BAGNF05
Well-known member
This Dragons game looms large. Both teams on 8 points and likely to fight out similar spots on the ladder. Becomes a 4-competition point game really.
Coach Benji
- Thread starter LeichhardtBoy
- Start date
Betterdays22
Well-known member
Worth mentioning we are 4/5 with our starting spine on the field
BAGNF05
Well-known member
And pretty widely accepted they are yet to figure out the best way to combine.
weststigers
Well-known member
Gotta bump the Rabbits too.
Tom Shines
Well-known member
Would have taken 4-4 at the start of the season ..although it’s probably fair to say that the draw was favourable for us
Still concerned about the player depth though … can’t afford really any disruption in the forwards …
Still concerned about the player depth though … can’t afford really any disruption in the forwards …
Jedi_Tiger
Well-known member
we have
dragons
storm
souths
bye
think we should be aiming for wins against
dragons
souths
Melbourne will be tough however the front row are not strong and no Harry Grant helps
dragons
storm
souths
bye
think we should be aiming for wins against
dragons
souths
Melbourne will be tough however the front row are not strong and no Harry Grant helps
Tigerstigerstigers
Well-known member
He’s wayne Bennett Junior . Has an aura and confidence with the media .
Most importantly he has a team that wants to play for him.
Hes going to make it as a coach .
Most importantly he has a team that wants to play for him.
Hes going to make it as a coach .
Ron Brodrick's Spirit
Well-known member
I found a secret video of an altercation between Robbie Paulie Farah and Lachlan Tommy Gunn Galvin.
Here's the transcript
Here's the transcript
- Robbie: [gets Benji away and turns to Galvin] Galvin, you're a piece of garbage, you know that?
- Galvin: Hey, this ain't none of your business!
- Robbie: Ain't none of my business? Ain't none of my business?
- [Benji tries to restrain him]
- Robbie: The man spilt blood for you, put you ahead of his own family, and you bring these rat bums around here? To kill his dignity? Benji made you your shot. He's the real champ. You're just a joke.
- [Robbie pushes, and then gets punched by Galvin, who is then restrained by Moses and Weidler; Benji comes back to console Robbie]
- Robbie: [to Benji] You should've left him on street where you found him
Tucker
Well-known member
What a fantastic story, full of intrigue, suspence, action and drama.
A thousand mile a second thrill ride! 👍👍.
How Benji Marshall beat odds to get Tigers ‘trending’... and the $171 coffee bill that says it all
Adam Pengilly from Fox Sports
August 24th, 2025 9:13 am
Shane Richardson has been around rugby league so long he remembers the days when it was expected he would slip the credit card behind the bar after a win. It was a green light for the players to let their hair down for a bit, and probably deserved too, after defying attempts to be turned into a pretzel for 80 minutes.
At the end of the evening, Richardson would settle the bill, and gladly hope he would have to do it again the next week.
Last Monday, Richardson walked into a coffee shop and the Wests Tigers players – most of whom rarely drink alcohol – asked for him a favour. They wanted his credit card on the table to pay for their orders. It was a reward from the day before when they recorded one of their most stirring wins in years, effectively ending the Sea Eagles’ season.
“It cost me $171,” laughs Tigers chief executive Richardson. “It was an absolute nick. That’s the sort of blokes they are. The day before they sat around for ages on the field (after the game). I can’t get them into the dressing room. It gives me the sh**s, but he loves it.”
The “he” Richardson is referring to is Tigers coach Benji Marshall, the NRL clipboard carrier most thought at the start of the year would be fighting hardest to save his job after a turbulent first season which ended with defeat in the “Spoon Bowl”.
He’d emerged from a year in which he was questioned on everything: from putting his phone down for a few hours at night to spend time with family, playing golf on the morning of games and even running with his side in training drills.
Yes, the Tigers aren’t going to make the finals this year, and that is the mirror most teams hold up at the end of the season.
But they will get away from the wooden spoon for the first time in four years and probably finish closer to the top eight than last. You could even argue it’s a decent pass mark, at the very least borrowing that well-worn American term, they’re trending.
It would be easy to think after they waded through the Lachlan Galvin circus and then released another potential 10-year player, Tallyn Da Silva, the Tigers’ season could have gone south. Quickly.
But the longer the year has gone on, the more, ahem, galvanised the side has looked, and the better they’ve played. Marshall must take a lot of credit for that.
His ascension to the top job last year – without having coached his own side at any level, and with a planned two-year apprenticeship under Tim Sheens cut short by 12 months – might have been one of the greatest rugby league gambles in modern NRL history.
Why do it? How would it work? Could it possibly work?
“People have got to realise he was in a far worse situation than they give him credit for,” Richardson says.
“He had a board that was sacked, a chair that was sacked, a CEO that was sacked and he’d never coached before. Tim Sheens had left. And then he had a new CEO that he didn’t know at all.
“I think it’s important to understand that.”
There’s no doubt the recruitment of Jarome Luai has helped, even if Luai hasn’t quite hit the giddying heights on the field yet. Culturally, he’s been everything the Tigers wanted and more. “Team first” etc. Luai had planned to simplify his game at the start of the season to allow Galvin the freedom at No.6. He’s now gone back to his more familiar role with Galvin out of the picture.
Marshall retains an extremely tight relationship with Luai and co-captain Api Koroisau, to the point where the Tigers prioritised Koroisau’s retention for 2027 over Da Silva. Koroisau will be 34 when that season starts.
“They have a large influence on Benji, but more importantly Benji has a large influence on them,” Richardson says. “When Luai gives his soul, he gives his soul. He’s 100 per cent behind Benji.
“From the word go, Benji doesn’t tell lies. The thing I’ve found is Benji tells you up front what he thinks. He’s a really good listener. He wants to learn. And he’s a good human being. There are not too many bad traits there.”
Says Marshall’s manager Matt Desira: “Not many coaches in a team that was going that bad would be able to attract a Luai, a Turuva, the Mays. He’s a highly intelligent guy, and a lot of people might not know that about Benji until you meet him.”
The Tigers’ recruitment is an interesting point because in the three Fainu brothers and the two Mays – Terrell and Taylan – Marshall has organically created a bond for his players which runs far deeper than just the same jersey they pull on.
Professional sports coaches spend a lifetime trying to figure out the right emotional levers to pull for optimum performance. Marshall has struck a unique formula for his Tigers, and most of it centres on family.
After a game, when his team finally retreats to the dressing room, Marshall urges the players’ kids to join them. It might only be a little thing, but he has embraced it.
“He’s finally got a crew who have bought into what we want to do, understand their place is secure and understand each day Benji has a way of coaching and playing the game,” Richardson says.
But that doesn’t always guarantee success, not least of all so early in a coaching career when it’s often sink or swim.
“Benji was a really smart player and a really smart guy to talk to about football and how it should be played,” Wayne Bennett tells foxsports.com.au. “It was obvious to me he would finish up coaching. He’s very good with people.
“But you need a club that’s going to stand behind you. I was a young coach once and I’m only here because a couple of chairmen stuck behind me at different stages of my career when I was on the edge. They give you that bit of time you need to get it done.
“The problem is everyone wants results and they think the next guy can get it for you, but it doesn’t work like that.”
The NRL has been filled with young coaches who take on the top job only years after they’ve finished playing, and the delineation between going from a teammate to a coach-player relationship can be tricky.
Marshall’s last game as a player was in 2021 when he came off the bench in South Sydney’s grand final defeat to the Panthers. The final year of his career under Wayne Bennett might have fast-tracked his coaching ambition, and still only 40, he has the skills to run in drills with his players.
Is it the right thing to do? Or is a coach’s role better spent passing judgment from a distance, rather than passing the ball along the backline?
“If you look at Wayne Bennett, he’s on the field the whole time,” Richardson says. “Wayne Bennett and Benji don’t rely on what a lot of coaches do, which is not pulling up a mistake and just getting onto the next play. They will rely on looking at a drone afterwards.
“But they’re hands-on then and there. They show you at the time, ‘you should have gone left that way, or that pass wasn’t delayed long enough…’ They stop training to make sure they fix that mistake. That’s the way he coaches.
“Benji is working out his style of coaching. Now he’s on the sideline (during games), which I think is great. He feels more effective down there.
“We’re lucky to have him. People talk about loving the club, he actually loves the club – and the fans too.”
How Benji Marshall beat odds to get Tigers ‘trending’... and the $171 coffee bill that says it all
How Benji beat odds to get Tigers ‘trending’ as $171 coffee bill reveals all
www.foxsports.com.au
Benji is the right man for the West Tigers.
Finally some real hope
Finally some real hope
Totally agree mate...he will only get better as the seasons pass..he not only had great player skill sets,he has great man skill sets...
Tiger_Yoshi
Well-known member
I kinow we all want results, but 100% Benji is the right coach for the Tigers...he will keep the players we want and attract better players as our results improve.
supercoach
Well-known member
No mention of the great Isaac Moses’s assessment of Benji’s coaching Skills. The media should be rubbing the creeps nose in it for the crap he put our club through
As a player, Benji was a generational talent. As a coach, Benji is a lot closer to the team in terms of their generation that any other NRL coach. I think he understands them.
While he may not be the best technical or tactical coach out there, he appears to have the knack of getting the best out of the players he has. With the Galvin fiasco over and to a lesser extent Da Silva. the team appears to be tight and playing for each other and their coach - not many coaches can lay claim to that.
While he may not be the best technical or tactical coach out there, he appears to have the knack of getting the best out of the players he has. With the Galvin fiasco over and to a lesser extent Da Silva. the team appears to be tight and playing for each other and their coach - not many coaches can lay claim to that.
Gazman
Well-known member
Key word in that story “Galvanised” lol…….
diedpretty
Well-known member
there was this article :
Benji Marshall coaching dossier: Why Wests Tigers should burn ‘can’t coach’ file
Earlier this year, a dossier was handed to Wests Tigers outlining reasons why Benji Marshall couldn’t coach. Now, the evidence points in the opposite direction. This is the dossier that proves Benji can coach.Tyson Jackson and Fatima Kdouh
In April, he said, “No one thinks I can coach anyway.”
In July, he said he was “saying my own eulogy.”
It’s now August and not only is Benji Marshall well and truly alive, but so are his coaching prospects, with his Wests Tigers still a chance of doing the unthinkable.
They’re still a mathematical chance of being alive in September.
The faint heartbeat that is their 2025 season is almost certain to flatline when the eighth-placed Sydney Roosters, four points ahead of the Tigers, face Parramatta on Saturday night.
But the fact that the Tigers will not only avoid a fourth straight wooden spoon, but finish not far out of the top eight, is a giant step in the right direction.
Sensationally taking over from Tim Sheens in 2024, Marshall inherited a roster that had finished last in consecutive seasons.
But, as Sydney crawls out of weeks of downpour and towards the first week of spring, there is evidence of some green shoots in Concord.
The Tigers have peeled off three wins in their past four weeks, snapping a run of seven straight defeats that looked destined to end in another piece of unwanted cutlery.
Skipper and three-time premiership winner Api Koroisau, who has played under the likes of Michael Maguire, Des Hasler, and Ivan Cleary, credits Marshall’s leadership.
“I’m going to take my hat off to Benji here,” Koroisau said.
“He keeps everyone pretty humble. Yeah, there’s no getting carried away with him or getting complacent. To be honest, he’s riding us pretty hard.
“Our standards have picked up for us in three weeks, and that’s the back end of the season, so, yeah, as a coach, I think he’s doing a great job.”
While Koroisau holds his coach in high regard, he also revealed that Marshall is his own — and the team’s — toughest critic.
Tigers fans have backed coach Benji Marshall in the wake of the Lachlan Galvin contract saga.
Even with victories against heavyweights like the Bulldogs, Cronulla, and the Roosters, Marshall remains unsatisfied with the club’s progress.
“He’s been nitpicking, making sure that our standards are staying the same or even going to another level at this time of the year,” Koroisau said.
“We’ve got three rounds to go, but he’s made a big point of playing week by week, and he hasn’t been happy with the wins either.
“For us, it’s about not being happy with simply what we have done so far.”
Young halfback Latu Fainu, who has settled in at halfback following the ugly exit of Lachlan Galvin, has also been quick to praise his inexperienced coach.
Galvin was believed to compiled a document listing the reasons that justified his request to leave the club and make a bombshell mid-season move to Canterbury.
Fainu has shown glimpses of why the Tigers are so confident of his long-term prospects despite spending a lot of time on the sidelines.
“When I went through my injuries, I was so lucky to have him as my coach. He’s been a great role model for me,” Fainu said.
“He was one of the players I looked up to when I was younger.
“He’s like one of the boys. He has his standards that he wants to drive.
“But he is also easygoing. It really is like talking to an older brother because he has been through the game. He knows what you are feeling or going through as players.”
One of Marshall’s biggest philosophies is letting his younger players to be confident in their own games.
“He’s always told me to just back myself,” Fainu said.
“Be confident and don’t backtrack if you see something — take it. Don’t overthink; the more you overthink as a halfback, the more you end up in your own head.”
Earlier this year, a dossier was handed to the Tigers outlining reasons why Marshall couldn’t coach. Now, the evidence points in the opposite direction.
Here is our dossier on why Marshall can.
CLEARED OUT A WOODEN SPOON ROSTER
Marshall has been ruthless in reshaping the squad, moving on players who failed to meet his standards. High-profile departures include David Nofaluma, John Bateman, David Klemmer, Isaiah Papali’i, and Jayden Sullivan. When next year begins, only eight players will have remained from their 2023 squad.ABILITY TO RECRUIT TALENT
Marshall has excelled in recruitment, bringing premiership winners Jarome Luai and Sunia Turuva to the club, along with Terrell and Taylan May, Royce Hunt, and Jack Bird. His recruitment drive continues next year, with Kai Pearce-Paul, Maverik Geyer, and rising stars Javon Andrews and Ethan Roberts set to join in 2026.
Jarome Luai loves playing for Benji Marshall. Picture: Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images
ABILITY TO RETAIN TALENT
While critics have focused on the loss of promising juniors Lachlan Galvin and Talynn Da Silva, it hasn’t stopped other players from re-committing. Recent re-signings include Adam Doueihi, Starford Toa, Koroisau, Sione Fainu, and Alex Seyfarth. Jarome Luai has also given a verbal commitment to remain at the club, and extensions for the May brothers are reportedly close.REJUVENATING A BROKEN TEAM
After a seven-game losing streak threatened to derail the Tigers’ season, Marshall steered the club to four wins from their past six games, including a famous victory over the Roosters. The turnaround has reignited hope and silenced talk of a fourth consecutive wooden spoon.
Marshall didn’t let the Lachlan Galvin saga define his side’s season. Picture: Tom Parrish
MOST WINS SINCE 2019
With three games remaining, Marshall has led the Tigers to their best position since 2019, when they finished on 24 points — equal to eighth-placed Cronulla, who made the finals on points differential. Marshall’s men currently sit on 24 points, surpassing the achievements of Michael Maguire and Tim Sheens, and are one win away from tying Ivan Cleary’s 2018 tally with the club.BUILT QUALITY DEPTH
The Tigers now boast enviable depth, with grand final players and premiership winners in Brent Naden and Charlie Staines waiting in reserve grade. Marshall has created a squad where the likes of Bird and Royce Hunt can be dropped to lower grades. Youngsters Heath Mason, Luke Laulilii and Kit Laulilii are also in the NSW Cup.
There’s a feeling of hope among Tigers fans. Photo: Tom Parrish
