They were once teammates, now Queensland hooker Harry Grant believes Benji Marshall has exactly the right qualities to lead the Wests Tigers from 2025 onwards.
Grant and Marshall combined at Concord in 2020, a one-year swap deal organised by Michael Maguire allowing the Melbourne hooker in Grant a first-grade opportunity at Leichhardt, in exchange for Paul Momoirvoski for the remainder of the season.
Providing the Storm with coverage in the backs and the Tigers an elite option out of dummy-half, the chance to play regular NRL football saw the sandy-haired Storm rake not just excel, but debut for Queensland later that year, scoring the match-winner in a Suncorp decider.
While there are a million qualities you could list when trying to name the ideal coach, the hooker believes that Marshall holds the one key draw card every coach needs - respect.
Flash forward to nearly two years after their last game together, and Grant has gone from praising a senior player, to praising a future coach.
“It’s pretty exciting for Tigers fans to have Benji back in the box seat. He’s honest. As a player he would always tell you how he was feeling, if he liked something or didn’t like it, which is a great trait to have as a coach" Grant told The Daily Telegraph.
“He’s also got so much respect from the boys because of everything he has done, his experience and he’s faced adversity over the years as a player. A lot of things he has achieved and been through will set him up to go well in a coaching gig."
Marshall will take the reins after a two-year return from Tim Sheens, meaning the former five-eighth will transition into a head coaching role at the ripe age of 40, about 23 years after his first-grade debut for the same club.
While Grant is all aboard the Marshall express at Concord, he believes former Tigers coach Maguire still has a lot to offer in the NRL.
“I think Madge still has a lot to offer as a coach, for sure … but the club has gone another way,” Grant said. “Madge gave me a great opportunity at the Wests Tigers to play NRL and he was really good for me.
“He helped out a lot. I learned a lot about the NRL and what it takes to play in the NRL.”
Marshall will return as a full-time assistant for both the 2023 and 2024 seasons, before inheriting the clipboard from the man who coached him for a decade, the NRL's next great 'passing of the torch' moment.
