Wests Tigers supporters marched in protest today against club management after a turbulent two weeks in which chief executive Shane Richardson resigned and several directors were sacked then reinstated, amid discontent over the club’s new branding.
Several hundred fans marched from Pratten Park, Ashfield, to Wests Ashfield Leagues Club, demanding accountability from the team’s major shareholder Holman-Barnes Group and the NRL over decisions at the club.
“We’ve watched this club go around in circles! Enough is enough,” said podcaster Matthew Gibson, 35, one of the rally’s organisers.
“We’re here to demand transparency, accountability, and respect for the supporters who’ve kept this club alive.”
Another Tigers fan, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “They are putting the whole club at risk. We’re not f—ing Balmain or Western Suburbs!”
Fans rallied outside the club at 10.30am, in response to what many described as one of the most destabilising periods in the club’s recent history, venting their anger at turmoil in the club’s boardroom and the new jersey for the 2026 season that minimises the Wests branding and heavily emphasises Balmain’s.
I feel like we’re cursed as a club. Every time it looks like we’re back, it’s another scandal and another year gone.
The controversial kit resembles traditional Balmain Tigers strips, with a Tiger emblem on the front and the only reference to the old Wests Magpies colouring and branding a small insignia on the back.
Organised over social media and various fan platforms earlier in the week, the protest drew a crowd of as many as 750 people, chanting “Holman-Barnes out!” and “Save our Tigers”.
It came after Richardson’s sudden resignation on Tuesday for “business reasons”, a week after Holman-Barnes Group sacked the club’s chairman Barry O’Farrell and three independent directors, prompting criticism about governance and transparency.
The controversial 2026 Wests Tigers kit.
To add to the confusion O’Farrell and the other directors were this week reinstated, following crisis meetings between the NRL and the Holman-Barnes Group.
The Tigers yesterday appointed experienced administrator Shaun Mielekamp as interim chief executive. Mielekamp was CEO for nine years at Central Coast Mariners FC. Meanwhile, Wests Tigers coach Benji Marshall confirmed he will stay at the club until at least 2029.
Gibson, host of Speak Free with Matty G, a Tigers-focused NRL podcast, said: “For the Holman-Barnes Group to do what they’ve done, how dare they, enough is enough.”
Protesters also voiced their frustration of what they said were repeated cycles of instability.
Luciano Casmiri, 22, a diehard Tigers fan, said: “I feel like we’re cursed as a club. Every time it looks like we’re back, it’s another scandal and another year gone. I’m sick of it.
“I can’t believe they made Richo resign! To the Holman-Barnes Group, please, just go.”
Photo courtesy of Matthew Gibson.
