{"id":775646,"date":"2026-07-03T03:29:13","date_gmt":"2026-07-03T03:29:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/775646\/"},"modified":"2026-07-03T03:29:13","modified_gmt":"2026-07-03T03:29:13","slug":"nrl-2026-wests-tigers-appoint-shaun-mielekamp-as-permanent-chief-executive-officer-eye-leichhardt-oval-home-final","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/775646\/","title":{"rendered":"NRL 2026: Wests Tigers appoint Shaun Mielekamp as permanent chief executive officer, eye Leichhardt Oval home final"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Wests Tigers chief executive Shaun Mielekamp has had the \u201cinterim\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

After taking over from predecessor Shane Richardson in December<\/a> on an interim basis, Mielekamp\u2019s appointment to the position on a permanent basis was announced on Friday.<\/p>\n

\"ShaunShaun Mielekamp has been appointed full-time chief executive of Wests Tigers.Wolter Peeters<\/p>\n

The former CEO of A-League club Central Coast Mariners took the helm at a tumultuous time as the club was riven by factionalism.<\/p>\n

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<\/a>; key players Jahream Bula<\/a>, 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.<\/p>\n

The news of Mielekamp\u2019s full-time appointment was broken to the playing squad and staff on Friday morning.<\/p>\n

Mielekamp thanked the Tigers\u2019 majority owners, the Holman Barnes Group, for the opportunity to lead the club into the future.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a good time for the club, and to be acknowledged that we are on the right track is probably what this is,\u201d Mielekamp said.<\/p>\n

\"WestsWests Tigers are a chance to end their long finals drought. If they do, they could be playing at Leichhardt Oval.Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u201cThe most rewarding part, because this isn\u2019t just about me, it\u2019s really about the entire team here, [is] that we said we would remain stable and unified and stick to the plan. We\u2019ve done that and shown some good outcomes from that.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

However, the NRL now has the discretion to decide where all finals games are played<\/a>, to maximise revenue and ensure fans aren\u2019t turned away due to the limited capacities of some suburban grounds. Given Leichhardt Oval is scheduled for construction work, it was thought the Tigers\u2019 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 \u201cEighth wonder of the world\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis year, Leichhardt [would be our preference], yes,\u201d Mielekamp said.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur mission is winning, and if we\u2019re going to give ourselves the best chance to win, everyone knows our best chance to win is at Leichhardt here and now. We\u2019re not going to go to the finals to not give ourselves every chance to win.\u201d<\/p>\n

Asked if he would lobby the NRL, Mielekamp said: \u201cOf course. They\u2019ve got to do what\u2019s best for the game and I appreciate that bigger venues will attract more fans.<\/p>\n

Related Article\"Leichhardt<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cIt also depends on who the opposition is for us. But we\u2019re not talking finals yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Tigers go into Saturday\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a key match in the season,\u201d Mielekamp said. \u201cWe\u2019ve definitely done a callout to the fans to play their part.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mielekamp claimed the club, which has previously been riven by factionalism, is the most unified it has been.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve taken tough defeats, but the club has not done what it\u2019s done previously and started to eat itself alive, which is a good indicator of where we\u2019re headed,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere hasn\u2019t been any infighting, there hasn\u2019t been a witch hunt or anything like that. It\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

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