NRL 2023: Crippling civil war could undermine Wests Tigers’ desperate rebuild

Polite, civil and professional. This is the uninspiring message from Wests Tigers chair Lee Hagipantelis to describe the civil war gripping the club — and it could have major ramifications to the rebuild.

Polite, civil and professional. They were the three words Wests Tigers chair Lee Hagipantelis used to describe the relationship between coach-in-waiting Benji Marshall and head of recruitment Scott Fulton on Monday night.

Hardly the sort of terminology to inspire the legions of Tigers fans who have endured nothing but pain and disappointment over the past decade.

If the Tigers are to turn their fortunes around, Marshall and Fulton will need to be the driving forces. They’ll have to be a lot more than polite, civil and professional if the club is to rise from the ashes given their current predicament.

Marshall and Fulton have apparently been at loggerheads in recent weeks, to the point that chief executive Justin Pascoe held individual meetings with the pair on Monday morning designed to get them on the same page.

West Tigers CEO Justin Pascoe and chair Lee Hagipantelis. Picture: Getty Images

It was a lofty aspiration given the bad blood which seems to flow between the pair. Marshall had a win of sorts on Monday night when Hagipantelis made it clear that he would have the final say on players, not Fulton.

Fulton’s job, Hagipantelis said, was to go and sign the players that Marshall wanted at the club. A line was seemingly drawn in the sand. Marshall will have the final say on recruitment.

We wait to see how Fulton responds. He was the inspiration behind building a powerful roster at Manly but life has been more difficult at the Tigers.

The club is on the nose and events of recent weeks haven’t helped his or their cause. Losing is one thing. Losing amid talk of a civil war another.

Fulton has powerful friends in the ranks of player managers and they are watching closely as events unfold at the Tigers.

Benji Marshall, Robbie Farah and Tim Sheens at Wests Tigers training. Picture: Richard Dobson

The club is in a difficult position and while they have temporarily silenced the noise, it seems only a matter of time before the situation explodes again.

What happens the next time Marshall and Fulton cross swords on a player. Will the club back its coach or the man they hand-picked to piece together their roster?

At some point, it will come to a head. There is every chance a choice will need to be made and the board will need to lop off a head. The prodigal son or their chosen one?

It may be one or the other. When that day comes, we’re tipping it will be anything but polite, civil and professional.

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Originally published as NRL 2023: Crippling civil war could undermine Wests Tigers’ desperate rebuild