Wests Tigers chairwoman Marina Go has opened up about the decision to offer captain Robbie Farah a release, saying it was time to put the club first to ensure it built a winning culture.
Farah is contracted to the joint-venture club for the next two seasons, eating up the best part of $2 million under the salary cap during that period. However, the Blues hooker has been told he is free to explore his options and that he will likely finish his career in the NSW Cup if he can't find a new home.
Go said Jason Taylor was given a mandate to build a strong culture when he was appointed coach and the board needed to back his decision to make the necessary changes, even if they were unpopular ones. "What we've been trying to do for the past year is rebuild a club around a winning culture because culture drives performance," Go said.
"It's not just this year that the club hasn't performed, we haven't performed for many years, so something has to change. We believe very strongly that we don't have a strong enough culture and the best sports teams in the world have strong cultures.
"In our strategic pillar we have [spoken of the need] to unite, it's in our plan and it's what was put to our coach when he joined us. We said 'we want you to build a united culture around a team that can win'. The result of that is things have played out this year. It's important we put the club first. We need to make decisions around the club and sometimes it's not easy and doesn't please anyone, but we're doing it because our members demand better performance from us, and so they should.
"We need to rebuild our club around a winning culture."
Asked if Farah didn't fit the culture the club was trying to foster, Go said: "Taking a big-picture view of the team and looking at where the opportunities are to increase the unity, spirit of the team and the culture, a decision has been made about what needs to happen next.
"As a result, we've informed Robbie we are giving him permission to speak to other people. We're not kicking him out, we've basically said 'based on what we want to achieve next year, we're happy for you to explore other options'. You'd have to say in the scheme of the big picture and what we need to build for the future, there's a sentiment that no, he doesn't."
Farah's management was told of the club's stance after the final State of Origin game, although the 31-year-old only learned of the decision during the week. The timing has left him with few options, as most clubs won't be able to afford a representative player, even if the wage is heavily subsidised by the Tigers.
It's understood Canberra have expressed interest and could be prepared to spend up to $250,000 per season, although that may not be enough to shift him to the nation's capital. South Sydney have denied interest but continue to be linked to Farah due to the departure of hooker Issac Luke and the fact Farah's brother, Eddie, is the Rabbitohs' physiotherapist.
The stumbling block could be that Cameron McInnes rejected offers to stay at Redfern after being promised first crack at the No.9 jersey next year. There is some interest from England, including Super League powerhouse Leeds, although Farah's preference is to remain in Australia. NSW coach Laurie Daley has revealed he has no qualms about selecting Farah even if the Tigers make good on their promise to dump him to the NSW Cup.
"We're not kicking Robbie out and if he is with the club next year, we won't disrespect him," Go said.
"He's an important part of the club. These things happen all the time. My youngest son put his arm around me and said 'I remember when Wayne Bennett got rid of Wally Lewis'. These things are done not for personal reasons but because the club is put first.
"Our members, quite rightly, want us to be performing and winning in the future. Sometimes you need to make difficult decisions to achieve future positive outcomes. It won't be easy, we know that. We're committed to building a stronger culture that translates to be better performance on field."
