The key to Wests Tigers’ success is evident, provided they are astute enough to recognize it.
The crucial report on the Wests Tigers, a club in the NRL era, overlooked a pivotal factor in its future and the growth of the code in Sydney. Despite the release of an independent report last month highlighting over 50 recommendations for change, only one of them addressed the club’s failure to harness the rich talent pool within its reach.
The report resulted in the removal of the entire board, including the chair, the resignation of the chief executive, and the dismissal of key staff members. However, the document contained only a brief mention of the need to develop talent in the club’s catchment area, the south-west of Sydney. Despite having an extensive territory extending from Liverpool to Mittagong, encompassing the Macarthur zone and the old Country NSW Group 6, the report had fewer than 20 words recommending future investment in this vast region.
The Holman-Barnes group, effectively the board of Wests Ashfield Leagues Club, which owns the NRL license and commissioned the report, argued that their directive to Tony Crawford and Gary Barnier was primarily about governance, not talent development.
Nevertheless, Crawford acknowledged that the club’s failure to establish a presence in the city’s southwest was a recurring theme in stakeholder interviews. The Roosters, Sea Eagles, and now the Bulldogs have consistently recruited talent from this region, making it imperative for Wests Tigers to address this issue.
The appointment of Shane Richardson as interim chief executive is seen as a wise move. Richardson played a pivotal role in community-focused initiatives at Penrith and the Rabbitohs, indicating a commitment to integrating football clubs with their communities. However, the challenge remains as player managers often identify and secure talent early, selling them to other clubs that cover medical insurance costs.
While the Wests Tigers recently lost a promising junior to Canterbury, the club is now promoting local talent, with two players from the Macarthur area making their NRL debuts in 2023. However, signing talent early is challenging, as a standout 15-year-old may not maintain that level of performance at age 20. The Panthers’ success in developing homegrown talent over the years serves as a lesson for Wests Tigers to prioritize nurturing local players for sustained success.
