New Tigers CEO urged to quickly fix Robbie Farah contract mess

THE $2m standoff between Robbie Farah and the Tigers shows no sign of abating as the unwanted skipper continues to deny a rift among teammates.

Tigers James Tedesco and Robbie Farah celebrate Tigers Martin Taupau scoring a try during the NRL game between the Wests Tigers and the New Zealand Warriors at Campbelltown Stadium , Campbelltown.Picture Gregg Porteous

THE $2 million standoff between Robbie Farah and the Wests Tigers shows no sign of abating as the unwanted skipper continues to dispel the notion of a rift among teammates.

Amid a backdrop of uncertainty at the club’s Concord headquarters, new Tigers CEO Justin Pascoe will put his feet under the desk on Monday with a mandate to fix the Farah mess as quickly as possible.

Farah has taken to social media over the past fortnight to torpedo the theory about a split in the Tigers playing ranks, posting images from Bali including assistant coach David Kidwell.

The Tigers playmaker winning the NSW True Blue award for the player who most epitomises the Blues culture and values was also completely at loggerheads with the reason his NRL club are trying to squeeze him out.

Robbie Farah with teammates. Source: INSTAGRAM

New Tigers CEO Pascoe will report for his first day at the club’s Concord headquarters on Monday and the most important item on his agenda will be working out a resolution to a $2 million mess.

LOCKED OUT: Fans protest Farah’s treatment

Farah and Taylor have clearly had a monumental fallout since the Concord meeting when the no. 9 was told he would be playing reserve grade and training with the part-time squad if he stayed around next season.

Since last month, details have continued to emerge about how the pair has been on a collision course since the coach first started at the club last November.

Taylor is no stranger to conflict as a player or coach, with the retired halfback clashing with Warren Ryan at Wests Magpies and Peter Louis at North Sydney Bears during his playing days.

One of the bigger picture issues when it comes to the Tigers is the fact the running of the club has been heavily influenced by the players for the past five seasons.

By trying to cut Farah, Taylor is sending a clear message that is no longer the case.

But the mixed messages about Farah being estranged from his teammates are clearly incorrect, as is the suggestion Taylor is going to be torpedoed because of this decision.

The Tigers board of directors remain firmly behind Taylor.

Commercially, it’s difficult to fathom how the Tigers picking up $800,000-a-season of Farah’s contract for the NSW Origin hooker to play elsewhere makes smart business sense.

The Tigers have been at pains to point out how Wally Lewis was moved on by Wayne Bennett and Matthew Johns was shown the same treatment at Newcastle but the fundamental difference in both those cases is the players were off-contract.

Robbie Farah in Bali with teammates and friends.

Farah has a $2 million contract with the Tigers until the end of 2017.

Almost four weeks since it became public Farah was free to look for a new club for next season, the club is none the wiser about when the mess will be fixed.

Originally published as New Tigers CEO urged to quickly fix Robbie Farah contract mess