‘Scurrying around in the shadows’: Lee Hagipantelis rips into Wests Tigers officials after explosive 24 hours at the club
He’s the biggest casualty of the unprecedented shake-up at the Wests Tigers, and Lee Hagipantelis is furious with how things played out.
Outgoing Wests Tigers chairman Lee Hagipantelis has vowed to honour the final year of his sponsorship deal with the club, but he’s taken aim at the officials who blindsided him and others on one of the most significant days in the club’s history.
The Tigers announced on Tuesday that chief executive Justin Pascoe had resigned and the club’s major shareholders had agreed to dismiss the entire board, including Hagipantelis, after he served four years in the role.
Former NSW premier Barry O’Farrell will serve as interim chairman, while former South Sydney boss Shane Richardson will act as the club’s chief executive, with the board slashed from seven to four members pending legal approvals.
On Wednesday morning, Hagipantelis shared his version of events, revealing he received a call from Balmain Tigers chairman Danny Stapleton about 2.20pm on Tuesday and was told what was going on.
Stapleton was with Tony Andreacchio, chairman of the Holman Barnes Group, the club’s major owners who ordered an independent review, and Hagipantelis made his feelings clear when asked about what had transpired in the days leading up to his dismissal.
“You’ve got to consider the quality of the people involved,” he told SEN, revealing he “slept like a baby” on Tuesday after having some beers with Pascoe.
“I was at the Balmain Christmas party dinner on the Saturday night and received numerous assurances of support.
“That lasted 48 hours because apparently there was a shareholders meeting on Monday night, and the shareholders adopted the recommendations of the review.
“This review has never been shown to us, we haven’t seen the report, we haven’t seen the recommendations. We were told we would be given the report and an opportunity to respond to it, so we were misled there.
“What happened from there is that the outcome of the shareholders’ meeting on Monday night was leaked to Michael Carayannis (Daily Telegraph journalist) – and given these people, none of this is a surprise – and so they hit the panic stations yesterday and frantic phone calls were made which forced an outcome much earlier than they had expected.
“I am told that we will never see the report – and of course I have no entitlement to it now given I’m no longer chair on the board – but the manner of which it was done by shareholders (was unacceptable).
“These are people who sit as directors of the shareholders but also sit as directors on the Wests Tigers board.
“So I chaired a board with people who sit there having a fiduciary duty to the organisation, yet behind the scenes scurry in the shadows and put together plans for the demise of the board.
“How is that not a breach of their fiduciary duty? Why would they not come forward and say there’s an obvious conflict with me continuing in this role and I need to stand down?
“It boggled belief. It is a world in which I’m not familiar.”
Hagipantelis praised Pascoe’s contribution to the club and said he had no regrets bringing legendary coach Tim Sheens back despite him walking away less than a year into his deal.
He has fears about the ongoing division at the club but is confident the elite pathways system will lead to success after back-to-back wooden spoon finishes and a finals drought that extends beyond a decade.
Despite his disappointment with what went down, Hagipantelis said his company Brydens Lawyers would continue to sponsor the club in 2024.
“I have one year left on my contract and I will honour that,” he confirmed.
“But having said that, I know that they were on the phones yesterday to alternate sponsors ascertaining their preparedness to come on if I withdraw.
“Why not ring me and ask me directly? Why go through the backdoor? Why go scurrying around in the shadows?
“I could not be more disappointed with the misconduct and the deceit.”
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