Tigers great declares 100,000 fans will ‘take to the streets’ if ‘farcical’ merger ploy occurs

Rugby league great Ben Elias believes 100,000 fans will descend on Sydney’s streets if their beloved NRL club is wiped from history.

Balmain great Ben Elias believes 100,000 fans will descend on Sydney’s streets in protest if a plot for the Western Suburbs Magpies to take full control of the merger club comes to fruition.

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Elias’ comment comes after a leaked text message from former Holman Barnes Group - the club’s majority owners - chairman Tony Andreacchio to several club members said there could be a push for the removal of the Tigers brand following a power struggle at board level.

“Their [HBG] misguided ambition is to see the Western Suburbs Magpies replace the Wests Tigers in the NRL competition,” Andreacchio wrote.

The Balmain Tigers and the Western Suburbs Magpies merged in 1999 and Elias was baffled by the reports for a push of separation from the joint-venture club.

Benny Elias said West Tigers fans would hit the streets in massive numbers if the merger breaks down.

The hooker, who played 234 times for the Tigers as well as for New South Wales and Australia, believes the chances of it taking place are slim, saying the likelihood of Wests Magpies returning to the NRL is the same as “the Balmain Tigers coming back”.

“And the suggestion that this group now wants the return of the Wests Magpies instead of the continuation of the Wests Tigers as an NRL entity is simply outrageous,” Elias told the Sydney Morning Herald.

“It demonstrates a complete disrespect to our passionate fans, our players and the NRL.

“If this mob wants the Wests Magpies to return, and that is their brief for the future, you can expect 100,000 fans to take to the streets and protest, just like South Sydney fans did when their team was kicked out of the competition (in 1999).

“The article in the (Sydney Morning) Herald explained that the HBG is controlled by 18 debenture holders. In turn, the HBG controls the Wests Tigers.

“The debenture system at the HBG is archaic. It lacks both democracy and lacks merit. It means that our great fans and supporters have no voice with respect to the running of our great club. The debenture system must be scrapped.

“Our great club deserves the best possible stewardship. Unfortunately, we are a far cry from that. And regrettably, it impacts our on-field performance.

“It’s just farcical. I also can’t see the ARL Commission and (chairman) Peter V’landys allowing this to happen.”

At present, Balmain owns 10 per cent of the Wests Tigers.

The 11 time premiers - as a stand-alone club - lost 15 per cent of their stake five years ago to HBG when they paid Balmain’s $3.2 million debt to the NRL.

HBG own the remaining 90 per cent of the Tigers – with 30 per cent of that portion owned by the Western Suburbs Magpies.

Balmain legend Garry Jack believes some of the business people involved may have short memories, like Elias, he was also outraged by the report.

“We’re in this together, and if you look back through history, Wests weren’t that strong at the turn of the century. They were on their knees,” Jack said.

“We were a stronger club at the time, but we formed an allegiance and became the Wests Tigers. They should not forget the past. I’m offended when I hear talk of a push to have the Wests Magpies replace Wests Tigers.”

All 17 NRL clubs recently renewed their licence agreements with the league until 2034.

That means a Wests Magpies return could only eventuate if they convinced the ARLC to revoke the West Tigers licence.

HBG released a prepared statement on Saturday via chair Julie Romero which intended to squash fears on the Balmain side of the merger.

“The Holman Barnes Group slogan is ‘be true to the review’, and we mean it. Our commitment is to the West Tigers and ensuring the Wests Tigers is positioned for success. Seeing reports suggesting anything other than our total commitment to the club is disappointing,” the statement said.

“We will not be moving away from Wests Tigers and to claim that is fiction. The group is disappointed to see damaging inaccuracies reported.”

Andreacchio’s text message came after he and two other board members, Rick Wayde and ex-Cricket NSW CEO David Gilbert, were banned from any venue under the control of HBG.

The Group’s statement also said that their investigation into Andreacchio, Wayde and Gilbert’s alleged misconduct was almost complete.

Andreacchio spoke to the Sydney Morning Herald, he would not go into the text message or the investigation, but had a word of warning for fans of winners of the last three wooden spoons.

“All I will say is that my only concern is the best interests of the Wests Tigers. Some on the board couldn’t cope with losing their blazers as part of the review,” he said.

“If I was a passionate Wests Tigers fan, of which I am, I would be very worried about the future of the merger.”

Originally published as Tigers great declares 100,000 fans will ‘take to the streets’ if ‘farcical’ merger ploy occurs