NRL 2024: Benji’s calls in refs’ help to buck Tigers’ historic trend of sin bins after record run

Tigers coach Benji Marshall’s plan to end the worst run of sin bins in NRL history has come to light after their record loss to the Sharks, and it involves a plea to NRL HQ.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - JULY 12: Apisai Koroisau of the Wests Tigers reacts after being sent to the sin-bin during the round 19 NRL match between Cronulla Sharks and Wests Tigers at PointsBet Stadium on July 12, 2024, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)

Wests Tigers coach Benji Marshall has resorted to inviting a referee to training sessions in a bid to arrest the scourge of being the most sin-binned team in NRL history.

In the wake of the Tigers succumbing to the biggest loss to Cronulla in their history, Marshall has been left lamenting his side’s frequency of playing with 12 men during a match.

Tigers skipper Api Koroisau was sin-binned during the Wests Tigers 56-6 loss to the Sharks last Friday night - and it wasn’t the first time the star hooker has been marched.

Koroisau became the 14th Wests Tiger player this season to spend 10 minutes off the field.

It is the most number of sin-bins in a season by any team since 1998, surpassing Penrith’s record of 13 in 2018.

Alarmingly, the Tigers have obtained the unwanted record with seven games still remaining this season.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - JULY 12: Apisai Koroisau of the Wests Tigers reacts after being sent to the sin-bin during the round 19 NRL match between Cronulla Sharks and Wests Tigers at PointsBet Stadium on July 12, 2024, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)

The Tigers have had a player sin-binned in 11 of their 17 matches this season.

What is of a major concern for Marshall is that he has been repeatedly critical of his team’s ill-discipline - and his troops have struggled to change their ways.

“We find someone to get sin-binned every week,” Marshall said last month after being mauled 56-4 by the Dragons in round 14.

“(To) give away silly penalties. We lost our head (and) unfortunately we’re in a position where we can’t do it to ourselves and we do.

“I cannot talk about discipline enough. The whole week we’ve talked about discipline and it’s unacceptable. There’s no excuses.”

Marshall is trying everything to improve his players.

It’s an all-too familiar sight for Tigers fans, with at least one player sin-binned in 11 of their 17 games this season. Picture: NRL Images

This masthead can reveal the head coach recently asked the NRL to provide a match official to training in a bid to better understand what match officials are looking for.

It is understood that Chris Butler was the referee who attended the Tigers’ Concord training base.

While they are working hard to try to turn their fortunes around, it has not translated on the field.

Marshall was quick not to blame the referees in his post-game address despite the highly controversial decision by Adam Gee to sin bin Koroisau.

Instead he was scathing of his players lack of intensity during their historic loss to the Sharks.

Tigers coach Benji Marshall is pulling out all the shots to end their horror run of sin bins.Picture: Brendon Thorne/Getty Images

The Tigers now face the real prospect of a third straight wooden spoon.

“I’ve got to apologise to our fans,” he said.

“When you take the field, you’ve got to choose the right attitude, and (Friday night) they ran harder and tackled way harder than us and it showed on the scoreboard.

“We haven’t seen that (lack of attitude) all year. If it was a weekly occurrence then I’d probably know more, but it’s the first time I’ve seen it this year.

“When you take the field, you’ve got to take the right attitude with how hard you want to tackle and how hard you want to run.

“They ran harder and tackled harder than us and had way more energy than us.”

Stefano Utoikamanu was the first Tiger sin-binned in 2024, when he received his marching orders in round two. Picture: NRL Images

Adding to the Wests Tigers woe is the prospect of facing the Rabbitohs at Gosford next Saturday afternoon without Koroisau due to injury.

The Tigers skipper underwent scans on his calf late on Saturday.

And although the Tigers remain hopeful the injury won’t sideline him long-term, he is considered highly unlikely to face South Sydney.

Bench forward Alex Seyfarth (concussion) is also unlikely to be available.

Young hooker Tallyn Da Silva will start in Koroisau’s place after the Tigers withdrew him from their NSW Cup to take on the Roosters on Sunday.

The Tigers welcome back centre Starford To’a who has only played two games this season because of injury. To’a will line-up in reserve grade and should he get through the game unscathed he will push for an NRL return.