NOVEMBER 6 2016 - 5:16PM
Wests Tigers chairwoman Marina Go defends NRL club against claims of bullying culture
Chris Barrett
Chris Barrett
Wests Tigers chairwoman Marina Go has described as wildly exaggerated claims of a culture of bullying and harassment at Concord Oval contained in a Rugby League Players Association report last year and accused a player agent of trying to "cause detriment" to the club because it had refused to sack head coach Jason Taylor.
Tigers officials were furious at the publication by News Corp on Sunday of sections of a discussion paper produced by the RLPA in 2015 in which it was alleged the club had failed to ensure the well-being of contracted players, including the now departed former captain Robbie Farah, and that club staff had bullied players to the point of tears.
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One unidentified player was quoted as having said in the annual players' union survey conducted at all clubs that he knew of two teammates at the Tigers who had contemplated suicide last year.
On Sunday the Tigers went on the offensive at the assessment of their culture, saying they had in the 2016 season been ranked second across the competition for their welfare program and been praised by the NRL's senior welfare and education manager Paul Heptonstall for improving in that area more than any other club in the past 12 months.
Go acknowledged that the negative feedback from some on their roster last year had led the club to beef up its welfare department but believed other factors were at play.
"I don't want to dismiss those players with real concerns because clearly the survey has shown there were some players experiencing difficulties within the club 18 months ago, which is why the club took steps to strengthen the welfare department," Go said. "But the whole thing has been wildly exaggerated.
"At our recent Halloween Ball to raise funds for our partners Beyond Blue, we heard from the mother of a player from another club who took his life last year. Clearly many rugby league clubs will have players struggling at any given time, which is why the NRL places such a strong emphasis on player welfare.
**"At the heart of this story is a campaign by a player manager who vowed to cause detriment to this club if we didn't sack our coach."\
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It is understood the player manager referred to is Sam Ayoub**, who has on his book Farah, who was in the corner of the NSW State of Origin and is now South Sydney hooker after the Tigers sought to move him on.
Ayoub declined to comment when contacted on Sunday but he continues to have players on the books at the Tigers, including Kyle Lovett, David Nofoaluma, Justin Hunt and former Origin centre Jamal Idris, who he signed to a one-year deal with the team last month.
The report on the Tigers was produced by the RLPA's former general manager of player engagement and development Tilda Khoshaba, who has since been made redundant by the players' union and is contesting her exit from the organisation, citing sexual discrimination.
Since the report was conducted, the Tigers have added to their welfare team by hiring premiership-winning centre Paul Whatuira, who had a well-documented battle with mental illness, as the club's wellbeing and education officer. The recently retired 2005 grand final winner Dene Halatau remains with the Tigers as the culture and leadership co-ordinator.
RLPA CEO Ian Prendergast said on Sunday it had been "fairly widely known that, at the end of last year, the Tigers administration recognised they needed to address some issues in relation to player wellbeing and they have been working with the NRL and RLPA wellbeing and education team to do that".
The union rep added: "They have made a commitment to make player wellbeing a priority and have a number of qualified and dedicated people working in wellbeing and education, which has been reflected in recent data collected."
http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/wests-tigers-chairwoman-marina-go-defends-nrl-club-against-claims-of-bullying-culture-20161106-gsj50s.html
