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Wests Tigers chief executive Shaun Mielekamp has had the “interim” tag taken out of his title, and one of his first acts in charge will be to lobby for the club to make an unexpected return to Leichhardt Oval this season if they host a home final.
After taking over from predecessor Shane Richardson in December on an interim basis, Mielekamp’s appointment to the position on a permanent basis was announced on Friday.
The former CEO of A-League club Central Coast Mariners took the helm at a tumultuous time as the club was riven by factionalism.
But Mielekamp has presided over a period of relative stability: the stakeholders in charge of the Tigers are on the same page; head coach Benji Marshall has extended his contract; key players Jahream Bula, Taylan May, Terrell May, Adam Doueihi, Sione Fainu, Sunia Turuva and Heamasi Makasini have recommitted; and the team is a chance of breaking a finals drought that stretches back to 2011.
The news of Mielekamp’s full-time appointment was broken to the playing squad and staff on Friday morning.
Mielekamp thanked the Tigers’ majority owners, the Holman Barnes Group, for the opportunity to lead the club into the future.
“It is a good time for the club, and to be acknowledged that we are on the right track is probably what this is,” Mielekamp said.
“The most rewarding part, because this isn’t just about me, it’s really about the entire team here, [is] that we said we would remain stable and unified and stick to the plan. We’ve done that and shown some good outcomes from that.”
The Tigers remain a chance of breaking their finals drought if they finish the season strongly. In previous years, teams finishing first, second, fifth and sixth on the ladder would earn home-ground advantage for the opening weekend of the finals and nominate where the fixture is held.
However, the NRL now has the discretion to decide where all finals games are played, to maximise revenue and ensure fans aren’t turned away due to the limited capacities of some suburban grounds. Given Leichhardt Oval is scheduled for construction work, it was thought the Tigers’ round 15 victory over the Gold Coast would be the last match staged at the venue until 2028. However, if the Tigers earn hosting rights in week one of the finals, they will be pushing to play at the iconic ground that is known as the “Eighth wonder of the world”.
“This year, Leichhardt [would be our preference], yes,” Mielekamp said.
“Our mission is winning, and if we’re going to give ourselves the best chance to win, everyone knows our best chance to win is at Leichhardt here and now. We’re not going to go to the finals to not give ourselves every chance to win.”
Asked if he would lobby the NRL, Mielekamp said: “Of course. They’ve got to do what’s best for the game and I appreciate that bigger venues will attract more fans.
“It also depends on who the opposition is for us. But we’re not talking finals yet.”
The Tigers go into Saturday’s clash with St George Illawarra at Kogarah with a 7-8 record, needing a win to remain in the mix for a breakthrough finals berth.
“This is a key match in the season,” Mielekamp said. “We’ve definitely done a callout to the fans to play their part.”
Mielekamp claimed the club, which has previously been riven by factionalism, is the most unified it has been.
“We’ve taken tough defeats, but the club has not done what it’s done previously and started to eat itself alive, which is a good indicator of where we’re headed,” he said.
“There hasn’t been any infighting, there hasn’t been a witch hunt or anything like that. It’s been, OK, how do we improve and make sure we focus on the next one and take a step forward? If we keep that mentality as a club and that real relentless determination for on-field success and performance, then we will get there.”
