Tigers chairman Barry O’Farrell pledges to keep Wests Tigers at their traditional homes

Barry O’Farrell has pledged to do all he can to keep Wests Tigers at their traditional homes of Leichhardt and Campbelltown ahead of the club’s first game at Bankwest Stadium.

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Barry O’Farrell fell in love with rugby league as a North Sydney Bears supporter.

So the Wests Tigers chairman knows first hand the emptiness that comes with having your favourite footy team merged, relocated and eventually, binned.

“Not only did I lose my team (Bears), the ARL at the time decided we amalgamate with Manly on the Central Coast,’’ O’Farrell said.

“And then when that fell over, not only did I lose my team, but I scratched my head for 10 years as to how come Manly survived and not us?’’

O’Farrell, who replaced Marina Go as chair of the Wests Tigers last month, was only one week into his role when a bundle of newspapers landed on his desk with headlines about the relocation and the culling of clubs.

The former NSW Premier nodded knowingly.

“Politicians can get away with thought bubbles to distract from other things at times, but a half billion dollar enterprise like the NRL, needs to have well-developed policies that they then present to the club, to talk us through them,’’ O’Farrell said.

“And if you don’t have that, you’re going to get the predictable responses.

“For obvious reasons, given my history with rugby league, I’m never going to support relocation of the Wests Tigers.

“I understand the frustration the people get when people distant from a club decide for whatever reason to move things around on the chess board.

“I found myself without a team which was incredibly frustrating.

“It didn’t stop me from following league, but it stopped me from following league with the same passion and intensity.

“I get the fact rugby league has changed a lot in 111 years.

O'Farrell took over as Tigers chairman. AAP Image/Joel Carrett.

“What were exclusive territories, no longer exist personal devices and television means that Wests Tigers have supporters all over the world and we need to recognise that.

“But we also have traditional areas like the inner-west and the southwest where we’ve always had a solid supporters base.’’

Without a team and ultimately converted to the Tigers by his son Will, O’Farrell has taken over as chair with a determination to turn the merged entity into the benchmark club of the NRL.

“I want us to be the best club in the league,’’ O’Farrell said.

“And the best club in terms of being well-run, solid finances, not just strong membership but good membership engagement and clearly an excellent relationship with the NRL.

“And above all else, yes successful on the footy field.’’

Monday night, the Tigers are guests to Parramatta’s party — the grand opening of Bankwest Stadium.

Leichhardt Oval has always been the Tigers spiritual home. Picture by Brett Costello.

It will be one of five matches the Tigers play at the new stadium.

However, O’Farrell said that he had little desire to move every Tigers game in the future to the sparkling new ground - or to ever abandon club’s traditional homes grounds, Campbelltown and Leichhardt.

“I think Leichhardt and Campbelltown will always continue to be important to Wests Tigers,’’ O’Farrell said.

“If you gave Leichhardt a Bankwest style makeover, you’d alienate half the members.

“The great thing about those grounds, which isn’t replicated in the big stadiums and perhaps it will to a degree at Bankwest and the new Allianz, but you feel much closer to the game.

“And that’s never going to be replaced.

“Peter V’landys as ARL commissioner has said how big a supporter he is, of suburban grounds.

Bankwest will open on Monday. AAP Image/Brendon Thorne.

“I don’t think suburban grounds should ever be dispensed with.’’

Given his long history in politics, O’Farrell knows better than most about back-stabbing and agendas — which exists equally in rugby league.

But as the leader of the Tigers, he’s hoping to encourage a collective buy-in from all clubs for the overall benefit of the code.

“My view is, rugby league should be Australia’s premier sport,’’ O’Farrell said.

“Its time frame on TV may not suit all the sponsors, but I think it suits the viewers better with the fact that we are shorter (game time) than AFL.

“Rugby league is a great game to go to and yet we’re not Australia’s premier sport.

“I think the formation of the Commission is a step in the right direction, but until there is greater trust between the clubs and the Commission — and we’re all engaged, we’re not going to get there.’’