Genius details in Wests Tigers’ failed ‘Hail Mary’ poaching play
Michael Carayannis
Wests Tigers should be praised, not mocked, for their Hail Mary play which could have seen Nathan Cleary turn out for the club.
The Tigers shocked many when it was revealed they had formally tabled a $3 million package deal for Cleary and his long-term partner Mary Fowler to entice Cleary to the club in 2028.
Fowler would have been signed by the Central Coast Mariners – with Holman Barnes Group owning both the Tigers and the Mariners.
The pair are both off-contract next year.
What chance did the Tigers have of securing Nathan? Next to nil. Until the Tigers started to think a bit differently.
The idea was the brainchild of Tigers boss Shaun Mielekamp, who in a previous life successfully attracted sprint sensation Usain Bolt to the Mariners.
Mielekamp’s intimate knowledge of soccer in this country helped. Coach Benji Marshall was naturally on board with the club recognising they needed some leadership to help to guide this young team.
Mielekamp started to plot the move about two months ago knowing he couldn’t secure Cleary on his own.
The tipping point was when Fowler returned to Australia to assist with Cleary’s recovery from serious injury.
By November 1 they were ready to pounce.
They had done the work in the background.
Of concern was Fowler’s rich Adidas deal after she inked a $10 million, five-year contract earlier this year.
That deal, the Tigers learnt, had some parameters around playing in a tier-one competition. The A-League Women would see her dip to being a tier-two athlete, which would impact the value of the endorsement.
Mielekamp needed the help of Holman Barnes too, who eventually signed off on making Fowler easily the highest paid domestic women’s soccer player - and potentially the biggest earner across either A-League competition.
The Tigers genuinely believed they were a chance. Even as recently as this week, they were told by Cleary’s camp to put in a formal offer. They did so.
A $3 million a year contract for three years – split between the pair.
It is understood Cleary stood to earn $1.8 million and Fowler would have doubled her current playing salary at Manchester City by signing with the Mariners.
Holman Barnes chief executive Daniel Paton – who sat on the Tigers and Mariners board – signed off on the deal.
His shock removal in recent days would not have helped the situation given he has been stood aside pending an investigation.
There has been angst among some on the Holman Barnes board about the push to help fund soccer programs, with some steadfast of the belief the club should be tipping all its cash into growing rugby league.
While the PNG Chiefs fielded a call on Wednesday that Cleary would not be coming, the Tigers did not. In fact, when they were contacted by Code Sports before the story broke on Friday afternoon, they were still holding out hope.
Unfortunately for them that glimmer ended about an hour after the story appeared online when Cleary’s camp formally rejected their offer.
He will now re-sign with Penrith for at least two more seasons.
And the Tigers hunt for premiership credentials goes on. And aiming high isn’t something which should be ridiculed. In fact, the Tigers should be applauded.
