Official: Three Life Members to lead coaching succession plan

At first I thought Sheen's should take over now but I can understand why Sheen's won't take over straight away as he is going to be flat out getting everything ready.
IMO his biggest task is adding another 2-4 top players to this team who can help lead all this younger players until they are ready.. They need leaders on the field with them so if he can nail some more signings I can see this going very well but this needs to happen.

If we can offload Liddle, Gildart, Peachey & Tuki S that would be a excellent start and opens up some spots and salary..
 
hsvjones said:
At first I thought Sheen's should take over now but I can understand why Sheen's won't take over straight away as he is going to be flat out getting everything ready.
IMO his biggest task is adding another 2-4 top players to this team who can help lead all this younger players until they are ready.. They need leaders on the field with them so if he can nail some more signings I can see this going very well but this needs to happen.

If we can offload Liddle, Gildart, Peachey & Tuki S that would be a excellent start and opens up some spots and salary..
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I think Liddle and Gildart are as good as gone. Might be tough moving Peachey on, terrible signing.
 
TigerSJ said:
Once Ciraldo knocked us back and we had to settle for someone who wasn’t our first choice - it was never going to work.
There is a lot to like about this solution and you have to agree that there are no two people with more Tigers DNA than Benji and Robbie- so let’s get behind it and hang on for the ride.
Isn’t being a Tigers diehard just full of surprises!!
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We need some passion and culture in this place. SOO is a completely different arena and you are coaching the top echalon but look at what Slater has done with QLD. Green has so much more coaching experience (but the players didn't buy into his culture) than Slater but look at what a change in culture, spirit and passion has done for QLD. We need a culture change badly and I believe we can achieve this with Sheens, Marshall and Farah at the helm. CC is an unproven gamble as a coach for 5 years and is just as likely to end up like Barrett within a club like WTs. He knows it and that's why he's waiting for a gig at somewhere like Melbourne or Souths where the influence of attracting a talented roster has already been done for him. I'm good with the decision based on the current status of the club.
 
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hsvjones said:
At first I thought Sheen's should take over now but I can understand why Sheen's won't take over straight away as he is going to be flat out getting everything ready.
IMO his biggest task is adding another 2-4 top players to this team who can help lead all this younger players until they are ready.. They need leaders on the field with them so if he can nail some more signings I can see this going very well but this needs to happen.

If we can offload Liddle, Gildart, Peachey & Tuki S that would be a excellent start and opens up some spots and salary..
Click to expand...
By the sounds of it, the systems and structures in place will be changing drastically too. Best time to implement major changes like that for the players will be in the pre season when he takes over.
 
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tigre said:
Tim Sheens speaks exclusively to Phil Rothfield about the Benji Marshall coaching deal

Q: Why Benji?

A: We caught up for breakfast a couple of weeks ago at Concord. A cafe called Organica. He’d made it known to Justin Pascoe that he was keen to coach at some stage. We had a long chat. He was all in and prepared to give up everything else.

Q: Some see it as a publicity stunt. A big name to take some pressure off the administration.

A: Oh please. You really think that. It’s an insult to Benji and everyone else in our organisation. He is going to work his backside off to make this work. He’s always worked hard and that’s why he’s been successful. We genuinely think that in two years time he’ll be ready and that he’s the best option. Let’s see what the critics want to say then. Just give him a chance.


Q: Does he fully understand what he’s getting into?

A: Players sometimes don’t understand. They come to training, everything has been prepared for them, they do their work and then go home. That’s their day. The coaching staff works much longer hours. It can be a 24/7 job. Now and again you sneak in a day off. I wanted Benji to know exactly what he’s walking into. We spoke about his young family. All of that.

Q: Were you surprised he wanted to coach so soon after retiring?

A: I got the impression that while he was grateful to have all the media work, he wasn’t getting the satisfaction that he really wanted out of it. He wanted to be a coach.

Q: You obviously think he’ll make it?

A: I’m very confident he’ll make the transition. He’s got a couple of years. There will be some heavy schooling. He’s very intelligent, as is Robbie Farah. They’ll work off each other. Benji has had a long career in the spine and has a great knowledge of the game.

Q: You’ve had a bit to do with a few handy coaches. You gave Craig Bellamy his first coaching job, you coached Ricky Stuart, and more recently Todd Payten.

A: Toddy was a halfback in a front-rower’s body. I haven’t made any of them great coaches. I recognised they had potential. They’ve forged their own successful careers. It’s more than just knowing the game. They were destined to be good coaches.

Your demeanour, your personality, your presence, your ability to cope with pressure, the media, the highs and lows, and the challenges of making family sacrifices. Even at home your head can be stuck in football. If you’re going well, there’s pressure to keep it going. If you’re going bad, there’s pressure to fix it. The more I discussed all this with Benji, the more excited he got.

Q: It still can be seen as a gamble.

A: Benji has that special ability to be able to communicate with all the age groups from senior players to kids in the pathway systems. He’ll understand that not everyone will be as talented as he was. His personality is really important. He’s had that infectious manner since he came in as a 17-year-old. That will help us with recruitment.

Benji is very well respected and connected among players across the game. He’s so energetic. The apprenticeship over the next couple of years will be pretty heavy but he’s up for it. He’s played under me, Wayne (Bennett) and a lot of experienced coaches who have broadened his knowledge.


Q: What about yourself? It’s a big job. You’re coaching Benji and a footy team.

A: Benji’s not a boy. He’ll be contributing as an assistant coach. He’s had 300 games. He’s not coming in as a rookie.

Q: Why are you doing it, Tim? You could have made it a lot easier for yourself and stayed on as head of football and appointed a Shane Flanagan or Paul Green.

A: We decided to go with someone with Wests Tigers DNA. I only made the decision on Thursday. I’ve thought long and hard about it.

Q: You’re 71, Tim. Where does the energy come from?

A: I’m not that old. Are we going to start talking about ages? You’re an old journo. That doesn’t mean you’re finished up. I’ve just walked 30 kilometres up Mount Victoria with Simmo (Royce Simmons). I love doing what I’m doing. I love the challenges and having experience can give you an edge. That’s the way I look at it.

Q: It’s a big commitment, Tim. The Wests Tigers isn’t an easy job.

A: You think I don’t realise that? You’re up at 6am each day and you’re normally among the last to finish. Of course it’s hard work but that’s the case in most jobs if you want success.

Q: It’s an important part of your job to shut down the constant leaks.

A: These things sort themselves out. We’re an easy shot at the moment because we’ve slid to the bottom. We’ve got to claw our way back. We start having some success and there’s nothing to leak.

Q: What message have you got for Wests Tigers fans who have had little to cheer about?

A: Our plan is to build in the next three years into the club we want to be. That’s consistently playing finals football and not just bouncing out in week one.

Over three years our good 17-year-olds will become 20, and our good 19-year-olds will become 22. We’ll be in the market for good senior players like Api Koroisau and Isaiah Papali’I. I’m not going to put a date on anything but we’ll get the football club into a strong position. Our results recently are not acceptable even for a one-off year let alone over a long period of time.


Q: Is Luke Brooks part of your long-term plan?

A: I’d like to see Brooksy stay. Under Benji’s influence it will be very interesting. In 2018 he was Dally M halfback of the year. He nearly won the whole award. You don’t just lose that talent. It’s up to us to help him find that form again. Benji has that ability to get through to people. He always has. As he’s got older he’s become a great mentor. I really think they’ll work great together.


Q: What about your front office? The board and the CEO Justin Pascoe are always copping flak.

A: I can tell you we’re in really good shape in administration and I’ve worked for a lot of organisations. We have all the resources we need and the new centre of excellence. When I came back late last year I couldn’t believe how strong we were financially.

I remember in 2005 we had a burst water pipe at training. We could hardly afford a plumber. Our physio Andrew Leeds grabbed some tools and fixed it himself. We still had weights in pounds, not kilos.

The year we won the comp we played $600,000 under the salary cap because that’s all the money we had. We still had a loan we were paying back to the NRL.

Justin and Lee (Hagipantelis) cop a lot of flak, but a lot of it’s unwarranted. The football department now is financially in great shape.

Q: Good luck. I hope you can turn it around.

A: Well, we haven’t put our cue in the rack for this year. We’ll give some more young players some opportunities. We’re out there to win every week and to improve. It’s been tough but it’s actually a really exciting time for the club.
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I love this guy starts the article plugin a sponsor
 
Roar_Power said:
I think Liddle and Gildart are as good as gone. Might be tough moving Peachey on, terrible signing.
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What a dud. A first grade place was just waiting for him.

Yet what happened. This was a guy who was fairly exciting in a titans side that made the 8. Ofcourse there would have been a ton of background crap that we did not know about.
 
I am checking out.

Yes we need to rebuild. Nope, not the Marshall + Sheens + Farah plan.

Our club cannot be inbred and inbred with people who have done wonders on the field but would probably be around anyway. Hire John Morris if you want a tiger.

As someone said above, Sheens should have taken over and added stability. not had Pappii want to run. Checking out till 2025
 
You gotta hand it to club since we got knocked back from ciraldo there hasn’t been 1 leak about there plans of benji been head coach. The media would have been all over it im not sure how they kept it under wraps
 
crazycat said:
I am checking out.

Yes we need to rebuild. Nope, not the Marshall + Sheens + Farah plan.

Our club cannot be inbred and inbred with people who have done wonders on the field but would probably be around anyway. Hire John Morris if you want a tiger.

As someone said above, Sheens should have taken over and added stability. not had Pappii want to run. Checking out till 2025
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See you soon
 
finnzo said:
You gotta hand it to club since we got knocked back from ciraldo there hasn’t been 1 leak about there plans of benji been head coach. The media would have been all over it im not sure how they kept it under wraps
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Last minute decision…
 
Demps said:
The 360 interview did it for me.

"I'm backing myself & we are backing ourselves."

That's something I've always said about myself in my professional life.

That's a winners mentality.
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The way he handled himself on nrl360 with Kent asking the tough right question was impressive. His zero delay, calmness and backing himself came through with ease.

The Sheens/Buzz article was a good read.
If people think it’s going to be easy for Benji it won’t be. The hours/work effort, impact to his media & family activities for a coach is 10 fold over what it is as a player. He is coming across dead serious about it & can see he will have a massive crack at it.

If he wants to be successful when he takes over it won’t just be him in an assistant role next year. He will be involved in pathways, recruitment & retention, player management, team management amongst other aspects. Alot more than any other assistants are apart of.

The more I look at what has happened I’m actually hooked, intrigued & actually impressed at the decision made.

We all know the Wests Tigers are like no other club, so doing something vastly different mixed with people who actually believe in the club and know its workings better than anyone external could actually work. Benji is giving up a heap in some ways to take this challenge on, if he pulls it off he will gain alot more, if he doesn’t it’s a massive loss over the years for him. History is against him in so many ways, it’s crazy but if anyone could pull it off it’s Benji.

I’m in and will be supporting what happens next.
 
hsvjones said:
At first I thought Sheen's should take over now but I can understand why Sheen's won't take over straight away as he is going to be flat out getting everything ready.
IMO his biggest task is adding another 2-4 top players to this team who can help lead all this younger players until they are ready.. They need leaders on the field with them so if he can nail some more signings I can see this going very well but this needs to happen.

If we can offload Liddle, Gildart, Peachey & Tuki S that would be a excellent start and opens up some spots and salary..
Click to expand...

We don’t need Sheens to coach now but have zero doubts he will be in the background working with Noddy, Farah and co.

Sheens has to be working on more kids getting a crack across all grade & setting the roster up for 23/24/25.
 
crazycat said:
I am checking out.

Yes we need to rebuild. Nope, not the Marshall + Sheens + Farah plan.

Our club cannot be inbred and inbred with people who have done wonders on the field but would probably be around anyway. Hire John Morris if you want a tiger.

As someone said above, Sheens should have taken over and added stability. not had Pappii want to run. Checking out till 2025
Click to expand...

👋
 
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