Wests Tigers CEO Shane Richardson is at the centre of an NRL integrity unit probe to determine whether there are grounds to investigate the veteran administrator following a whistleblower tip-off over his conduct.
The NRL integrity unit has conducted several preliminary interviews following a whistleblower tip-off that raised serious concerns about the conduct of Richardson and senior staff at the embattled club.
It comes as Richardson prepares to walk away from the club following Monday’s decision by the Holman Barnes Group, the majority owner of the Tigers, to remove four independent directors, including chairman Barry O’Farrell.
HBG is making its own contingency plans in preparation for Richardson’s potential exit and are considering parachuting recently departed Manly CEO Tony Mestrov into an interim role while they search for a full-time replacement, should his time at the club come to an end.
The Holman Barnes Group is aware of the allegations against Richardson and is making its own inquiries, which could impact Richardson’s potential seven-figure termination payout.
“The Holman Barnes Group is aware of the NRL’s interest in this matter and at this point in time we cannot comment,” HBG deputy chairman Francesco Primerano said.
Wests Tigers CEO Shane Richardson.Credit: Oscar Colman
Sources with knowledge of the matter, talking on the condition of anonymity due to confidentiality, say questions have been raised about the club’s finances under Richardson – in particular invoices paid to a company he part owns with his son, Brent.
While Richardson has declared the potential conflict of interest to the board, a club informant has raised concerns about the amount of money being paid to the Enrichd Group for their marketing, branding and digital consultancy services.
The NRL integrity unit has also been made aware of information regarding Wests Tigers’ employment of up to two other members of Richardson’s family.
Richardson declined to comment when contacted.
Former Wests Tigers boss Lee Hagipantelis.Credit: Janie Barrett
The Herald has also been told that Richardson, after speaking to this masthead, has since accused a former staff member of being the whistleblower and used Wests Tigers funds to send off a legal threat this week.
That former employee has since reached out to ex-Wests Tigers chairman Lee Hagipantelis for legal advice and representation. Hagipantelis declined to comment.
The NRL is taking the matter seriously and has spoken to current and former Wests Tigers staff about the issue. The matter has also reached members of the ARL Commission.
The NRL received the tip-off through the code’s private whistleblower hotline and is understood to be in possession of evidence that will be pivotal to any potential future investigation if deemed necessary.
Wests Tigers CEO Shane Richardson (left) and Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne at Leichhardt Oval.Credit: Edwina Pickles
Wests Tigers used to have a whistleblower hotline through Core Integrity, however the club decided to end its arrangement when Richardson took over from previous CEO Justin Pascoe.
The NRL’s Whistleblower Policy was set up to provide a process for people to raise concerns regarding suspected misconduct involving the NRL or the ARLC.
The policy states that a person may make a report if they have reasonable grounds to suspect that a director, officer, employee, contractor, supplier or other person who has business dealings with the NRL or ARLC has engaged in misconduct or an improper state of affairs.
Richardson is one of the longest serving administrators in rugby league but has endured a difficult season after his desperate bid to retain Lachlan Galvin was rejected by the teenager and his management, culminating in the young half’s mid-season exit to the Bulldogs.
‘The Holman Barnes Group is aware of the NRL’s interest in this matter.’
HBG deputy chairman Francesco Primerano
Richardson’s future is now in the spotlight, with HBG directors frustrated with his approach and lack of communication and transparency with the owners.
In an interview with the Herald on Thursday, HBG chief executive Daniel Paton admitted that the owners were blindsided.
“Now, there’s an agreement between Wests Tigers and Holman Barnes Group where certain decisions that are made need to come back to the owner for approval. That simply hasn’t been happening,” Paton said.
“And I can give an example of that – the stadium policy around Leichhardt Oval. So the announcement was that Leichhardt Oval would be the home of Wests Tigers for the next 15 years. The Holman Barnes Group board only found out about that with 16,000 other fans at Leichhardt Oval. Which is really bad for business, and it’s quite embarrassing really.”
Richardson is protected by a seven-figure termination payout, however, that could be in jeopardy as the NRL begins to make enquiries into his conduct at the club.
The Wests Tigers CEO took over from Pascoe at the end of 2023 following an independent governance review conducted by Tony Crawford and Gary Barnier.
In February 2024, Richardson denied a conflict of interest to this masthead when he signed a player managed by his son, Brent, for the company he part owned.
Richardson said all the relevant declarations had been made to the board before he accepted the CEO job.
Enrichd Group, formerly Rich Digital, is a business that specialises in brand building, digital innovation and talent management.
When Richardson began his tenure at the club the company signed on as a consultant to Wests Tigers to help the club grow its brand and drive profits.
The club has also signed several players from the company’s NRL and NRLW agency branch headed up by Richardson’s son, including Solomona Faataape and Charlie Murray.