Another Tigers official out the door

There's more movement at the top at the Tigers, with the club's chief financial officer set to join the rush to the exit door.But unlike chairman Lee Hagipantelis, coach Tim Sheens and CEO Justin Pascoe, Mark Sawicki is leaving on his own terms.Sawicki, a good operator who helped keep the Tigers' balance sheet healthy despite its dire past few years on and off the field, has joined the Dragons - largely because of geography.The money man lives a lot closer to Wollongong than Tiger-town and the long hours of driving has finally worn him down.

Final insult as 'sad' Tigers break-up confirmed

Wests Tigers legend Tim Sheens snubbed the club's awards night despite technically still being head coach of the NRL team.The Sydney Morning Herald confirmed Tigers management wanted Sheens to be there, but the veteran coach opted not to go following a turbulent year.Sheens, 72, was controversially given the role of head coach this season after essentially overseeing the sacking of Michael Maguire last year.The plan was for Sheens to act as head coach this year and next, while mentoring Benji Marshall before the latter took the reins for the 2025 season.But that plan was thrown out the window when Sheens walked away from the team a fortnight ago, having realised he was pushed to the side. Tigers management brought Scott Fulton in as head of recruitment this season without consulting Sheens or Marshall, causing friction.Sheens - who famously coached the Tigers to the 2005 premiership - would not comment when contacted by the Herald.But he was seen celebrating Penrith's old boys' day at the weekend, and Panthers legend Royce Simmons spoke out about the Tigers' supposed treatement of Sheens."That doesn't come as a surprise to me at all, not one bit, and why would you go?" Simmons said of Sheens snubbing the awards night."If you weren't wanted at the club, how could you go to their presentation night?"They sacked him. And I can only imagine how frustrated Tim is."It's sad to see. He wasn't given the opportunity to do what he wanted to do."The Tigers finished last this season.

Benji in crosshairs as Tigers 'blood-letting' revealed

The blood-letting at Wests Tigers is set to continue - with club legend Benji Marshall the next target.Club insiders on Wednesday leaked their intention to push aside head coach Tim Sheens midway through his two-year deal.But Wide World if Sports has learned the club is also gunning for Marshall, the man being groomed as his successor.The club made a play to sign experienced former Titans coach Justin Holbrook recently, but he opted to join the Roosters.Tigers chairman Lee Hagipantelis and chief executive Justin Pascoe are also believed to be eyeing former Sharks coach John Morris, currently an assistant at Souths."They sounded out both of them and Benji is their next target," a source close to the club said."They don't think Benji is ready for a head coach role with no experience at that level, particularly with such a young team that has been struggling."It's common knowledge that Marshall does not get on with the Tigers' new recruitment boss Scott Fulton, who wields considerable power at the club.The Tigers are expected to offer Sheens to continue in his role as director of football next season - but the veteran coach may choose to walk away from the club entirely.Another former club great, current assistant coach Robbie Farah, is set to be handed a senior football management role once Sheens moves aside..

Sheens squeezed out as Tigers pull the trigger

The Wests Tigers have reportedly moved to end the tenure of head coach Tim Sheens effective immediately.The Sydney Morning Herald reports Sheens hasn't been seen at Concord in the past couple of days, and is expected to officially hand the reins to coach-in-waiting Benji Marshall.Sheens controversially helped axe Michael Maguire as coach last year when he was head of football, and then assumed the role himself as part of a succession plan involving Marshall.The idea was for Sheens to be head coach for this season and next while mentoring Marshall, who would then take over in 2025.That process seems to have been brought forward a year with Sheens not expected to act as coach again, despite three rounds remaining this season.The Herald reports Sheens will also not return to his general manager of football role, but may still be affiliated with the club in an ambassador position.The Tigers sit last on the ladder with only three wins this season, and are heading towards a second straight NRL wooden spoon.Sheens, 72, coached the Tigers to the famous 2005 premiership victory when the team featured a young Marshall and his halves partner Scott Prince.Marshall will effectively become head coach of the team from now, and is contracted to the end of the 2027 season.

'Angry' fans act against 'embarrassing' Tigers

Angry Wests Tigers supporters are taking action against the club, demanding an independent external review of all aspects of the dysfunctional organisation.The fans are fed up with the Tigers' embarrassing management stuff-ups and poor on-field performances that have seen them out of finals football for over a decade.Fans have set up an online petition demanding the review that has drawn over 1300 signatures in just a few days."This is a fan driven movement for change that has collected 1300 plus signatures - the fans need a voice in what happens next at the club we all love," one of the organisers of the movement, Joel Helmes, told Wide World of Sports."The objective of any NRL team is to win a competition. No amount of off field financial stability or training resources can substitute for on field success and measured on this basis we are a failure as a club."A review must benchmark all aspects of the organisation and structure against industry best practice to understand what is wrong and how to fix it."In the latest chapter of the Tigers' tale of woe, chief executive Justine Pascoe vowed to get warring assistant coach Benji Marshall and new recruitment manager Scott Fulton together yesterday to sort out their differences and work together.Remarkably, he then held separate individual meetings with the pair, and the ill feeling remains.Director of football and head coach Tim Sheens - one of the most respected men in the game and a four-time premiership winner - has been 'frozen out' by officials and is told virtually nothing of what is happening within the struggling club.The petition states: "The signatories of this petition demand that the Wests Tigers organisation be subjected to a thorough external review, encompassing all aspects of the organisation."This would include all aspects of governance, operational leadership, administration, day to day operations and football department operations/structures."This petition will be shared with the senior management of Wests Tigers/Wests Ashfield."The petition can be viewed here.

Tigers secretly contact axed coach as Plan B emerges

The Tigers' internal battle has taken a new twist the club showing interest in sacked Titans coach Justin Holbrook through a third party.With the club at the foot of the NRL ladder and coaches Tim Sheens and Benji Marshall at odds with management, the Tigers are a club very much in crisis.The interest in Holbrook is three-fold - he could add experience and knowledge as an assistant coach, he could step in if the relationship between Sheens, Marshall and the board becomes untenable… and he is a way of signing Titans star Tino Fa'asuamaleaui.The Maroons superstar is close to Holbrook - so much so that he had a clause inserted into his current contract that if Holbrook left, Tino is free to walk as well.The big forward is now assessing his options, with several clubs besides the Tigers keen on his services.David Fifita is in the same situation but both will wait until later in the year before making any decision on their futures.

Freddy's bold Sheens call after 'mashed potatoes' flogging

Blues coach Brad Fittler believes the Wests Tigers may need to revisit their coaching system after a "mashed potatoes" performance against the Cowboys on Saturday night.Six weeks after inflicting a 66-18 defeat on the Cowboys at Leichhardt Oval, North Queensland made a 122-point turnaround to win 74-0 in Townsville on Saturday night.Speaking on Nine's Sunday Footy Show, Andrew Johns said the absence of Luke Brooks and Api Koroisau could explain for some loss in performance, but Billy Slater the club needed to "simplify" their game plan when they're without their key players."Luke Brooks and Api Koroisau (are) key players in key positions, and when they aren't there, you need to simplify your game, and build your game around effort and defence," Slater. But Fittler said simplifying their game went beyond on-field plans.After Michael Maguire was sacked last season, the club hired veteran Tim Sheens back into the senior role, with Benji Marshall and Robbie Farah in assistant roles with an eye to them eventually succeeding Sheens."You've got an experienced coach then the up-and-coming coach, Benji," he said."I haven't been Tigers training, so can't tell who runs the show there (but) maybe that could be simplified. "It's been a really tough year for the Tigers. Their start was poor. Everyone had high hopes for them over the off season. "Benji hasn't fronted up to the media or hasn't had to speak for the team at all which takes an awful lot of pressure away. What it does do is allow him to wear some of this, maybe come up with some answers and see what the club needs for the future."He doesn't go away battled, you know, or from dealing with this season, especially yesterday's game. That's been left to Tim Sheens."I think it works in that favour but it's not working on the field. What we've seen on the field is just mashed potato. "They're passing the ball coming out of trouble, first tackle, shift, shift, shift. It looks nice but they don't have the fundamentals to apply pressure."Fittler said the club needed to fine-tune "everything .. from the coach all the way down to what their tactics are, then obviously players".The club look set to be without Alex Twal next weekend two, who's facing a one-week ban for a hip drop tackle on Luciano Leilua.The Tigers are seemingly in a two-horse race with the Dragons for the wooden spoon, with the two clubs currently only split on points difference, however the Dragons still have a bye to come.

Young Tiger continues to draw rave reviews

Last week I was chatting with Tigers coach Tim Sheens about Jahream Bula and he cautioned me (saying), "You haven't seen anything yet - wait until the kid plays on a dry track".Sheens pointed out that the youngster's two NRL games to date were in wet and slippery conditions, making it hard for him to shine.Well, Bula got his dry track in Magic Round yesterday - and was dynamic.The promising fullback ran for 180 metres but his defence was the real eye-catcher - he produced three try-saving tackles and was the difference between the Tigers and a sloppy Dragons side.Bula looks a real prospect and is one of a host of youngsters Sheens and Benji Marshall have pencilled in for NRL in the next couple of seasons.The Tigers have now recorded back-to-back wins for the first time since April 2022 - and things are suddenly looking much rosier at Concord.

Raw Benji conversation that reignited axed Tiger

If anyone knew how to get enigmatic Tigers winger David Nofoaluma's career back on track, it was Benji Marshall.Benji played alongside Nofoaluma for three years in Tiger town and knows exactly what makes the speedster tick.So when Nofoaluma lost his way in the early rounds of the new season, Benji - the assistant to Tigers coach Tim Sheens - stepped in."Things weren't going the way I wanted," Nofoaluma told Wide World of Sports."I wasn't playing up to my standard, I got dropped … I had a foot injury that held me back, as well."And the team was struggling to get a win so it was tough for everyone."I decided to have a talk with Benji because he knows my game - he was a teammate for three years."He knows when I'm at my best and what I have to do to get back there."He helped me get my focus and belief back. He basically told me, 'Be the player I know you can be', and helped me regain my confidence."The win over Penrith was massive for us and hopefully a turning point for the rest of the season."It felt great to beat such a quality team and it really worked wonders for my self belief - and I think a lot of other guys too."We had been coming close a few times but not winning and that can get to you if you let it."The stunning upset win over the premiers proved a landmark for Nofoaluma. He scored his 100th NRL try and showed glimpses of the old dash he displayed regularly playing outside Marshall in days gone by."It was a great effort all around and we have a good mix now of some old heads and young guys starting their careers," he said."We can hopefully string a few wins together now, starting with the Dragons in Magic Round, and work our way up the ladder."

'Sneaky' Sheens ploy behind Tigers' stunning upset

A sneaky Tim Sheens trick paved the way for the Tigers' stunning 12-8 defeat of premiers Penrith on Saturday night.Sheens instructed his forwards to cover their wrists with loads and loads of strapping tape - something he learned from coaching in England in recent years.The ploy keeps the hands relatively dry in wet conditions - and the weather in Bathurst was shocking on Saturday night.The move worked a treat, with the Tigers completing at a remarkable rate of over 90 per cent despite monsoonal rain and a wet track.It proved the difference between the teams, with the Panthers unable to match the Tigers in ball control.The Tigers hunted as a pack and took on the premiers up front.David Klemmer ran for 209 metres and Isaiah Papali'i (106m), Alex Twal (173m), Stefano Utoikamanu (133m) and Joe Ofahengaue (119m) were also prominent.Api Koroisau came of age as a skipper against his former club, terrorising the Panthers around the rucks with his dummyhalf work as the Tigers produced the best ambush for many years.

Good news comes for Tigers

Tigers coach Tim Sheens has been saying all season that he has good kids coming through - but didn't want to rush them into the top grade.But desperate times call for desperate measures and Sheens somewhat reluctantly handed fullback Jahream Bula his top-grade debut against Manly.Bula, a 21-year-old from New Zealand was put under intense pressure by Manly in difficult conditions - but shone in the gloom of Campbelltown.The youngster ran for 173 metres - the most of any player on the field - and won his duel with Manly superstar Tom Trbojevic.And the best news for Tigers fans? He agreed to a new extended contract last week.