Former Wests Tigers chairman Lee Hagipantelis has delivered a scathing post-mortem on his time at the helm of the embattled joint venture, admitting he regrets ever accepting the role and painting a bleak picture of dysfunction, powerlessness, and internal division that continues to hamper the club.
Speaking publicly for the first time since stepping down in 2023, Hagipantelis pulled no punches.
“Not only do I not miss being chairman I regret taking on the role,” he said on SEN 1170 Breakfast.
“It was a mistake. There is no upside to the role. You have no real authority or power to effect change.”
Hagipantelis, who served as chairman from 2019 to 2023, said the position was largely symbolic, with true influence resting with the club's owners.
He claimed he often had to defend board positions he didn't support, due to the honorary nature of the role.
“You sit on a board of eight people and the real power is the owners. You are the figurehead, so you cop the hits and defend positions you don't necessarily agree with.”
He questioned why the role even exists if it carries no decision-making weight.
“I didn't even have a binding vote. I couldn't carry any more weight than anyone else. It's an honorary role. You can effect no change. So what's the point of it?”
The former chairman lamented the boardroom culture across rugby league more broadly, describing it as riddled with self-interest.
“In the confines of a board environment in rugby league there is so much self-interest. It was a mistake taking on the role. There was no upside for me, just downside.”
While he acknowledged the Tigers had shown some signs of improvement, Hagipantelis said real progress would only come with a clean break from legacy figures tied to the original 1999 merger between Western Suburbs and Balmain.
“There are some that are still there from the merger in 1999. They need to move on. They need fresh people and fresh ideas and adapt to a new reality.”
And in a final pointed remark, he confirmed the deep-seated factionalism between the two founding entities remains unresolved.
“The tensions between Western Magpies and Balmain Tigers continue to this day. The stories I could tell you.”
Wests Tigers currently sit 14th on the ladder with a 5–9 record and face Manly on Friday night.
I can believe every word of that.