The final countdown is now on to the kick-off of the 2025 NRL season and that means the Wests Tigers Podcast is getting back into gear.

After another long off-season, NRL trials are just a few weeks away and on this edition of the pod, we take a look at who we expect to represent Wests Tigers in our first practice match against the Bulldogs.

Guys like Makasini, Mason, Porter, Matamua, and Sukkar are likely to line up in the game at Kogarah, but will any of the more established NRL players make an appearance?

How about the Wests Tigers playing a game in Las Vegas in 2026? We discuss the rumours our club will be chosen to showcase the game next year, and the plusses and minuses of taking a game to the USA for club and team.

Sione Fainu has taken position 29 in the NRL roster for 2025, we discuss where we see the third Fainu brother fitting in this year, and, what the future might hold for Latu Fainu.

And, what should the club do with the last roster spot?

Stay tuned for a rundown of what we consider the strengths and weaknesses of the 2025 Wests Tigers team and squad.

And we identify some of the best athletes, the most naturally gifted players to have worn a Wests Tigers jersey in battle. Names like McGuinness, Koroibete, Richards, Payten, and Corey Pearson come to our attention.

We hope you enjoy one of the last off-season editions of the Wests Tigers Podcast, buckle up for what looks like a great adventure ahead in season 2025!

And don't forget to join us talking everything Wests Tigers on the Wests Tigers Podcast Forum right through the year.

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What a day it is to be a Wests Tigers fan! Sure, we haven't kicked a ball yet in 2025, but today might just be one of the biggest in the club's long history.

Today, Wests Tigers had four independent directors appointed to the club's board.

This means that Wests Tigers now has a board that meets the independent review recommendations that we all fought so hard for. These are directors who bring talent and nous from different backgrounds and are giving of their time and professional skills for one reason - to advance the Wests Tigers.

That is very exciting!

Barry O'Farrell is one of the independent board members, he is expected to be voted in as Wests Tigers Chairman at a meeting later this month.

Joining the representatives from Holman Barnes Group, Balmain Tigers, and Wests Magpies on the Wests Tigers board will be:

• Charlie Viola, Executive Chair of Viola Private Wealth, and former Partner at Pitcher Partners. Charlie is a prominent Financial Advisor and Industry leader, with exceptional financial management, commercial and strategy skills. Charlie grew up in Campbelltown and now lives in the Inner West.
• Michelle McDowell, former Managing Director of Allied Express, brings a wealth of experience in commercial, operations and logistics. Michelle has significant business acumen and is passionate about community. Michelle has deep commercial insights into the Western suburbs of Sydney.
• Annabelle Williams OAM PLY, Former Chair of the Athlete’s Commission for Paralympics Australia, and former Board member of the Paralympics Australia and Swimming Australia. Annabelle is a Lawyer and a decorated athlete, with deep insights in High-Performance, and is an advocate for inclusion and excellence in sport. Annabelle grew up in Balmain.

To mark these important appointments, and this important day, Garry Watson and Joel Helmes sat down and recorded this latest edition of the Wests Tigers Unite podcast.

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Wests Tigers Unite Update

The guys are back with another update into the petition for an External Review of the Holman Barnes Group, regular Wests Tigers Podcast host, Eddie Otto is joined by Wests Tigers Life’s Rob Bechara and Adrian Tripodina as well as Garry Watson from the Wests Tigers Podcast.

The discussion starts with a chat about Garry’s recent interview with former Holman Barnes Group Director and current Debenture Holder, John Hardgrove. The team give their thoughts on a very open interview and discuss the key points.

The boys then take a look at the statement from the HBG released on Friday that addresses the current fan and media scrutiny that has surrounded the club. The guys give their thoughts in the motivation behind the release and whether this should appease Wests Tigers Fans.

The petition now sits at over 1400 signatures, if you haven’t signed yet, please do so at the link below.

An External Review of the Governance of Holman Barnes Group - Petitions.net

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Wests Tigers Unite Update

As the Petition calling for a governance review into the Holman Barnes Group moves towards 1400 signatures Garry Watson sat down for a one-on-one chat with Holman Barnes Group Debenture Holder and former director John Hardgrove.

John gives and in-depth explanation into the debenture system, why it has served the group well and why he no longer believes it is in the best interests of the Holman Barnes Group or the Wests Tigers.

He also discusses the current issues at the Holman Barnes Group as he sees it and what impact that may have on the Wests Tigers.

This is an important listen for all Holman Barnes Group members as well as members and fans of the Wests Tigers.

Look out for the next collaboration podcast coming in the next couple of days for your next Wests Tigers Unite update.

Thank you for listening and please add your signature to the petition if you haven’t already done so.

An External Review of the Governance of Holman Barnes Group - Petitions.net

Thanks for catching this important episode of the Wests Tigers Podcast!

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The Wests Tigers Podcast teamed up with colleagues from several other Wests Tigers pods, social media platforms, and supporter groups to say, "Enough is enough."

The issue we've all been fighting for under the 'Wests Tigers Unite' banner is a review into what we all believe is the archaic and undemocratic debenture group utilized by Wests Tigers majority owners, Holman Barnes Group (HBG).

After launching the joint public campaign, including commencing a petition calling for the review, the Sydney Morning Herald confirmed a probe into the HBG's governance had been launched by Liquor & Gaming NSW.

This is a huge result and means that hopefully, Wests Tigers can benefit from the implementation of review recommendations, including the appointment of highly skilled independent board members.

Working together under the Wests Tigers Unite banner are groups and individuals including:

• Rob Bechara (Wests Tigers Life Podcast)
• Tiger Town Podcast
• The Ambush support group
• Wests Tigers Forum
• Save Leichhardt Oval group

And, us here at the Wests Tigers Podcast & Forum.

So, we thought we would get together and record a podcast that could be shared across the different podcasts. This edition features Rob, Zac from Tiger Town, Will (Spartan 117) from Wests Tigers Forum, and Garry Watson and I.

We hope you enjoy this unique collaboration podcast where we talk about the action, the investigation into HBG governance, the flaws in the debenture system, and what the future might now hold for the club we all love, Wests Tigers!

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While the rest of the Rugby League world enjoys their Christmas break, the Wests Tigers Podcast returns to work with their second pod in as many days.

This time, Eddie Otto is joined by all the regulars with Joel, Steve, Declan, Nick and Garry jumping on for a chat.

The pod opens with an update on the petition calling for a review into the governance of the Wests Tigers majority shareholder, the Holman Barnes Group, Joel and Steve breakdown the reason for the petition and give an update on how the petition is tracking.

Eddie then plays a game of 25 questions for 2025, hitting the guys with 25 loaded questions.

Questions include: Who are the most underrated and Overrated Wests Tigers Players? Who should be Captain? Is 9th a successful season? Will Galvin re-sign or go to market? And who will have the better season, Stefano or Tyrell May?

The year 2025 is just around the corner and we will see you in the New Year.

Please click below to sign the Wests Tigers Unite petition calling for an independent review of the Holman Barnes Group's governance.

An External Review of the Governance of Holman Barnes Group - Petitions.net

Happy New Year to you from all the team here at the Wests Tigers Podcast!

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Today we are taking the first step into launching action to change the governance of the majority shareholder of the Wests Tigers, the Holman Barnes Group (HBG).

This action commenced after the HBG board (controlled by Magpies die-hards Julie Romero and Dennis Burgess) dragged its feet over introducing and adopting the full recommendations from the external review into the governance of the Wests Tigers.

We fought so hard for that review in 2023 and it only came about because you supported our petition.

This time, we intend to make our action much bigger and louder than the Wests Tigers Podcast and we will be calling on all Wests Tigers social and media outlets to support this action, potentially under the banner of 'Wests Tigers Unite'.

Make sure you catch this edition of the Wests Tigers Podcast to get a better idea of what is happening at the HBG.

We also discuss the importance of making our campaign bigger and bolder than our 2023 action.

And we outline exactly what it is that we want to achieve, and why it is so important for the Wests Tigers that these changes are made.

We intend to launch the petition in the coming days, it will be available on the home page of the Wests Tigers Podcast website and will also be shared on our Facebook group and the Wests Tigers Podcast Forum.

Ahead of this action, we again ask that you take an interest in this important matter as it is the final hurdle in giving the Wests Tigers the ownership and governance that will help the club we all love thrive.

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It's been a bit of a roller-coaster ride for fans of the Wests Tigers in recent weeks and this latest edition of the Wests Tigers Podcast represents that.

As the heat of Summer starts to hit, the Wests Tigers continue to be in the headlines, and this time around it's all about the contracts of some of the club's most valuable players.

How these details came to be in the media remains a whole other thing!

Joel is joined by Steve, Nick, and Garry to look at a rumour that broke last night - Lachlan Galvin having apparently re-signed a new deal with the club (still yet to be anything other than a rumour).

But then there is a look at the revelation Jarome Luai could start to negotiate with other clubs in just 11 months!

The four-time Premiership winner is coming to the Tigers on a five-year deal, but with player options for the final three years of that contract, and that news has hit a lot of us for six!

Should the club have disclosed these terms when he signed? Does it make him any less committed to the cause? And how will the media target this when/if things get tough next year and beyond? We discuss all that.

There are similar terms and conditions built into Jahream Bula's contract too (also leaked to the media by unknown sources last week), we put this situation under the microscope too.

On a brighter note, we talk about the signing of the club's biggest-ever sponsorship with a new major sponsor, Pepper Money.

We take a close look at the encouraging comments made by our new recruit Terrell May on the James Graham podcast, have another quick look at back row options for 2025 and this brings up some Brandon Smith discussion too.

We hope you enjoy this big off-season edition of the Wests Tigers Podcast and welcome your feedback via the Wests Tigers Podcast Forum.

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