Revealed: List of allegations levelled at banned, suspended Wests Tigers board members

As the banned and suspended Wests Tigers board members mull over legal retaliation, we reveal the list of allegations against the trio made by the club’s owners which date back to 2020.

Three board members at the owners of the Wests Tigers have been sensationally suspended with one long-term director banned for eight years.

It can be revealed that Rick Wayde, Tony Andreacchio and David Gilbert were told of their fate after 5pm on New Year’s Eve via email by legal representatives of the Holman Barnes Group with their bans now formalised after they were suspended in November.

Wayde has been banned for eight years, Andreacchio (six) while Gilbert has a six-month suspension.

Wayde and Andreacchio have been told they must undergo an anger management course and demonstrate remorse if they want to re-join the club when their bans expire.

It is understood the trio are now exploring their legal options and are expected to challenge the decision.

Rick Wayde (R) with former Wests Tigers chairman Lee Hagipantelis.

“The penalties are ridiculous,” Wayde said. “It indicates from November 6 from when they issued the notice that their preconceived view was that we were guilty. They wanted to come up with that finding.

“The reason it has taken so long is there are many flaws in their procedures.”

Andreacchio would only describe the findings as akin to “a star chamber-style decision” while Gilbert described the process as a “sham from the word go.

“All I’ll say is that in our Barrister’s summary (he says) that we have been ‘stitched up’,” Gilbert, the former Cricket NSW boss said. “That says it all.”

The trio were first sanctioned in November where they were banned from entering the club’s bars, restaurants, gyms, archives and carpark across all three Holman Barnes Group venues. Their membership have now been formally cancelled.

This masthead has obtained the “disciplinary committee decision on penalty” handed down against the relevant parties which indicated Western Suburbs Leagues Club had received a number of “whistleblower complaints” against the trio dating back years.

Back Row: Les Clarke, John Wiles, Tony Andreacchio. Front Row: Bud Warner Rick Wayde

The allegations against Wayde include;

– In or around 2020, he engaged in unreasonable conduct at a board meeting, including personal attacks resulting in requests by other attendees for him to “back off”.

– In early 2024, engaged in intimidatory, threatening and/or otherwise unreasonable conduct towards other board members, both alone and acting in concert with Andreacchio and Gilbert, in an attempt to coerce the board members into supporting Andreacchio to continue as chair.

– At the Tigers season launch last year that he and Gilbert approached someone in a “threatening manner” and asked them “are you changing camp now?”

– Made comments to a fellow director to suggest he was personally responsible for Andreacchio being defeated as chair. Wayde is alleged to have said: “You’ve got to be joking. You don’t know how bad your name is at Wests Tigers” after a fellow Holman Barnes Group director had been appointed onto the Tigers board.

The complains against Andreacchio include;

– Calling a board member a “f — ing suck” 10 times in front of other board members. After being told to stop he became “red in the face” and shouted “swear words and made abusive comments”.

– Engaged in intimidatory, threatening and otherwise unreasonable conduct towards other board members.

– At the Tigers season 2024 season launch he called a board member words to the effect of “you f---ing softie”.

– At a September board meeting he engaged in “aggrieve behaviour” and called someone a “parrot in a raised voice”.

The board members have been at loggerheads since a Wests Tigers review that led to he removal of Lee Hagipantelis as chairman and Justin Pascoe as chief executive. Picture: Getty Images

The board members have been at loggerheads since a review into the Wests Tigers last year.

Andreacchio, Wayde and Gilbert were the driving force behind the independent review which led to the removal of Lee Hagipantelis as chairman and Justin Pascoe as chief executive of the Tigers in 2023.

Andreacchio was the chair of the Holman Barnes Group but was overthrown by Julie Romero in March and led to a power shift among the owners of the Tigers.

Romero was contacted for comment.

The guilty trio were represented by lawyer Paul Marsh through a range of hearings including the week of December 9.

Marsh defended his client’s in-front of the disciplinary committee which consisted of Romero, Stephen Montgomery and Dennis Burgess. Romero, Montgomery and Burgess are fellow Holman Barnes Directors.

The constitution of the committee was argued by Marsh.

On December 20 the trio were told that they were to be found guilty by the committee.

On December 27 Marsh again represented the trio in a hearing to discuss the possible sanctions. Those sanctions were formally imposed on New Year’s Eve.

The Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority may be brought in to stop the bitter dispute now engulfing the warring parties. A fan petition has also called for an independent review into the running of the club.

Wayde lambasted the way his former fellow board members have handled the investigation.

“The incompetent way they’ve done it has strengthened our case,” Wayde said. “We won’t appeal through the board. We will go through other channels.”

Originally published as Revealed: List of allegations levelled at banned, suspended Wests Tigers board members