Wests Tigers trying to lure $400m car baron Neville Crichton

[momo_amp_medo]

New Zealand businessman Neville Crichton, a New Zealand car tycoon worth $400 million, is ready to rescue Wests Tigers’ financial concerns and guide the club to rugby league’s promised land.

The Daily Telegraph can reveal the Tigers have been working for the past three months to convince Crichton to join the club as a key sponsor and business associate.


Crichton, 74, is close friends with Balmain legend Ben Elias.

Tigers chief executive Justin Pascoe has confirmed the club’s interest in luring former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s next-door neighbour at Point Piper to Concord.

A passionate All Blacks rugby union fan, Crichton enjoys a strong friendship with Politis, who also made his $1.5 billion wealth through cars.

“Neville could be Wests Tigers’ new Nick Politis,” Elias said. “I’m trying to woo him from the All Blacks to Wests Tigers.”

A meeting between Pascoe, Elias and Crichton was postponed last week and rescheduled for the first week of November.

Rich lists value Crichton’s worth at $400 million, although other business analysts estimate his wealth could be close to $2 billion.

Wests Tigers already boast a high-profile network of businessmen and supporters including Lee Hagipantelis, principal of Brydens Lawyers, billionaire real estate developer Harry Triguboff, former NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell — who is club chairman — and John Coates, well-known lawyer and administrator.

Crichton has run and developed major automotive and property companies while also being a world class yachtsman who skippered a Sydney to Hobart win and a motor racing driver who competed at Bathurst in 1986.

His amazing wealth came through founding the Ateco Group, which imports highbrow car brands including Suzuki, Audi, Volkswagen, Citroen, Alfa Romeo, Kia, Fiat, Ferrari and Maserati.

 

[OzLuke]

hmmmm....benny elias cohort raises a red flag for me......

 

[mike]

hmmmm....benny elias cohort raises a red flag for me......

Me too, said so in a sister thread. Very sus.

 

[tony soprano]

hmmmm....benny elias cohort raises a red flag for me......

Me too, said so in a sister thread. Very sus.

You lot would knock back JC himself.

 

[OzLuke]

hmmmm....benny elias cohort raises a red flag for me......

Me too, said so in a sister thread. Very sus.

You lot would knock back JC himself.

not if he was a ball playing front rower who made good meters on a hit up

 

[tig_prmz]

and the title for longest thread name goes to... :laughing:

 

[mike]

hmmmm....benny elias cohort raises a red flag for me......

Me too, said so in a sister thread. Very sus.

You lot would knock back JC himself.

Would you trust anyone in business associated with Elias?

 

[Russell]

Let's hope he doesn't do to WT/ALC what he did to BLC.

Wouldn't trust him as far as I could throw him and that ain't very far. He's just a crook.

 

[WT2K]

Any chance we can get the two topics merged, if there's a mod around.

 

[OzLuke]

hmmmm....benny elias cohort raises a red flag for me......

Me too, said so in a sister thread. Very sus.

You lot would knock back JC himself.

Would you trust anyone in business associated with Elias?

I'd have more faith in John Elias to be honest......

 

[tigerap]

hmmmm....benny elias cohort raises a red flag for me......

Me too, said so in a sister thread. Very sus.

You lot would knock back JC himself.

Would you trust anyone in business associated with Elias?

I'd have more faith in John Elias to be honest......

I think he is still in Jail

 

[tigerap]

hmmmm....benny elias cohort raises a red flag for me......

Me too, said so in a sister thread. Very sus.

You lot would knock back JC himself.

Insert “A” between the letters and I’ll take him

 

[OzLuke]

hmmmm....benny elias cohort raises a red flag for me......

Me too, said so in a sister thread. Very sus.

You lot would knock back JC himself.

Would you trust anyone in business associated with Elias?

I'd have more faith in John Elias to be honest......


I think he is still in Jail

he's not

 

[Tiger_Steve]

hmmmm....benny elias cohort raises a red flag for me......

Me too, said so in a sister thread. Very sus.

You lot would knock back JC himself.

Cue Abraham

 

[Bathursttiger2]

hmmmm....benny elias cohort raises a red flag for me......

Me too, said so in a sister thread. Very sus.

You lot would knock back JC himself.

Would you trust anyone in business associated with Elias?

I'd have more faith in John Elias to be honest......


I think he is still in Jail

Most probably where the other one should be too.

 

[Curly_Tiger]

The company a man keeps tells you a lot about his character
If Benny isn’t enough of an alarm bell check out the crew that attended his wedding to his 30 something year old bride
No way for mine and as a club surely the door should be closed to the door especially in terms of non football advice after the Balmain Leagues Club debacle

 

[avocadoontoast]

Wests Tigers fans:
this comp is rigged, we can’t compete with the rich clubs.

Article:
Wests Tigers trying to lure bloke worth $400m to provide financial support to club to compete with the rich clubs.

Wests Tigers fans:
No thanks.

LOL

 

[Mighty_Tiger]

Some funny comments here. If a serious backer was willing to join why would we knock him back?

Lets think about it
- we have the worst facilities in the comp because we have no money
- we play out of 4 home venues because we have no money
- we are tender hooks with the COE provided the gov doesn’t backflip (which happens alot) with no plan B because we have no money
- we cannot bring any top talent because we pay overs for c grade wanna be stars because we have no one that has a network to give incentives or give money to secure the things above
- we complain the club lacks professionalism and its culture hasn’t changed for over a decade
- we have no stability outside of coming 9th every year
- no major financial backer is here to make money off an nrl club


Seriously.... if someone is willing to come here and invest serious cash which is something that has never happened then we should all be rolling out the red carpet and getting him to sign the dotted line.

If you want to be successful then we need cash and a serious culture shift in the organisation.

 

[Spud_Murphy]

Some funny comments here. If a serious backer was willing to join why would we knock him back?

Lets think about it
- we have the worst facilities in the comp because we have no money
- we play out of 4 home venues because we have no money
- we are tender hooks with the COE provided the gov doesn’t backflip (which happens alot) with no plan B because we have no money
- we cannot bring any top talent because we pay overs for c grade wanna be stars because we have no one that has a network to give incentives or give money to secure the things above
- we complain the club lacks professionalism and its culture hasn’t changed for over a decade
- we have no stability outside of coming 9th every year
- no major financial backer is here to make money off an nrl club


Seriously.... if someone is willing to come here and invest serious cash which is something that has never happened then we should all be rolling out the red carpet and getting him to sign the dotted line.

If you want to be successful then we need cash and a serious culture shift in the organisation.

I still don’t understand why Harry couldn’t have stepped in and helped us out with some of those issues there on your list. He has more money than Crichton & Politis put together and is supposedly our No 1 fan. I just don’t get his reluctance to help out, while we have been struggling like a fish out of water for years now - maybe someone could explain it to me.

 

[fibrodreaming]

I just don’t get his reluctance to help out, while we have been struggling like a fish out of water for years now - maybe someone could explain it to me.

I get the impression that Harry stepped back when Balmain went broke. Happy to be contradicted.