Coach Benji 👑

Lestronge said:
They scored that last try because Skelton missed an easy 1 on 1 , going for the hero tackle when it wasn’t on , then it gets to the last and it’s the only 6 again for the game ….. for no reason . Sure they score , but that’s where the breakdown is . Skelton …. Is not nrl standard IMO.
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Madden sprayed Skelton on the field which the audio caught. Something like FFS Skelts!
 
What I'm happiest about is the methodical way Marshall has gone about his business as coach. He had clear ideas about how he was going to do things and he hasn't been distracted from them: all the BS about playing golf and not taking it seriously enough has been shown to be exactly that. Frankly, it was typical of the type of lazy stereotype Marshall has had to deal with throughout his career and I'm not surprised he doesn't hold the rugby league media in high esteem as a result.

He was a mercurial talent on the field so the reporters all just assumed he wasn't a dedicated professional. Lo and behold he battled through injuries to become one of the best players in the world, and then extended his career long past the point where his natural gifts had started to fade. That comes from hard work and dedication - and he's showing the same as a coach.

He knew what sort of culture he wanted to build, and what we're seeing this season is that it's perfectly possible for a playing group to be relaxed and having fun while also being utterly committed to the cause. Maybe now some of the clowns who criticised Marshall will realise that just maybe he knows a little more about what makes young, mainly Pasifika, rugby league players tick than some old white guy.
 
Benji has shown exactly what buy-in can do for a football side. We havent had a massive roster overhaul compared to last year, but we are playing with far more intent, energy and belief than ever. That points directly to coaching and leadership.

Any side, even the worst in the comp, can produce a good performance on their day. The real mark of a good coach is keeping a team switched on, connected and competing every week. That is where Benji deserves enormous credit.

Most question his tactical ability but he has done what you could argue the previous five coaches could not: get this group to genuinely believe they can win most games.
 
2041 said:
What I'm happiest about is the methodical way Marshall has gone about his business as coach. He had clear ideas about how he was going to do things and he hasn't been distracted from them: all the BS about playing golf and not taking it seriously enough has been shown to be exactly that. Frankly, it was typical of the type of lazy stereotype Marshall has had to deal with throughout his career and I'm not surprised he doesn't hold the rugby league media in high esteem as a result.

He was a mercurial talent on the field so the reporters all just assumed he wasn't a dedicated professional. Lo and behold he battled through injuries to become one of the best players in the world, and then extended his career long past the point where his natural gifts had started to fade. That comes from hard work and dedication - and he's showing the same as a coach.

He knew what sort of culture he wanted to build, and what we're seeing this season is that it's perfectly possible for a playing group to be relaxed and having fun while also being utterly committed to the cause. Maybe now some of the clowns who criticised Marshall will realise that just maybe he knows a little more about what makes young, mainly Pasifika, rugby league players tick than some old white guy.
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You’re 100% correct but some old white guy eg Bennett, would have a different view on the number of Pasifika players, so imo it’s horses for courses.
 
Halbrowne61 said:
You’re 100% correct but some old white guy eg Bennett, would have a different view on the number of Pasifika players, so imo it’s horses for courses.
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I don't proclaim to know much about Wayne Bennett but for all the grumpy old man exterior he does seem to be a "player's coach" above all else. His players always feel he's fundamentally on their side, providing they do what he asks of them.

I'm also not saying there isn't a place in the world for the Maguire type: I thought he did a bad job at the Tigers but he's got enough runs on the board that he's obviously good at the job - he just wasn't in the right place at the right time here.

What I have an issue with is the clowns in the media who can't comprehend anything other than shouting at young men as a way of improving their performances, like that's the only way of achieving anything. Motivation is a lot more complicated than running things like it's the military.

But just wait. At some point this season we'll lose a couple and next thing you know we'll be back to Marshall "not being tough enough". It'll be "his approach is fine when the team's going well but can he pull them out of a slump", as if he hasn't already pulled us out of a slump that had been going on for more than a decade.
 
TigerVinnie said:
Benji has shown exactly what buy-in can do for a football side. We havent had a massive roster overhaul compared to last year, but we are playing with far more intent, energy and belief than ever. That points directly to coaching and leadership.

Any side, even the worst in the comp, can produce a good performance on their day. The real mark of a good coach is keeping a team switched on, connected and competing every week. That is where Benji deserves enormous credit.

Most question his tactical ability but he has done what you could argue the previous five coaches could not: get this group to genuinely believe they can win most games.
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Dude its been a pretty big overhaul all things considered. We got rid of the oxygen thieves and piss takers.

Those who are off contract at the end of this year that probably wont be renewed are Will Craig, Tristan Hope, the Laulili brothers (signed elsewhere), Sakuru, Heath Mason and Sukkar.

All Cup level players might i add.

Yes yes i know. Sukkar is killing it in cup apparently.
 
Benji is proving to be a great man manger just like his mentor Wayne. He’s got good staff around him including a lot of allies from the past.

The attack is still clunky at times but what’s really nice to see is our structure off the ball. Especially on our right with how our edge and centre well switch between running a hole or cutting back in allowing Doueihi and Bula space. Can see hodgos influence all over this. We have our own style and it’ll just take time for it all to click.

Our intent in defence and allowing pressure to build is also great to see. The draw has been kind to us sure, but we still have a few gears to go up ourselves. It’s too early to say but I feel the script is leaning for a favourable year for us.
 
Tito Santana said:
Dude its been a pretty big overhaul all things considered. We got rid of the oxygen thieves and piss takers.

Those who are off contract at the end of this year that probably wont be renewed are Will Craig, Tristan Hope, the Laulili brothers (signed elsewhere), Sakuru, Heath Mason and Sukkar.

All Cup level players might i add.

Yes yes i know. Sukkar is killing it in cup apparently.
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Both points are right in a way and I think combining them gets to the truth. The actual turnover hasn't been huge 2025-26, at least not compared with 2024-25. But it feels to me like a tipping point was reached in the sense of finally having some depth in the squad. I keep coming back to something I read several times last season: that NRL is about 18-25 on your roster.

Last year, we had a 17-man side that could compete with most opponents on a good day. But the drop-off to what came in when there were injuries or suspensions was still dramatic. Having to get multiple games out of the likes of Murray, Sukkar, Naden, Staines, Bird and so on is a recipe for losing games. And we actually had pretty good luck with injuries - the squad simply wasn't deep enough.

So far, that looks dramatically different this season. We've been able to cover the loss of our marquee half and a position where we expected to be thin (centre) without falling apart. We've also been able to use blokes like Seyfarth and Hunt in a way that actually suits them rather than having to lean on them to play bigger roles than they can really manage. And the middles rotation has taken workload off Terrell May.

It's a long season and there are certainly some areas where I don't want to see depth tested: hooker and edge back row, for instance. But, equally, so far it doesn't feel like a reasonably normal injury load is going to completely derail the side for the first time in years.
 
Tito Santana said:
Madden sprayed Skelton on the field which the audio caught. Something like FFS Skelts!
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I like that. Players made accountable. Enough of the friendly pats on the head and the 'no worries mate' attitude. Good on Jock, shows that he expects high standards and is not afraid to say what he thinks. Maybe it also indicates that he and other players see a certain laxness in Jeral.
 
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2041 said:
What I'm happiest about is the methodical way Marshall has gone about his business as coach. He had clear ideas about how he was going to do things and he hasn't been distracted from them: all the BS about playing golf and not taking it seriously enough has been shown to be exactly that. Frankly, it was typical of the type of lazy stereotype Marshall has had to deal with throughout his career and I'm not surprised he doesn't hold the rugby league media in high esteem as a result.

He was a mercurial talent on the field so the reporters all just assumed he wasn't a dedicated professional. Lo and behold he battled through injuries to become one of the best players in the world, and then extended his career long past the point where his natural gifts had started to fade. That comes from hard work and dedication - and he's showing the same as a coach.

He knew what sort of culture he wanted to build, and what we're seeing this season is that it's perfectly possible for a playing group to be relaxed and having fun while also being utterly committed to the cause. Maybe now some of the clowns who criticised Marshall will realise that just maybe he knows a little more about what makes young, mainly Pasifika, rugby league players tick than some old white guy.
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Going to critique this a bit.

2024 Benji was kinda horrible as a coach. We had Bateman basically not buy-in and our team flounder. I suspect it was due to Benji being a rookie coach and not learning how to carry himself.


2025 was a minor Miracle. Terrell May being offloaded from the Chooks, after being extended made no sense at all. We lost 4 forwards and had May not arrived we would have been 16-17.

Likewise Luai and Turuva changing the attitude of the team.
Our defense was CRAP! Our backline defenense sucked and our center/wings would leak tries every game. Yet when Luai left Penrith suddenly calls of "will Luai do anything without Cleary" became "can Cleary do anything without Luai".

Now Benji hunted Luai and got him across, Turuva IMHO has been absolutely critical in changing our backline... But we had lost our entire forward pack. Terrell May picked up the slack of 4 forwards with 2 being Origin level! THAT's INSANE!

^leaving the team in that state is NOT good coaching.


2026 We see the team moulded as Benji wants.

A big help has been the faster NRL rules and the game moving in a direction that agrees with Benji's style of football.

It seems that KPP has lived up to the hype. There is no reason why he wouldn't be another Bateman signing, we did not know that Adam Obrien was the problem at Newcastle.

Bunty however hasn't lived up to the Hype.
So far Jack Bird and Bunty Afoa have been Benji's picks and they have both failed too add to the squad. This hasn't derailed us, it does show Benji's recruitment has been hit n miss and we are lucky that our hits have been very good hits.

I really don't know if Benji has moulded our team into the team he wants, or if he just "did a homer" and happened to end up with the right players. Terrell May has been the best luck this club has ever had.
 
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