Following reports that future Wests Tigers coach Benji Marshall had reached out to former Tiger Mitchell Moses to gauge his interest in the possibility of a return, it seems Marshall has sights set on a number of former Tigers returning home.
It was reported earlier this week that prop Aaron Woods could return to Concord, and now a reunion of the former ‘Big 4’ that included Moses, Woods and Luke Brooks is in Marshall’s plans.
The Sydney Morning Herald reports that Marshall has already reached out to the final and most prolific member of that group – Roosters fullback, Dally M Medal winner and NSW Origin captain James Tedesco.
Tedesco is currently under contract at the Bondi club until the end of 2024, so it could be a matter of perfect timing with Marshall’s impending reign set to begin in 2025.
However, Tedesco’s management have also maintained that they haven’t heard from Marshall or the Tigers.
Though the ‘big four’ title was initially bandied about in 2017, the power that those off-contract players were leveraging throughout the year was thought to be a big part of the club’s issues at the time. Though they were all note-worthy players, there was a belief that the end of that era would see the Tigers start to right the ship.
But the club’s issues have persisted, and in some cases worsened, since the departure of Tedesco, Woods and Moses.
The ironically-celebrated ‘ninth place’ finish is now a thing of the past, with the Tigers finishing 11th and 13th over the past two seasons and now almost certainties for the 2022 wooden spoon.
Though the announcement of Tim Sheens, Marshall and Robbie Farah taking over coaching from next year has left many with a sense of optimism about the future, it's clear from the current strategy that the incoming team see the club’s past as a big key to unlocking their future potential.
