Inner West Mayor Announces Rally After Wests Tigers Chaos
Image: Photo: Trip Advisor
Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne is calling for the NRL and Liquor and Gaming NSW to stage an intervention into the Holman Barnes Group Board in order to keep Wests Tigers alive.
It comes following calls earlier in the year from Byrne for the state government to launch an investigation into the governance of the Wests Ashfield League Club, with three of the seven board members discovering on New Year’s Eve that they’d be suspended from the roles as Club Directors for up to eight years.
The lost board members were replaced with four independents, two representatives from majority-owners, Holman Barnes Group, and a member from Balmain.
On Monday night, former New South Wales premier and Wests Tigers chairman, Barry O’Farrell, was sacked, along with the three other independent directors- Annabelle Williams, Charlie Viola and Michelle McDowell- after HBG said they had been “left in the dark” regarding decisions.
It’s understood that one of their key concerns related to the team’s 2026 home jersey, which was deemed too orange, the traditional colour of Balmain.
“It’s as clear as day that allowing the Holman Barnes Group to eliminate independent directors from the Wests Tigers board could mean the death of our famous rugby league club,” Byrne said on Wednesday.
“The fact that the same people who oversaw fifteen years of failure, and 3 wooden spoons, have now launched a coup to take back total control over Wests Tigers makes clear how dire the situation is.”
“Stand up and save our football team before it’s too late”
In response, Byrne has organised a rally to take place next weekend of Saturday December 13, at the former home ground of the Magpies, Pratten Park. From there, the group will march to Wests Ashfield Leagues Club where fans will demand that the Board of the Leagues Club, the Holman Barnes Group, resign.
“At this rally, fans and members will call on Peter V’landys and the NRL, as well as Liquor and Gaming NSW, to intervene and fix the shambolic governance of Wests Tigers once and for all,” said Byrne.
“It’s time for Wests Tigers fans and Wests Ashfield Leagues Club members to stand up and save our football team before it’s too late.”
A statement from O’Farrell, Williams, Viola and McDowell, released Monday night, rejected the notion of poor communication with Holman Barnes, and said the board had been “unified and effective in improving the Wests Tigers’ governance, strategy and financial performance”.
“Holman Barnes Group is represented on the board of the Wests Tigers and its representative has been present at all Wests Tigers board meetings and provided with all board information. No concerns have been raised by the representative of Holman Barnes Group at any Wests Tigers board meeting in relation to governance, communication or consultation. We are yet to be informed of the detail or particulars of Holman Barnes Group’s concerns,” the statement continued.
“For the strong and independent governance of the Wests Tigers to be dismantled after only 11 months is extremely disappointing.”
On Tuesday afternoon, Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V’Landys told News Corp they were looking into the situation.
“I have always said I was going to look after the fans as chairman and I will honour that,” he said. “We will look into the matter.
“That is all I will say.”
