SMH Article 'We’ve lost faith in them’: Balmain consider shock exit from Wests Tigers merger

JoshCE23 said:
Yes, but the club is not solvent. The Wests Tigers are a franchise owned by the NRL. The licence to Wests Tigers are majority owned by the HBG. It would be nigh on impossible to convince HBG to sell the licence and they're solvent, so there would be no legal grounds for the NRL to remove it. Look my point is not that Balmain's history should be erased, I want them to be apart the joint venture and not to split off, which their Chair has thankfully confirmed is their intent.
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The Football Club or the Leagues Club? As far as I know the Football Club is solvent.
 
Lestronge said:
So did I bro ! I dont even remember what it was like being a Balmain fan , other than generic nostalgia ie. crying when we lost 89 at my family friends place on a farm somewhere .
I will tell you this , when SL was on , I was preying we would join or merge because I knew Balmain was a shit show of a club . As much as I loved them .
When we joined with wests I thought “sweet we get to run the club , because they are way worse than us “ …. 25 years of life in between ….. and god I wished we merged with norths or even the eels or someone who would have taken us over , and built a functioning club .
Because these guys are like “let’s grab the dumbest geriatrics we can find , and have them argue over trivial shit” ….
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If Balmain had merged with Parra it would have basically been a Parramatta take over with the club only having the token "Tigers" name and somehow managing to get some blue on the jersey.
Until their much publicised financial woes, Balmain was a 50% owner of Wests Tigers.
Whilst Western Suburbs now owns 90% of the club, they have said they will give Balmain every opportunity to build their finances up & become equal partners again, something Parra wouldn't have let happen, they would have taken full control.
 
Yossarian said:
The Football Club or the Leagues Club? As far as I know the Football Club is solvent.
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The Football Club is technically solvent, but is being funded by Wests Ashfield, with the funding guarantee ending at the end of this year. The point I'm simply making is it's clear that all parties involved want to support the proud history of Balmain into the future. They would need to find an alternative financier if they wished to split, but the Wests Tigers franchise licence would still be controlled by HBG, unless they chose to relinquish it, which I highly doubt they would. Would be great to see Balmain remain a part of that.
 
I think what we are needing is strong and talented people in key positions which we haven’t been very good at either procuring or keeping.

I don’t care where they come from, wests Balmain or anywhere else.

It’s a bit rough for us to be given a bollocking on the eve of spoon bowl and what we all hope is a win and at least a partial reward for all of the clubs efforts this year.

It’s still an experience supporting the Wests Tigers. Everything is a disaster, but we are toughest fans on Gods earth.
Tigerdazz2 said:
If Balmain had merged with Parra it would have basically been a Parramatta take over with the club only having the token "Tigers" name and somehow managing to get some blue on the jersey.
Until their much publicised financial woes, Balmain was a 50% owner of Wests Tigers.
Whilst Western Suburbs now owns 90% of the club, they have said they will give Balmain every opportunity to build their finances up & become equal partners again, something Parra wouldn't have let happen, they would have taken full control.
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[Penrith were going to merge with Parramatta but fortunately for both clubs, word of the dastardly project was leaked]

I’ve enjoyed all the comments and shout out to the handshakes and hugs between the old timers. I’ve always felt our union is one based on deep mutual respect and it’s been a credit to both Wests and Balmain supporters. We’ve never had much, but at least we’ve had this. I find it inspiring.
 
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JoshCE23 said:
The Football Club is technically solvent, but is being funded by Wests Ashfield, with the funding guarantee ending at the end of this year. The point I'm simply making is it's clear that all parties involved want to support the proud history of Balmain into the future. They would need to find an alternative financier if they wished to split, but the Wests Tigers franchise licence would still be controlled by HBG, unless they chose to relinquish it, which I highly doubt they would. Would be great to see Balmain remain a part of that.
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Sure and even Leo referenced that.
 
Some of the comments that have now come out have certainly helped, but no idea why the HBG reps never respond. Julie or Barry could put all issues to bed with one statement that they are committed to the report recommendations, it's underway and will do what is needed to see the Tigers in the finals next year.

It's not hard.
 
Wearyfan22 said:
This is my story ( I may be a little younger). Over the last couple of years I have cursed my dad for the brainwashing rather than let me be a Penrith fan.

The vast majority of the fan base will treat this with the contempt it deserves
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Likewise I grew up in & played for a team in the Penrith junior catchment (Rooty Hill RSLRLFC) but my Dad was a Saints fan at the time....(He then became a Parra fan, then a Manly fan when he met a wealthy Woman and moved to the insular peninsular)...and took me to watch St George v Western Suburbs in the early 70s. Needless to say Wests won (and I liked their jersey better anyway) and I became a huge Magpie fanatic.

I was devastated that Wests had to merge, but if we had to merge I would have taken Balmain over Parra or the Dogs as I hated both of those teams and Balmain was a battling club just like Wests so it was a better fit (anything else would just have been a takeover).

It took some time, admittedly, to come around to become a dedicated WESTS TIGERS fan, but I believe in the joint venture & truly believe in it having a very bright future. The Club will soon have a bigger junior catchment than Penrith with the Macarthur/Wollondilly area growing at enormous pace.
You only have to look at the juniors we have had to blood somewhat early this year.....and it is only going to get better!

This proposed split is such a stupid suggestion & needs to be put to bed for good.
 
This is both fanciful and sensationalist. Rugby League is a business and while we as supporters are emotionally connected that means little in the cold hard light of day. HB owns 90% of the merger. They have the right to do what they want - Balmain don’t the funds to operate and are hoping for a Hail Mary from Harry? Please!
We are the Wests Tigers. To be fair the Magpies were magnanimous in letting Balmain on the board as they didn’t have to. They chose to respect the JV and the Balmain history as they should have. If Balmain de-merge what license would they hold? NRL are actively trying to expand the game away from Sydney.
Think this a Balmain alumni trying to relive glory days of years past and Chammas thinks we are a soft target.
I am from the Magpies but both respect and embrace Balmain’s history and side of fhe merger and believe division will be detrimental to both sides.
 
BlackWhiteGold said:
Updated story on DT:

Balmain chair Danny Stapleton has dismissed any suggestions of ructions as the Wests Tigers, insisting his board is fully committed to the joint venture and their partnership with the Holman Barnes Group.
Stapleton, who represents Balmain on the Tigers board, said he had personally contacted his fellow Balmain directors in the wake of reports that one of his directors – Garry Leo – wanted to split from the Wests Tigers and go it alone.

Stapleton said Balmain was committed to the Wests Tigers.


“I have spoken to my board,” Stapleton said.

“Balmain is fully supportive of the joint venture with the Holman Barnes Group, the Wests Magpies group and more importantly Wests Tigers.

Balmain chair Danny Stapleton insists his board is fully committed to the Wests Tigers joint venture.

Balmain chair Danny Stapleton insists his board is fully committed to the Wests Tigers joint venture.
“We want nothing but sustained success for Wests Tigers and we have a wonderful working relationship with Holman Barnes.

“I have spoken to every single board member and every board member has told me it is not true. We are solid as a rock.”
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Obviously not everyone, that one Muppet has to go....
 
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