WESTS Tigers CEO Scott Longmuir last night resigned at an extraordinary board meeting called to deal with his dramatic falling out with head coach Tim Sheens.
Longmuir fronted all 10 Tigers directors knowing he was set to pay the price for his disagreement with Sheens, who was furious about being made to comply with a new set of key performance indicators (KPI).
The pair's feud culminated in the 5pm extraordinary board meeting at Concord Oval, where Longmuir quit just six months after his appointment.
The Wests Tigers board released a statement thanking Longmuir for his efforts and explaining Sheens' response to Longmuir's KPI requests.
"Media reports suggesting that Tim Sheens was shying away from accountability could not be further from the truth," the statement read.
"Anyone who knows Tim knows that he does not accept anything other than full commitment from everyone within his team and knows the standards he sets for himself."
The statement also responded to The Daily Telegraph's publishing yesterday of an email sent by Longmuir to all board members on March 31, which revealed the full extent of the pair's differences. In essence Longmuir felt the Tigers should be run as a business, while Sheens was adamant about running the merged entity as a football club.
"One of the ongoing challenges in sport administration is achieving the appropriate mix between business and sporting priorities. The board is confident it has the right strategies in place to deal with these challenges."
Longmuir's departure has been anticipated for some time, given he operated without a contract. The board considered his sacking a fortnight ago but decided to give the rookie CEO a chance to explain his decision to challenge Sheens.
Club insiders bemoaned Longmuir's lack of tact and diplomacy. He lost favour because of a falling-out with his personal assistant, inherited from previous CEO Steve Noyce.
It was felt Sheens should be held to account after three years in the finals wilderness, but Longmuir's personality was deemed "too abrasive".
The Daily Telegraph understands the club won't wait long to fill the breach, with three candidates earmarked for the top job.
A source close to the board last night said none of the trio came from a league background, but all boasted "fantastic business credentials".
