A fired-up Shane Richardson has taken aim at the NRL’s broadcast partner, Fox Sports, claiming the network’s coverage of Wests Tigers is riddled with “lies and innuendo”.
Speaking at a members’ function prior to Saturday’s 18-10 win over Gold Coast at Leichhardt Oval, the Tigers chief executive went on the offensive.
In a five-minute address, the Tigers boss hinted that teenaged five-eighth Lachlan Galvin was being manipulated to get out of the club by his manager.
But he saved his most pointed criticism for Fox Sports’ flagship NRL360 program and its sister newspapers for their coverage of the Tigers.
“Nobody is going to knock us off course because of nine losses or because of b******t in the paper,” Richardson said.
“Or the b******t on 360, nothing makes a difference to the way we think in planning for this club to be great again.
“When you get 360 deciding how to run your club, or 360 deciding how you recruit or 360 or the (Daily) Telegraph deciding how your club goes … that’s why we’ve won two wooden spoons (in a row).”
Richardson savaged NRL360 for criticising Danny Stapleton, a Tigers director who chairs the club’s recruitment committee.
Tigers boss Richardson has spent the last few weeks attempting to reshape the club's roster by offloading players to rival NRL clubs and Super League sides.
“I’ve come from the bottom with South Sydney, Cronulla, Hull FC in England and here, but I’ve never seen the (level of) vitriol delivered to us through Fox,” Richardson said.
“It’s based on absolute lies and innuendo.
“What they did last week with Danny Stapleton was nothing short of disgraceful, a terrible way of painting somebody who is defenceless.”
Richardson also reflected on the conjecture surrounding 18-year-old Galvin, who this week reaffirmed his commitment to the Tigers after his manager reportedly issued the club with multiple release requests.
The Tigers chief executive said he wanted the club’s hard-line stance over the teen to be a line in the sand.
“This club, for too long, has been driven by the press and managers - they decide who your coach and who your recruiter is - and it stopped this week,” Richardson said.
“Lachlan Galvin had no wish or want to leave this club, his parents are steeped in the culture of the Tigers.
"I can assure you once we got to the core of it all, there was no question mark about where Lachlan Galvin wants to play - and that’s here.”
