MATT LOGUE, The Daily Telegraph
March 21, 2017 5:59pm
PREMIERSHIP winning forward Liam Fulton has called on the Wests Tigers’ board to stand down, saying: “They are doing a shitty job”.
One of the club’s proudest players, he is sick of seeing the Tigers held back by poor management decisions.
His frustration reached a peak on Monday when Jason Taylor became the third Tigers coach to be sacked in the past five years.
“The board should go,” Fulton told The Daily Telegraph.
“They should just bring someone else in, because if it’s the same board that’s been there the whole time they are doing a pretty shitty job. The players are underperforming, which is the bottom line.
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“But it does start at the top and the board. Look at the decisions they’ve made over the years. There is no stability in the club.”
Fulton says the board’s indecision and lack of leadership has been highlighted through the dismissals of former coaches Mick Potter and Tim Sheens.
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Liam Fulton says the Wests Tigers board should stand down.
“Mick did a great job, but he had no idea what was going on,” he said.
“I remember signing a new three-year deal and he didn’t even know about it.
“He wasn’t even involved in the contract negotiations and if I’m a head coach I would be negotiating with the players.
“Sheensy is another person who shouldn’t have gone. I think that was a big mistake by the board getting rid of him, because he definitely still had the players’ support.”
Fulton made significant sacrifices during his 11-season career.
This came to the fore in the late 2000s when he and fellow teammates took pay cuts to keep the team together.
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Liam Fulton says former coach Mick Potter (pictured) was left in the dark at the club.
Fulton even left the Tigers for England at the end of 2008 to ensure the club was under the salary cap the following season.
“But when you love the club, that’s the things you do,” he said. “They used to call us in and say, ‘we’re over the cap, can you help us out’. It was pay cuts from 50,000 grand through to 80 and 100 grand.
“Robbie Farah, Bryce Gibbs, Benji Marshall and myself — we all took pay cuts to keep players there to try and win a comp.
“They were back-end contracts and you got the money a year later, but it was still a sacrifice and a hindrance.”
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Fulton said the players were happy to take financial cuts, but it became increasingly difficult to swallow when the board kept letting them down with poor management.
“It’s a bit upsetting that we used to make those sacrifices for the club, then people behind the scenes aren’t even making sacrifices,” he said.
“They are just making stupid decisions.
“I ended up getting paid what I was owed and the club looked after me when I had my concussion, but it (the Tigers) is not the place it used to be.”
The Tigers find themselves in a power struggle with Isaac Moses — the manager of the club’s big four — James Tedesco, Luke Brooks, Mitch Moses and Aaron Woods.
Fulton said all the Tigers players also need to take ownership of their performances.
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Liam Fulton on the shoulders of teammate Bryce Gibbs after the Wests Tigers won the premiership in 2005.
“I think it’s about mateship and they kind of gave in a bit on the weekend (against Canberra),” he said.
“Every single game you play you are putting your reputation on the line.
“I really like the players that are there, like Tedesco and these young blokes.
“It’s hard for them because they get bagged a bit, but they don’t have a forward pack to lead them and they have got to do it on their own.”
Former Penrith and Warriors coach Ivan Cleary is favoured to replace Taylor as head coach, but Fulton would like to see his ex-teammate Todd Payten get a shot.
“They’ve got to sign someone like Todd for five years and say, ‘right, you’ve got five years to turn the club around’,” he said.
“I know everyone is talking about Ivan, but I don’t think Todd would be out of line and I definitely think he’ll bring success to the club.”
