‘It will always be Wests Tigers’: V’landys’ promise to long-suffering fans
By Adrian Proszenko
December 6, 2025 — 4.30pm
The NRL has assured Wests Tigers fans neither Balmain or Western Suburbs will ever be excluded from the joint venture as head office seeks assurances that the latest boardroom dramas don’t adversely affect the football team.
It has been a week of negative headlines for the Tigers after the Holman Barnes Group (HBG), the majority owner of the Tigers, removed four independent directors, including chairman Barry O’Farrell. A whistleblower complaint levelled against Wests Tigers chief executive Shane Richardson has also sparked speculation he will part company with the club on Monday.
It is the latest battle for control of the Tigers after the HBG claimed it was being excluded from key decisions, such as the football side’s stadia strategy. There have also been suggestions the HBG wants to remove Balmain from the joint venture, a claim vehemently denied by its chief executive Daniel Paton.
Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V’landys sought his own assurances about HBG’s intentions during a conversation with Paton this week. Regardless, V’landys assured long-suffering fans there will always be a Wests Tigers in the NRL.
“Our prime aim is to make sure that neither the Balmain or Wests side is diluted in any way,” V’landys said on Saturday.
“We will protect the Tigers fans and the Wests fans. It’s going to be a genuine Wests Tigers franchise … I stress, there will be no dilution, it will always be Wests Tigers. If they think they will change it to anything else, they’re in for a shock.
“To be fair to them, they have given me an undertaking that it’s not their intention, that’s not the case. It’s more a dispute between the shareholders and the board.”
V’landys reiterated he was concerned about the Tigers’ corporate governance after the mass boardroom sackings of O’Farrell, Annabelle Williams, Charlie Viola and Michelle McDowell, less than a year after the four independents were installed.
“We want to make sure it doesn’t affect the running of the football club,” V’landys said.
“We want to make sure that [coach] Benji Marshall and the players are quarantined from all of this drama. It’s important because they need to prepare for next season without these worries, so we need to make sure that they will be quarantined from any drama.
“In the interim, we will speak to all parties to see what has caused this instability.”
The NRL’s Integrity Unit is following up the whistleblower complaint to decide whether there is any substance to the allegations. The complaint raised serious concerns about the conduct of Richardson and senior staff at the club.
HBG is making its contingency plans in preparation for Richardson’s potential exit and are considering parachuting recently departed Manly chief Tony Mestrov into an interim role.
The NRL will never allow Balmain or Western Suburbs to be kicked out of the joint venture as head office seeks to quarantine the football team from the latest dramas.
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