"Lipstick on a pig": Inner West mayor slams reinstatement, confirms rally will proceed

Inner West mayor Darcy Byrne has confirmed Saturday's 'Save the Wests Tigers' rally will proceed despite the reinstatement of the sacked independent board members.

10 days ago, four independent board members were dismissed by the Holman-Barnes Group (HBG), sparking outrage amongst fans.

Now, however, three of the independent directors that were sensationally sacked are set to be reinstated at the Wests Tigers after an NRL demand they return.

Byrne says the return of the board members "represents no improvement at all" as the HBG are set to maintain a majority representation on the board with the fourth board member, Charlie Viola not expected to return to his role.

"Saturday's rally to save Wests Tigers will proceed with a demand for real change and a real say for fans at the club," Byrne said.

"The reported reinstatement of the sacked independent directors to Wests Tigers board will make zero difference to the governance of Wests Tigers if the board is stacked with a majority of Holman Barnes Group appointees.

"Without a majority-independent board of Wests Tigers, this manoeuvre is just a fig-leaf to cover up the coup that has been conducted by the power brokers at Holman-Barnes Group.

"Or to put it another way, Holman-Barnes Group seem to be trying to put lipstick on a pig.

"While, if confirmed, this is an acknowledgement of how appalling the treatment of the sacked independent directors was, reappointing them to a board which they no longer have any control over is meaningless.

"These independent directors would simply be toothless tigers, and this would leave Wests Tigers in the same chaotic and dysfunctional state.

"Our rally to save Wests Tigers will proceed this Saturday at Pratten Park from 10:30am because without real change, the team we love will be out the back door."

The sacking of the board members also claimed the role of CEO Shane Richardson, who stepped down from his position after the four directors were dismissed, citing an inability to work alongside HBG.

It raised concerns over the future of coach Benji Marshall, and subsequently a number of star players, including Jarome Luai and Jahream Bula.

However, in a further development, negotiations have begun to extend Marshall until the end of 2029.

The turnaround from HBG means former NSW premier Barry O’Farrell’s will begin his third stint as chairman of the Wests Tigers board.

Peter V’Landys met with the four dismissed board members to hear their side of the story after their initial removal, and the NRL reached out to the HBG to express their concerns, ultimately seeing them reinstated.

Should Viola not return to his role, HBG will have a majority representation on the board, expressing their 90 per cent ownership stake in the club.

A rally was organised by inner West mayor Darcy Bryne in protest of the original termination of the board members.