Wests Tigers boss slams his own fans after shocking report of disgraceful behaviour at Sharks game: ‘It’s just wrong on every level’

Wests Tigers boss Shane Richardson has condemned poor recent behaviour from footy fans at Leichhardt Oval, but believes it is fuelled by the shabby state of the facilities.

There were incredible scenes at the suburban ground as the Tigers defeated the Sharks 32-6 to give former premiership winning player Benji Marshall his first win since taking over as coach. 

But journalist Eliza Barr shone a light on the dark side of the 16,000-strong crowd, saying she was disgusted by some of the language and songs she heard.

‘I’m on the hill at Leichhardt Oval right now and the disgusting, misogynistic, violent and offensive language we are being subjected to by a specific handful of male Tigers fans right now is so reprehensible and vile I can’t tell you,’ she posted on social media platform X.

When pressed on which specific fans were making the comments, Barr replied: ‘The people around us, which included more Tigers supporters than Sharks (some with kids in tow) who were also visibly uncomfortable with it’.

Richardson said the anti-social behaviour has to go – but it is influenced by the state of Leichhardt Oval.

‘We want to encourage families, kids and wives to come here, we need better toilet facilities, we want to encourage correct RSA management, we want to encourage corporates to be involved with the club,’ he said.

‘Our team did a great job on Saturday night but you can’t control this environment the way the ground is.

‘For all the good things the journalists are writing about it [in The Daily Telegraph], I’ll show you some things from the same paper, some of their staff sat on the hill on Saturday night and [the behaviour they described] is just wrong on every level.

‘We need to fix it and one of the ways we do that is by not playing games here.’

Richardson and Inner West Council Mayor Darcy Byrne went on the offensive on Monday, pleading with NSW Premier Chris Minns to redirect a 10 per cent slice of funding allocated to Penrith’s $309 million face-lift.

Penrith are set to begin revamping Panthers Stadium next season.

But Byrne said the ‘Eighth Wonder of the World’, which has hosted A-League, NRL and acted as a training venue at last year’s Women’s World Cup, was in desperate need of an upgrade.

‘Leichhardt Oval hasn’t received any funding from the state government since Benji Marshall was in nappies,’ Byrne said.

‘There’s no good reason Penrith’s stadium should have gold-plated urinals, while famous Leichhardt Oval is forced to close through neglect.’

As it stands Leichhardt is unable to host men’s and women’s double-headers in the NRL because there are an insufficient change rooms.

There are often long queues for refreshments, while corporate and media facilities are well behind other venues across Sydney.

Richardson loves the charm of a ‘warm beer and a cold pie’ at the iconic venue, but said that, in its current guise, the stadium was not fit for purpose.

The Tigers currently split their games 5-5 between Campbelltown and Leichhardt, where they opened their home season on Saturday and roared to a 32-6 win over Cronulla in front of 15,990 spectators.

But Richardson warned that if they didn’t get the promise of an upgrade in the next three months they could vacate the venue altogether.

‘We’ll be making that decision over the next 60 to 90 days,’ he said.

‘I’ve told our different stakeholders, but we’ll make a decision that is best for the club.

‘It’s a great rugby league ground, but it’s decayed.’