Marshall: Why Wests Tigers are ready to rise

Benji Marshall has implored Wests Tigers fans to 'stick with us' after speaking passionately about the new era dawning at Concord.

Stepping into a new role as Wests Tigers assistant coach under Tim Sheens in 2023, the 37-year-old said a long-term revival is on the horizon at the western Sydney club, with a new-look side ready to rise from the wooden spoon.

“It’s been a tough ten or so years from a club point of view,” Marshall told Wests Tigers CEO Justin Pascoe in a club video.

“We are doing everything we can at training from a team perspective to make sure we change that. But good things are coming from us.

We're working hard at it, so stick with us please

Benji Marshall

After Justin Matamua, one of the club’s most exciting teenage prospects was fast-tracked into the Wests Tigers top 30 on Wednesday, the 346-game veteran said the club’s revival plan begins with their investment in junior developments and pathways.

Marshall even admitted Sheens has tipped the next generation of Wests Tigers to boast more talent than the side the 72-year-old coached to claim the club’s last premiership in 2005.

“We want success now, there’s no doubt. We’re not going into next year saying we want to have an average year. We want to win and we’ll be saying that to the players,” he said.

“But you’ve got to think about the future too and we’ve got a lot of kids coming through that are really talented and we’ve managed to hold on to them.

“The plan we have made is coming into action now. Seeing some of those kids come into first grade and train their first pre-season, we have a bright future coming through.

“Talking to Tim, he thinks some of those kids are better than the likes of myself, Robbie Farah, Liam Fulton and Bryce Gibbs, when we were coming through at that age.”

With only one spot remaining in their Top 30 roster, Sheens is set to field an unrecognisable side to that of which finished bottom of the ladder this year.

New signings Charlie Staines, Api Koroisau, Isaiah Papali’I and, most recently David Klemmer all expected to don their new colours in Round 1 and Marshall said the first challenge as coaches will be to unite the new-look Wests Tigers outfit.

“Our challenge as coaches is to find ways to get the team to bond together, he said.

“It’s harder now because back then you could just go to the pub and have beers, it was no drama. But now it’s gone to a professional level you’ve got to find other ways to do that.

“We need to make some improvements, there’s no doubt and we’re working hard at pre-season training to make that happen.

“We’ve got a really keen group of guys who are fresh and hungry and I guess our job is to bring out the best in them.

"One thing that I want everyone to understand at this club is when you put on the Wests Tigers jumper, you are representing a lot of people,” he said. “You are playing for the guy next to you and all everyone wants to see is their players play with passion, with pride and put in their best performance week in and week out.”

With Marshall set to take the reigns as head coach from 2025, the New Zealand International said the new coaching role has given him a sense of purpose he had lost since retiring in 2021. 

"Once you retire, purpose is something you miss a bit," he said,

"Having a purpose back here at this club is something that I don’t take for granted. I wake up every morning genuinely wanting to get to training.

"I really enjoy jumping in there, having a crack with the boys and showing them how to train.

"Sometimes I can’t explain a drill out on the field, but I can definitely get out and show them," he said. "I like getting my hands on the ball and sometimes showing the young fellas that the old fellas still got it."