When Lee Hagipantelis accepted the role of Wests Tigers chairman in 2019, he did so with hope and ambition.
But after four turbulent years at the helm, his recent comments on SEN’s Mornings with Vossy and Brandy reveal a man burdened with the reality of being the Wests Tigers chairman.
Hagipantelis stepped into the spotlight as chairman of one of the NRL’s most storied but struggling clubs.
On paper, it was an honorary role, high-profile, respected, and influential. However, the reality was far more complex.
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From the outset, Hagipantelis found himself navigating a fractured club environment.
Decision-making power resided not with the chairman or the board, but with the Holman Barnes Group, who owned the majority of the club.
“You sit on a board of eight people and the real authority and power vests in those who own the club – the Holman Barnes Group,” the former chairman said.
As the seasons rolled on, the Wests Tigers’ on-field form continued to decline. Coaches came and went. Fans grew restless.
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Internally, Hagipantelis felt shackled, obligated to front the media without the tools to enact meaningful change.
“You are the figurehead, so you have to go out and front the media all the time, cop the hits and defend positions that you don’t necessarily agree with, but those are the board’s decisions, so you’ve got to put a unified front forward.”
The hope starts to wind down and new feelings begin to creep in the mind of the former chairman, even revealing that in his opinion, the ‘Tales from Tiger Town’ four-part documentary became a “Michael Maguire biopic.”
Now that he’s the outside of the Tiger walls, Hagipantelis has a clearer view of what needs to happen if the club wants to rebuild.
“They need fresh blood in there and fresh ideas and adapt to a new reality,” Hagipantelis said.
“The Magpies play as the reserve grade team, and that shouldn’t be the case. That creates a division because if you drop from the Wests Tigers, you go and play for the Wests Magpies. It doesn’t make any sense,” he said.
After the end of the 2023 season, Hagipantelis and the rest of the Wests Tigers board were dismissed.
With the pressures of the role behind him, two years post dismissal, the honesty came out.
“I was asked a little while ago whether I missed being chairman of the Wests Tigers. My response was ‘not only do I not miss being chairman, I regret taking on the role’," he revealed.