The Wests Tigers fan at the centre of the controversy surrounding a removed sign during Sunday's game against the Dolphins has revealed that the banner was removed and misplaced by security, NRL and club officials.
The sign, which read "End the Pascoe Fiasco", was draped over the grandstand at CommBank Stadium before being removed early in the game by security.
The fan, who only wishes to be known as AJ, told Zero Tackle exclusively that they even made an effort to sit in the north eastern corner of the ground to avoid disrupting the advertising, but that didn't stop security from asking for the banner, which was made on Friday night out of an old bed sheet and paint, to be taken down.
"On Friday night I fashioned the sign out of some paint and an old bedsheet," AJ says.
"Myself and my mates arrived at Commbank Stadium with the banner in hand. I decided to avoid interrupting the advertising, we would stick to the North Eastern corner of the ground.
"When we found our spot with about ten minutes to go until kick off, we unfurled our banner over the railing to a great deal of applause and thumbs up from fellow supporters.
"Within the first five minutes of the game we saw security approaching us, they came to speak to us and asked that we take down the banner. We politely complied, we had made our point and clearly ruffled a few feathers.
"The banner was folded up and moments later they returned to confiscate the banner."
AJ and his group with the banner were told by security that they had been directed to remove the banner by the NRL, rather than the Wests Tigers themselves having any involvement in the decision.
Informed that the banner would be available for collection after fulltime at the club's customer support desk, the fan was then told when she returned at the end of the game, that the banner was not available, and security could not be contacted as they worked through the Luke Brooks farewell.
The unfurling of the banner at what was the Tigers' final home game of the season before the club take on the Sydney Roosters and Manly Sea Eagles on the road over the final fortnight of the season came on after a week when the club confirmed they would change coaches yet again.
The two-year plan for Tim Sheens to hand over to Benji Marshall has officially been fast-tracked by the joint venture, with the Tigers well on their way to picking up a second straight wooden spoon despite the pre-season acquisitions of Apisai Koroisau, David Klemmer, John Bateman, and Isaiah Papali'i.
AJ said the banner idea had been toyed with for weeks, and that she believes the constant personnel turnover at the club is Justin Pascoe's way of keeping the pressure off himself, with the Tigers not having played finals since 2011, the longest-running drought in the competition.
"After the announcement mid-week that Tim Sheens had made the decision to step down a year earlier than scheduled, I was incensed. Another 5-year plan ditched 9 months in," AJ said.
"I truly feel Justin Pascoe thrives on this constant turnover in personnel as it serves as a diversion for his own culpability in the club's consistent mediocrity.
"I have toyed with the idea of a sign for some months, if not years now, but this week was the final straw."
The banner seems to sum up the view of many fans at the club, with the Wests Tigers Podcast earlier this year launching a petition for an external review of the inner workings of the joint venture.
That petition now has over 2000 signatures, with organisers confirming they have already had a meeting with executives at the club around the petition.
Set amidst the backdrop of a horror 2023 season for the Tigers, AJ admitted that she was surprised the sign was taken given St George Illawarra Dragons fans ran a similar campaign against former chairman Peter Doust for many years.
The famous "Oust Doust" sign that was a permanent fixture on the hill in both Wollongong and Kogarah for many years at Red V fixtures has been recently added to with signs calling for the exit of director of football Ben Haran, and recruitment manager Ian Milward, as well as another which reads "no faith in our board."
AJ said the sign being taken down - and then misplaced entirely - came as a great shock, especially given what Dragons supporters have been able to get away with.
It has been confirmed to Zero Tackle that there is a chance a new variant of the banner will return over the final two weeks of the season, explaining that there is always more paint, and more bed sheets.
The fans responsible for the banner also highlighted they would like to see more Tigers fans make their voice heard over the remaining two rounds.
NRL or Wests ? Either way, it’s a very petty reaction.
Must have hit a few raw nerves.