Wests Tigers chairman Barry O’Farrell sacked amid board purge – and a wrong colour jersey
By Christian Nicolussi and Chris Barrett
December 1, 2025 — 6.09pm
Former NSW premier Barry O’Farrell has been sacked as chairman of Wests Tigers in a purge of the board by the NRL club’s owners.
The joint venture has been plagued by dysfunction at boardroom level since the merger between Balmain and Wests in 1999, and the latest round of firings plunges it into more turmoil.
The Holman Barnes Group, Wests Tigers’ majority owner, confirmed on Monday a removal notice had been issued to the club’s four independent directors: O’Farrell, Annabelle Williams, Charlie Viola and Michelle McDowell.
They were only appointed to the board at the start of the year as part of sweeping recommendations arising from an independent review.
However, HBG chief executive Daniel Paton said the new structure had not been effective and was marked by poor communication between the owners and the Tigers’ board.
HBG, which runs the sprawling Wests Ashfield League Club, said it had been left out of the loop on some commercial announcements despite maintaining two directors on the Wests Tigers board, including chairman Dennis Burgess.
According to sources with knowledge of the situation, speaking on the condition of anonymity, one issue that led the HBG board to take action was the colour scheme of next season’s Tigers home jersey, which was deemed to be too orange – a traditional colour of Balmain.
“While it [the appointment of independent directors] has worked in some areas, it hasn’t worked in others,” Paton said. “And the Holman Barnes board has been left in the dark on some commercially sensitive announcements.
“Further to this, the Holman Barnes board doesn’t believe the communication between the boards has been satisfactory.”
O’Farrell joined the board, firstly as interim chairman, in December 2023, after the board then chaired by Lee Hagipantelis was removed in its entirety by HBG.
O’Farrell declined to comment on Monday.
Paton said the governance changes would not impact Wests Tigers chief executive Shane Richardson or coach Benji Marshall.
“We don’t want to micromanage the football operations, and we have full faith in Shane Richardson as CEO and Benji Marshall as coach,” Paton said. “We do, however, need to be consulted on decisions that will impact the club’s financial future.
“Yes, the club recently turned a profit, but we’re looking at the next 15 years, not just year to year.”
Paton said Balmain remained a huge part of the joint venture following concerns last year that it would have no representation at board level.
“Balmain isn’t going anywhere; we’re proud and committed supporters of Balmain,” Paton said. “Balmain are very much a part of this joint venture, they maintain their 10 per cent share, and retain their seat on the board.”
Holman Barnes Group owns 90 per cent of Wests Tigers and Monday’s changes appear to be a move to regain control of the football club.
“Our focus is on stability, unity and success both on and off the field,” Holman Barnes Group said in a statement. “Holman Barnes Group and the Wests Tigers share a deep commitment to the players, members, fans and communities, and we will continue to work together to build a strong, sustainable and successful long-term future for the club.”
The Holman Barnes Group – which owns 90 per cent of the joint venture – confirmed O’Farrell and the three other independent directors on the club’s seven-person board had been removed.
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