The email caused angst among other Tigers directors and senior management, and the meeting was subsequently abandoned.
O’Farrell and Romero could not be reached for comment on Sunday.
After Balmain Tigers director Garry Leo last week urged his fellow directors to cut ties with the Western Suburbs side of the joint venture, there are fears over the funding model for Balmain’s junior nursery, which is reliant on payments from the HBG. The long-standing agreement is due to expire later this year.
Balmain directors described the HBG as “incompetent”, “Machiavellian” and a “bunch of tin pots” in a series of private emails earlier this week, which has soured relations between the two sides of the Wests Tigers.
In an attempt to calm tensions within the joint venture, the Balmain Tigers released a statement last week in which it said it was “fully supportive of the ongoing relationship with our joint venture partners, the Holman Barnes Group, and Wests Magpies”.
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But the HBG has been involved in its own political turmoil after Romero ascended to the chairmanship earlier this year, ousting Tony Andreacchio only months after the review which delivered sweeping changes to Wests Tigers’ governance.
Wests Tigers chief executive Shane Richardson, who was brought in on a temporary basis after the review, has signed a four-year extension as he begins to turn around the club, but doubts remain over whether O’Farrell will stay alongside him long-term.
On the field, Benji Marshall’s side will be trying to avoid a third straight wooden spoon with a win against the Eels at Campbelltown Stadium on Friday night before new signings Jarome Luai, Sunia Turuva and Jeral Skelton arrive for the 2025 season.
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