landys.
The matter is set to be heard on October 26.
