$8650 a week to do nothing PHIL ROTHFIELD SPORTS EDITOR-AT-LARGE The Daily Telegraph (Sydney) 1 August 2013 ON the 15th day of every month, Australia’s Test coach Tim Sheens gets paid $37,500 for doing nothing. Ten months after his sacking from the Wests Tigers, the club is still paying for his services. That’s $8650 a week to play golf, drink coffee, read a book, watch the footy or whatever else takes his fancy. He hasn’t turned up for work since his dismissal last October. Not once. His contract runs until the end of next year and is worth $450,000-a-season. On top of this, Sheens gets paid more than $100,000 a year as coach of Australia’s Kangaroos. It’s not a bad gig if you can get it. The Daily Telegraph understands the board of the Wests Tigers made a decision in early July to stop paying the former coach. At this stage he has not been paid for July. Lawyers for Sheens and the Wests Tigers have been trying to negotiate a payout all year. Again they appear to be getting close but Sheens is refusing to go — or even budge — without most of his money which is estimated to be another $600,000. Sheens said yesterday he was entitled to be standing his ground. ‘‘ I’m not enjoying it — I’d rather be coaching and I’m still hopeful of getting another job in the NRL,’’ he said. ‘‘ I don’t want this to finish up in court and the lawyers are trying to reach an agreement.’’ It couldn’t be happening at a worse time for a club that is already under financial stress. They are now paying for two first-grade coaches — Sheens and Mick Potter, who is understood to be on about half of the Test coach’s salary. Tigers officials and supporters are furious about the money being wasted. ‘‘ Imagine what we could do in junior development and marketing with $37,500 every month,’’ said one insider. ‘‘ It’s disgraceful that this has dragged on for so long. No club in the game can afford to be paying two head coaches.’’ When he was first sacked, there was talk of Sheens taking on a ‘‘ senior role’’ at the club. It never eventuated and he hasn’t stepped foot into the office since. Wests Tigers CEO Grant Mayer was reluctant to comment when approached by The Daily Telegraph last night. ‘‘ It’s ongoing, the lawyers are talking at the moment and we’re hoping to have it cleared up as soon as possible,’’ he said. ‘‘ His July payment is part of those talks.’’ Sheens has coached 669 first-grade games and won four premierships, three at the Canberra Raiders and one at the Tigers in 2005. Copyright Daily Telegraph & Sunday Telegraph
Posted on: Thu, 01 Aug 2013 12:58:47 +0000