**Wests Tigers battling to roar in a disjointed venture**
Tim Prentice Columnist
By Tim Prentice, 19 Dec 2012
The Wests Tigers have just a couple of months to get their act together at the top or face the possibility of a season of angst on and off the field.
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The news coming out of Tigers HQ since their final game this year has been predominantly bad and incoming coach Mick Potter could have major issues to deal with by way of on-field morale, as well as sour player relationships with officials.
>
I am painting a rather bleak scenario here but there are so many factors pulling against the joint venture club that good times seem aeons away.
>
In recent days, highly regarded Dave Trodden stepped down from his position as alternate chairman. He will immediately be replaced by Balmain Tigers’ nominee Nick DiGirolamo before the Wests Magpies nominee – said to be former ABC weatherman Mike Bailey – takes the chair.
>
Trodden said he stepped aside to allow a new man to fill the hot seat and bring fresh ideas and maybe even a new modus operandi to the administration.
>
Fair enough, he had done the job for eight years but I believe vacating the chair at this point in time could hinder more than help the club over a difficult period in its history.
>
There are other formidable bumps in the road that will need plenty of smoothing:
>
* The controversial exit of long time coach Tim Sheens and a long-running, payout dispute
*The loss of star players Beau Ryan and Chris Heighington to Cronulla and the return of their best forward, Gareth Ellis, to England
* The axing of the Wests team from the State Cup (leaving a Balmain Tigers stand-alone unit)
* Increasing uncertainty over the future of Leichhardt Oval along with Balmain Leagues Club
>
Heck, the good people of Newcastle think they have troubles on the horizon. The Wests Tigers have plenty – and they are much closer at hand. They are right here, right now.
>
I had some recent conversations with some ardent Wests Tigers fans and they are willing to overlook most of the administrative dramas but rate the loss of key men Heighington and Ryan to the Sharks as “unforgivable.”
>
The popular Ryan left because the Tigers administration kept promising to present him a long-term contract but failed to deliver over two seasons.
>
Ryan, a dedicated Tigers man, insists he had to leave because the Sharks offered him guaranteed security – a contract on a table and even a pen to sign on the dotted line.
>
From what I hear, the Tigers playing group were shocked and bitterly upset when Ryan and Heighington joined Cronulla.
>
One supporter told me he believed Ryan and Heighington (plus lion-hearted English import Ellis) were the salt of the team while flashier types such as Benji Marshall and Robbie Farah took most of the bows and credit for any WT success.
>
If that is the case, the Tigers may struggle for on-field cohesion in 2013.
>
The Tigers folk I spoke with were also highly displeased with the signing of Braith Anasta as they consider the Roosters stalwart a player long past his best first grade years.
>
One told me he and his family had bought a season ticket for 2013 but all expected to finish out of finals contention again, even with the addition of a new coach and a handful of new recruits.
>
Stephen Humphreys, the club’s CEO, seems to be a very capable operator, and I notice that most speak in glowing terms of his ability. He may need to become the ultimate peacemaker as the merger is working anything but smoothly.
>
Perhaps the turmoil will act as a galvanising agent for the club and its players as they prepare in earnest for 2013\. Sometimes, great strength is a product of adversity in sports.
>
If it isn’t in the Wests Tigers camp, watch for persistent storm clouds to swirl over the golden west for much of the coming season.
http://www.theroar.com.au/2012/12/19/wests-tigers-battling-to-roar-in-a-disjointed-venture/
Tim Prentice Columnist
By Tim Prentice, 19 Dec 2012
The Wests Tigers have just a couple of months to get their act together at the top or face the possibility of a season of angst on and off the field.
>
The news coming out of Tigers HQ since their final game this year has been predominantly bad and incoming coach Mick Potter could have major issues to deal with by way of on-field morale, as well as sour player relationships with officials.
>
I am painting a rather bleak scenario here but there are so many factors pulling against the joint venture club that good times seem aeons away.
>
In recent days, highly regarded Dave Trodden stepped down from his position as alternate chairman. He will immediately be replaced by Balmain Tigers’ nominee Nick DiGirolamo before the Wests Magpies nominee – said to be former ABC weatherman Mike Bailey – takes the chair.
>
Trodden said he stepped aside to allow a new man to fill the hot seat and bring fresh ideas and maybe even a new modus operandi to the administration.
>
Fair enough, he had done the job for eight years but I believe vacating the chair at this point in time could hinder more than help the club over a difficult period in its history.
>
There are other formidable bumps in the road that will need plenty of smoothing:
>
* The controversial exit of long time coach Tim Sheens and a long-running, payout dispute
*The loss of star players Beau Ryan and Chris Heighington to Cronulla and the return of their best forward, Gareth Ellis, to England
* The axing of the Wests team from the State Cup (leaving a Balmain Tigers stand-alone unit)
* Increasing uncertainty over the future of Leichhardt Oval along with Balmain Leagues Club
>
Heck, the good people of Newcastle think they have troubles on the horizon. The Wests Tigers have plenty – and they are much closer at hand. They are right here, right now.
>
I had some recent conversations with some ardent Wests Tigers fans and they are willing to overlook most of the administrative dramas but rate the loss of key men Heighington and Ryan to the Sharks as “unforgivable.”
>
The popular Ryan left because the Tigers administration kept promising to present him a long-term contract but failed to deliver over two seasons.
>
Ryan, a dedicated Tigers man, insists he had to leave because the Sharks offered him guaranteed security – a contract on a table and even a pen to sign on the dotted line.
>
From what I hear, the Tigers playing group were shocked and bitterly upset when Ryan and Heighington joined Cronulla.
>
One supporter told me he believed Ryan and Heighington (plus lion-hearted English import Ellis) were the salt of the team while flashier types such as Benji Marshall and Robbie Farah took most of the bows and credit for any WT success.
>
If that is the case, the Tigers may struggle for on-field cohesion in 2013.
>
The Tigers folk I spoke with were also highly displeased with the signing of Braith Anasta as they consider the Roosters stalwart a player long past his best first grade years.
>
One told me he and his family had bought a season ticket for 2013 but all expected to finish out of finals contention again, even with the addition of a new coach and a handful of new recruits.
>
Stephen Humphreys, the club’s CEO, seems to be a very capable operator, and I notice that most speak in glowing terms of his ability. He may need to become the ultimate peacemaker as the merger is working anything but smoothly.
>
Perhaps the turmoil will act as a galvanising agent for the club and its players as they prepare in earnest for 2013\. Sometimes, great strength is a product of adversity in sports.
>
If it isn’t in the Wests Tigers camp, watch for persistent storm clouds to swirl over the golden west for much of the coming season.
http://www.theroar.com.au/2012/12/19/wests-tigers-battling-to-roar-in-a-disjointed-venture/
