With title-winning hero Benji Marshall at the helm, are the Wests Tigers poised to claw their way off the foot of the NRL ladder?
BENJI Marshall has already delivered the Wests Tigers their one and only premiership as a player. His next job is to repeat the dose as a coach.
In 2024, Marshall takes the clipboard off Tim Sheens — the mentor of that solitary 2005 triumph, before returning to the Tigers in 2023 to oversee Marshall’s brief apprenticeship.
Marshall was meant to occupy the Second-In-Command post under Sheens until 2025, but dismal results last season accelerated his promotion to the top job by 12 months.
In fact, Marshall took the reins late last year, despite Tim Sheens technically still holding the position. Many speculated that was the true arrangement much earlier in the campaign.
Now, though, Marshall has a monumental rebuild job all to himself.
The mercurial stand-off was known for his miracles on the field. He’ll need similar powers in the coaches’ box to drag his beloved club off the bottom of the table.
The Tigers are coming off back-to-back wooden spoons in 2022 and 2023, winning just eight games across those two arduous campaigns.
You could fill a book with all the off-field issues that have plagued the Wests Tigers over the 13 years since they last qualified for the finals.
But 2024 represents a clean slate for the embattled joint venture.
Besides the new coach, CEO Justin Pascoe resigned in December, making way for veteran administrator Shane Richardson, who enjoyed premiership success in charge of Penrith and South Sydney.
At the same time, an independent review into the club’s governance and culture ousted the entire board, with former New South Wales premier Barry O’Farrell replacing chairman Lee Hagipantelis.
While Pascoe and Hagipantelis had no shortage of critics — and the Tigers’ on-field results gave the knockers plenty of ammunition — they have left the club with a multi-million-dollar training facility and a promising new coach.
“I’ve been through trauma in the past at clubs but what I’ve learned is you can’t dwell on the past,” Richardson said upon his appointment.
“[Marshall] is enthusiastic. He wants to win. He wants to be a successful coach … My job is put everything around him to allow him to be successful because he’s the head coach.”
The Tigers have also been buoyed this off-season by the recruitment of three-time premiership winner Jarome Luai from the Penrith Panthers on a five-year deal from 2025.
While the NRL’s most polarising player will bring a healthy injection of self-confidence next year, Marshall is going to have to find some swagger from his new-look dressing room in 2024.
In comes veteran ex-Leeds and Huddersfield halfback Aidan Sezer (pictured), young St George-Illawarra playmaker Jayden Sullivan, dynamic Storm centre Justin Olam, rugby union convert Solomon Alaimalo, Queensland Cup graduate Solomona Faataape, plus exciting teenage brothers Samuela and Latu Fainu from Manly.
Just as significant are the names that have exited.
Perennial whipping boy Luke Brooks — the emblem of the Tigers’ decade of mediocrity — has departed to Manly.
He’s joined by fellow Sea Eagles recruits Tommy Talau, Brandon Wakeham and Aitasi James, plus Daine Laurie (Penrith) and Shawn Blore (Melbourne), while Joe Ofahengaue (Parramatta) and Ken Maumalo (Gold Coast) left mid-2023.
Wests also completed an ugly divorce with experienced winger David Nofoaluma in January, despite two years remaining on his contract. he has since joined British Super League side Salford Red Devils.]
When returns from injury are taken into account, around half of the Tigers’ first-choice 17 this year will be different to the line-up that limped to the finish line in 2023.
In other words, this is a huge opportunity for Marshall to stamp his authority.
The new coach hasn’t been shy to reshuffle his back-room staff, bringing in ex-Tiger John Morris and former Cowboy Aaron Payne.
Even Rabbitohs icon Greg Inglis has been spotted at training mentoring boom fullback Jahream Bula.
Marshall also adds a youthful energy to a beleaguered environment.
The 38-year-old only retired from playing in 2021 and is the youngest boss in the NRL this year. By contrast, Sheens is 73, which made him the competition’s second oldest boss (behind Wayne Bennett) in 2023.
“Although it might seem like a challenge, it’s an exciting one for me and it gives me a purpose,” Marshall said after his first week of pre-season.
“Every day I come to training excited to be here. When you go from 20 years of playing and you retire, you miss a lot of things about footy, so being involved again and being able to coach and teach the things I learned to a team, it doesn’t get much better than that.”
Despite carrying two straight wooden spoons into 2024, there’s plenty for Marshall to work with.
Wests’ spine contains two old heads in three-time premiership-winning hooker Api Koroisau and journeyman Sezer, alongside youngsters Sullivan and Bula, as well as Adam Doueihi returning from an ACL layoff.
The big men provide a good foundation, between internationals John Bateman, Isaiah Papali’i and David Klemmer and tyros Stefano Utoikamanu and Fonua Pole.
Plus, on top of Benji’s long list of new recruits, 19-year-old back Josh Feledy — who made his NRL debut in the final round of 2023 — and highly rated 18-year-old playmaker Lachie Galvin loom as future stars.
Optimism abounds for every club at this time of year. The true test will come when the rubber hits the road in Round 2, when the Tigers tackle the Raiders in Canberra for their season opener.
Marshall is refusing to set any expectations of a return to the finals for the first time since 2011, when he was wearing the number six.
But the merger’s long-suffering supporters will be happy with any improvement on consecutive last-place finishes.
“If anything, we want to restore some pride in our jersey, and give our fans and members a team that they’re proud to support,” Marshall said.
“Whatever it is, we compete on every play, we work hard and we train hard. If we do all those things, that goes a long way towards winning.
“I’m not going to talk about where we finish — top eight, top four — but what I will say, we’ll be a process-driven team, we’ll have a way we want to play, and if we can reach those outcomes every week, that’ll be a pass for us and we’ll see where that gets us.”
First published in Rugby League World magazine, Issue 494 (March 2024)
Click here to subscribe to the print edition of Rugby League World
