Whether you hail from the suburbs of Leichhardt or call Campbelltown home, you've all heard it in the media, and no doubt, for any Tigers fan, rejoiced.
Wests Tigers great Benji Marshall has been extended on his coaching contract at the Wests Tigers until the end of 2030, after an extremely turbulent week following speculations of him being potentially sacked.
Yet how significant was this signing as a whole, and, amid everything that's been going on at that club, what does it mean for both the Tigers and Benji himself?
Since taking over the reins of a crumbling Wests Tigers side in 2024, the changes to the Tigers have been, without a doubt, improving significantly. Despite finishing the 2024 season with a third consecutive wooden spoon, it was a step Benji had to take to ensure that they were on track.
The Wests Tigers, a side that has, for want of better words, largely deteriorated in performance, not having won a competition since 2005, with their last finals appearance being 2011, has yet to rid itself of a ravaging dysfunctionality.
Flashback to 2023: The Tigers were falling apart as a club and organisation. Since master-coach Ivan Cleary's departure, the club was cursed with a roster of coaches who came, thought would make a splash but didn't, then disappeared.
Tim Sheens, Michael Maguire, you name it. Each attempt at a rebuild turned the club into something worse than before. The second consecutive wooden spoon was barely a drop in the ocean in the grand scheme of things that escalated.
Benji had no reason to take over this club whatsoever; it was extra responsibility he didn't need. Only three years out of retirement, there were many things Benji could have done that caused less of a headache.
Yet there he was, preseason 2024, at the reins of a club he could potentially make or break.
Many say that signing Jarome Luai was the smartest move Benji made. In truth, a lot had been going on prior to the signing, which in itself was the cherry on top.
The one-year deal with veteran halfback Aidan Sezer in 2024 was a great example of work behind the scenes. The plan was to have him work alongside Lachlan Galvin, a debuting rookie, in the halves.
Sezer's age and experience was meant to guide Galvin, easing him into the starting role, preparing him for the arrival of his new halves partner, Luai, the next season.
While many doubted the ability of such a halves pairing entering 2024, for the Tigers, it was the last thing on their minds. This wasn't about the skyscraper. This was about the foundation of a rebuild.
In essence, Benji's strategy was simple: The Tigers didn't need a premiership now, rather in five years' time they aim to come back stronger than ever before.
A five-year rebuild is prioritised over a desperate climb to the top each year and it worked in the Tigers' favour. Despite being confined to the bottom half of the ladder for the past two years, the progress made cannot be doubted and it was all thanks to a coach with a forward mindset.
The year is now 2025 and the club has grown significantly. It's all in the players Benji has developed along the way: Jarome Luai, Jahream Bula, Sunia Turuva - you see it all.
However, recently, things have turned pear-shaped. The signs have been clear. Since the joint-venture began in 1999, a constant power struggle between the board members aligned to the original Tigers and the Wests Magpies persisted. Yet recently, this conflict has evolved to the point of potentially undermining the franchise.
Only days ago, rumoured departures of seven players, on the condition that Benji leaves, seemed to have compromised most if not all that Benji and the Tigers have been working for.
With the power struggle in the boardrooms at the core of the Tigers' growing list of dysfunctionalities, there have been few coaches who have been able to keep the club, from CEOs to trainers to reserve grade, together, much less make a positive impact. Constantly working with the headache that is the management conundrum, Benji's rebuild plan ran on high difficulty mode year-round.
Yet despite some of the darkest times the Tigers have faced as a joint-venture, Benji was there. Whether as a player or coach, he has dedicated more than anybody could ask of him at the Tigers.
With the biggest waves of boardroom drama coming to end, Tigers fans rejoiced as their coach was successfully extended.
For Tigers fans, this extension is more than just a few more years of getting their hopes up. It's faith in a coach who has proven himself, time and again, capable of success. It's pride at having their faith reaffirmed. It's positivity off the back of coaching consistency.
For Benji, it is something else entirely. It's the confirmation that whatever he's doing, it's working. This knowledge will sit close by him in his future years at the Tigers; reducing hesitancy, boosting his confidence, knowing that despite all the unease that crops up within the franchise, he is trusted and respected from within.
In the NRL community, Benji's story is living proof that not all heroes wear capes.
