NRL could strip licence from Wests Tigers’ owners after fresh board ructions

The NRL may consider intervening and potentially stripping the Wests Tigers' licence from majority owner Holman Barnes Group following fresh governance turmoil. HBG chief executive Daniel Paton was stood down pending an investigation following an emergency board meeting. Paton was placed on leave after chairman Dennis Burgess arrived with a lawyer alleging undisclosed misconduct, prompting two directors to abstain from voting.

The ongoing dysfunction at HBG, which owns a 90 percent stake in the Tigers, follows years of boardroom instability and a 15-year finals drought. Friction within the organisation has also escalated over HBG's financial investments into soccer clubs, including the Central Coast Mariners and APIA Leichhardt FC.