Wests Tigers have appointed Matthew Betsey interim head of football as the struggling NRL club braces for the possibility its internal review may not be finalised until 2024.
Hired as head of pathways in 2021, Betsey is the back-to-back wooden spooners' first football boss since Tim Sheens vacated the role to become coach for 2023.
Sheens oversaw roster and recruitment decisions during his one-year coaching tenure but the club did not have a designated head of football in that time.
The new appointment comes after the Tigers board met on Monday night amid the independent review commissioned only weeks after their ill-fated 2023 season ended.
At that meeting club powerbrokers were informed findings from the review were not yet available and may not be until next year.
The review seeks to light a path up the ladder for the Tigers, who have not played finals since 2011 and have won only eight of 48 games across the last two years.
The Tigers will not appoint a full-time head of football until after the review's findings have been passed down.
Tigers premiership winner-turned Parramatta football boss Mark O'Neill has been linked to the role, as has former Wallabies coach Michael Cheika.
Betsey helped to secure the Tigers' NRLW licence in his previous portfolio and worked at Cricket Australia in coaching and development prior to that.
Australian Associated Press
