Not Eels related but thought this was really interesting.
A SHOCKING culture of fear, bullying and harassment is threatening to rip the Wests Tigers apart.
A damning report on the Club alleges at least two NRL players have considered committing suicide, while others spoke of being bullied to the point of tears.
The Sunday Telegraph can reveal the NRL club has been accused of having a “total lack of concern for player welfare’’ in a bombshell welfare report conducted by the Rugby League Players Association (RLPA).
The scathing report was conducted by the RLPA last year after several Tigers players alerted the organisation about their “major concerns about player welfare and wellbeing’’ at the club.
The eight page document obtained by the Sunday Telegraph contains a series of scathing comments from unidentified players.
The report is scathing regarding the club’s treatment of players.One player made the alarming claim that some of his teammates were “thinking about ending it’’ and another accused the club of failing to improve player welfare after the suicide death of prop Mosese Fotuiaka in 2013.
“Having already had a player take their own life at this club I am scared it will happen again,’’ said one of the players surveyed by the RLPA.
“This club hasn’t learned anything from what happened with Mosese. To be honest I think it has gotten worse. I know two players this year (2015) who have thought about suicide. The thought of it makes me sick.’’
The Wests Tigers this week confirmed the authenticity of the report and admitted to having obtained the damning document in which players claim to being bullied by club staff.
“Players are bullied to the point that after the game on of the boys was in tears,’’ an unnamed player said in the report.
Mosese Fotuaika, with partner Shanice Alaiasa. The Tigers player committed suicide in February 2013“Injured players are ignored by senior coaching staff and some boys fear getting injured because they think they will never make it back into first grade,” the player said.
“If boys have off-field issues they are treated like shit. And get this the head coach doesn’t speak to players for weeks at time.’’
The document also alleges the Tigers ignored the welfare of former captain Robbie Farah, who left the club this year after a widely reported feud with coach Jason Taylor.
The opening page of the report — titled notes — alleges the Tigers were only concerned about the club’s image during the long running feud between the captain and coach that finally ended when Farah quit his contract with Wests to join South Sydney.
“The situation with Robbie Farah and the meeting I attended highlighted a total lack of concern for player welfare issues from the Club,’’ the report states.
The bitter feud between Taylor and Farah ended when the former skipper left the club.“From the Chairwomen down it seemed the club had no real issue with the way Robbie’s situation was affecting him personally, however the Chairwomen noted that having this played out in public was affecting the clubs image. It was evident Robbie had note been afforded any welfare support from the club.’’
The report was written in October 2015 by a former RLPA welfare officer after the annual RLPA “State of Play’’ survey contained alarming remarks about the culture at the Wests Tigers.
“Players told me about their teammates contemplating self harm,’’ wrote the former RLPA employee.
“Others have lost confidence and self esteem.’’
The nature of the comments made by several players in the survey prompted the RLPA to write the scathing report.
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“Normally such a paper would not be provided,’’ continued the author.
“However issues relating to player welfare and wellbeing are of a serious nature, the welfare department at the RLPA has documented all issues so that a plan to improve can be developed.
The report raised serious concerns about the treatment of injured players.
“I was injured this year,’’ said a player.
The report details other players could take their own lives like Fotuiaka.“And for the weeks that I was out and in rehab the head coach never contacted me once. He totally ignored me and when I was fit to play he had a go at me for not putting the team first by being lazy in my rehab.’’
Several players also made scathing comments about Taylor, who was sacked by his former club South Sydney for a “Mad Monday’’ altercation with forward David Fa’alogo
“If I stayed at the club for one more season with JT as coach I would have bashed him like David Fa’alogo did,’’ said a former player.
“Or I would have done something to myself.’’
Tigers CEO Justin Pascoe yesterday declined to comment on the report, while the NRL said they had not received a copy of the document.
The report was scathing towards coach Jason Taylor.“We have not seen that report as it was prepared specifically for the club,” an NRL spokesman said.
NRL CEO Todd Greenberg said the NRL’s welfare department had done a lot of work with the Wests Tigers in the 12 months since the report was compiled.
“Naturally, if we can provide any further support to players or the club we will do so,” Mr Greenberg said.
The Tigers issued a media release on Friday announcing the club’s appointment of former player Dene Halatua to a welfare role.
The release came just hours after the club learned the Sunday Telegraph intended to publish the report.
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Replies
The NRL response to this is interesting given that they had directors on the board. Given Robbie Farrahs well documented issues with the club and previous coaches it is hard to feel sympathy for him and his lack of welfare assistance.
Robbie put contract money above his own welfare.
We dodged a bullet BIG TIME.
one of he few good decisions made by Sharp was not allowing that drop kick Jason Taylor near our club again. Cant imagine where our club would be with him as head coach.
Cmon people where's that vote blog?
Thank fek Steve Sharp did one thing right.
Mate, I thought the two could have worked together, BA as head wit JT as assistant. Did not think JT would come as assistant though. I based my thoughts on the fact that both of them had done ok as stand in coaches at the eels, both being basically youngish and worth a go.
Hindsight as a partner glad we got BA and missed out on JT, Alphabets show the lead.
PS, who is the journo who has published this article?
Tigers response
Wests Tigers would like to respond to an inaccurate and misleading article published in today’s The Sunday Telegraph.
While The Sunday Telegraph’s article attempts to discredit Wests Tigers the Club was actually ranked second in the NRL for its wellbeing program for the 2016 season.
Central to the article is a confidential report undertaken by the Rugby League Player’s Association that is now more than 12 months old.
The article takes aim at Wests Tigers’ treatment of players, using selected examples from unnamed players from the Club’s 2015 squad.
The Sunday Telegraph obtained a small portion of this confidential report and has decided to publish these unsubstantiated, and unconfirmed, claims. The excerpts published by The Sunday Telegraph are a small portion of a much larger report undertaken by the RLPA, with these reports done on every NRL Club at the completion of each season, with both of these facts conveniently left out of the article.
Wests Tigers are incredibly disappointed that these limited excerpts have been provided to the media, with the publishing of such a selected section of the report damaging to the Club.
The article attempts to show that these selected excerpts from a 2015 report is representative of the current climate at Wests Tigers, which could not be further from the truth. A 2016 report has been commissioned by Wests Tigers with 100% of the playing group agreeing that the Club’s welfare support has been a great support to them.
Making the publishing of these excerpts even more misleading is the fact that the Club was ranked second in the NRL for its wellbeing program for the 2016 season.
Wests Tigers takes the welfare of its players, coaches and staff very seriously and is working hard to ensure that the Club provides the best support in the NRL.
In the last year Wests Tigers has significantly bolstered its support services, with former player Paul Whatuira joining the Club as Wellbeing and Education Officer.
The Club also recently announced that Life Member Dene Halatau had taken on the role of Culture and Leadership Coordinator.
The Club has been working with Halatau for the last six months to ensure he was in a position to move seamlessly into the role once his playing career had finished and look forward to having the 249 game veteran with Wests Tigers for many years to come.
The Sunday Telegraph claimed that Wests Tigers announced the appointment of Halatau on Friday just hours after learning that this article would be published. The release was in fact issued on Friday due to the Club just receiving the news that it had been ranked second in the NRL for welfare in 2016, with Halatau actually starting his role last Wednesday.
Due to the defamatory nature of The Sunday Telegraph’s article Wests Tigers will be considering its legal options.
http://www.weststigers.com.au/news/2016/11/06/wests_tigers_stateme....
"A 2016 report has been commissioned by Wests Tigers with 100% of the playing group agreeing that the Club’s welfare support has been a great support to them."
I can imagine one of the coaching staff just walking around the dressing room asking individual players "Are you happy with our wellfare program?" and if they even hesitate they have to run laps of their training facility.
Sounds like Farrah and Co is behind this report.
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