Wests Tigers chairman Lee Hagipantelis has defended the club’s decision to sign Scott Fulton as the club’s head of recruitment without consulting NRL coach Tim Sheens and his assistant Benji Marshall.
The Tigers last week secured the services of Bob Fulton’s son, a long-time talent scout at Manly, to join the club immediately.
The decision came as a surprise to Sheens and his right-hand man, Warren McDonnell, whose role in recruitment at the club has now been diluted.
Hagipantelis said the board, alongside chief executive Justin Pascoe, were responsible for negotiations and didn’t feel they had an obligation to keep the coach, or McDonnell, in the loop with their plans for the club.
“The decision was made in the best interest of the Wests Tigers,” Hagipantelis said. “An opportunity presented itself to the board. The board dealt with it quickly, undertaking all necessary due diligence. There was of course a great deal of commercial sensitivity given the gentleman involved was employed by another club, and we were very respectful of that.
“The decision was taken to deal with the matter at board level with our CEO. We acted promptly and in the best interest of the club. This is another resource which we’ve added to our football department and we’re very excited to welcome Scott to the Wests Tigers.”
Fulton will take over the recruitment of the NRL squad, while McDonnell has been told he will now focus on junior pathways.
The decision to pursue Fulton came after the club missed out on signing Parramatta’s Mitchell Moses after a widely publicised pursuit of the halfback.
Tim Sheens’ joy at the Tigers’ first win of the season was tempered by the news the club’s board had employed a new recruitment boss without his knowledge.Credit: Getty
McDonnell had asked to negotiate on his own with Moses’ agent Isaac Moses given his relationship with the player-manager and his preference to keep discussions confidential.
The Tigers board granted McDonnell his request but were disappointed with the outcome of the negotiations. An offer was never taken back to the board for approval, leaving Tigers powerbrokers concerned the club had been used as leverage for Moses to extract more money out of Parramatta.
Tigers chief executive Justin Pascoe has twice previously moved on McDonnell from the club.
He returned to the club at the end of 2021 when Sheens made it a prerequisite for him accepting the job as the Tigers’ director of rugby league, with an ultimatum that forced the club to move on highly regarded former general manager Adam Hartigan.
Hartigan has since been employed by Bulldogs general manager Phil Gould to work alongside Cameron Ciraldo and the club’s recruitment staff.
Tigers sources, speaking on the condition of anonymity due to the delicate nature of the situation, say that Sheens’ nose has been put out of joint by Fulton’s appointment but Hagipanetlis said he did not envisage any tension as a result of the club’s decisions.
“I do not anticipate there will be any concerns or issues with what is a wonderful addition to our football department despite the efforts of some to suggest that there may be,” Hagipantelis said.
“Everyone that is employed by the Wests Tigers is employed for the sole purpose of furthering the interest of the Wests Tigers only. This was not a situation of our making in that the opportunity was presented to the board.
“The board fully explored the opportunity and made the decision that the engagement of Scott would be in the best interest of the Wests Tigers. He’s employed in addition to our current resources and we think he will greatly benefit our recruitment program.”
Fulton had been in talks with the Dragons about joining the embattled club, which risks missing the finals for the fifth successive year.
But with the club yet to decide on who will be their coach beyond this season, the negotiations with Fulton never reached the pointy end. He became increasingly frustrated and was open to other opportunities.
That was when the Tigers pounced. It was only last week the board floated the prospect of luring Fulton to Concord, and within days the agreement had been brokered.
The Tigers recognise the speed with which Fulton closes out player deals, and were impressed at the ease in which their own negotiations with him progressed.
“The board and I acted swiftly when the opportunity was presented to us and we believe the appointment of Scott Fulton will be a great addition to the club and the current football program,” Tigers chief executive Justin Pascoe said.
