Just hours after being announced as part of the new-look Wests Tigers coaching team for 2023 and beyond, Benji Marshall has revealed his excitement regarding the career decision that has come “sooner than expected”.
Speaking on NRL 360 in the aftermath of the news, Marshall was able to draw a number of parallels between this week’s announcement and Sheens’ previous arrival in 2003.
“With Tim being the head coach, we’ve been in this position before,” Marshall said.
“It was very similar. We were in dire straits at the bottom of the table, we brought all these kids through who made an impact and we won a competition in 2005.”
Marshall will be just one former Tiger on hand to assist Sheens. Former hooker, captain and the most-capped player in the history of the joint-venture Robbie Farah will also be joining the new-look coaching staff, but it is Marshall who will take the reins of the first-grade squad in 2025.
With the team last on the NRL ladder, reports of player unrest and the club regularly mired in drama over recent weeks, fans will be relieved to hear some good news coming out of Concord that bodes well for the future after so many years of pain.
“If you look at the way we’ve been for the past 10 years, if we keep doing the same thing then the same thing will keep happening,” Marshall said on NRL 360.
“We have to create a culture where people want to be there every day. Then we’ll stop having mediocre performances and getting questioned if we play for the jumper.
“I’ve been part of this coaching system, with a lot of good kids coming through. We’ve had success there, so we have to bring those kids through (to the NRL) and I think Tim is the best guy to do that.”
