NRL 2024: Benji Marshall opens up on Wests Tigers’ woes, Lachlan Galvin contract
Benji Marshall has vowed to stick to his plan for the Wests Tigers despite nine straight losses, adamant the teams’ woes will make him a better coach, as the club digs in its heels over Lachlan Galvin’s future.
Tigers
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Benji Marshall insists he will emerge a better coach from the firestorm that has engulfed the Wests Tigers as he vows to stick to the plan he forged with chief executive Shane Richardson and build the club around young star Lachlan Galvin.
After a promising start to the year – they won two of their opening three games – the Tigers have lost nine in a row and are battling to retain two of their brightest stars, Galvin and prop Stefano Utoikamanu.
Injuries and suspensions have ravaged the squad and after boasting one of the youngest halves pairings in the club’s history last week in Galvin and Jayden Sullivan, they will take one of the oldest into Saturday afternoon’s game against the Gold Coast Titans.
Captain Api Koroisau has put his hand up to play halfback in the absence of Sullivan while Aidan Sezer will return at five-eighth, giving Galvin time off to recover from a broken hand.
Marshall was thrust into the head coaching job when Tim Sheens left a year ahead of schedule but he insists his belief in himself and the club hasn’t been dented by their difficult start to the year.
“It’s a tough position obviously,” Marshall said.
“Mentally at the moment and physically in terms of who is available, it is tough. Like I said to the players this week, we have to fight our way out of it.
“There is no other way – I don’t know any other way. When the chips are down you have to fight. As a coach that comes back to me. If I am saying the same things every week, obviously I am not doing something right.
“I have to change my approach and what I am doing. The hardest place to look when you are having a tough time is in the mirror.
“I get it – with the results comes accountability and responsibility. As the coach you are accountable for the results. That is how it is.”
THE PLAYERS
Marshall has made no secret of his frustrations with the discipline and mistakes in recent weeks. He has pointed out that if the actions don’t change, then the people will.
The Tigers have already begun an overhaul of the roster and it is expected to gather steam in coming weeks. At the same time, Marshall is owning his share of the blame for what has happened over the past two months.
Asked whether he could understand the criticism of him and the club, Marshall said: “Of course I can understand it.
“I am in it and living it. It is tough but at the same time we committed to a plan from the day Richo took over that we wanted to implement as a club.
“You can’t lose sight of that plan and you can’t waiver from your judgement and belief. Obviously the results, I get it they haven’t been there.
“That is what people live off – I get it. But I can’t make decisions based on how it looks or perceptions.
“We have committed to a plan and we have made it pretty public around our juniors and retaining them and recruitment. We are sticking to that plan.
“When you lose, criticism comes. Until you win, it stays. I understood that taking the job. That is why you have to deal with it and fight your way out of it.”
The concern for Marshall is that after some promising performances early in the year, the standards have slipped in recent weeks. His squad has been decimated but he won’t use that as an excuse for the way the Tigers have played.
“Before the week just gone, you could probably say we had improved in a lot of patches but week after week, those improvements have been for smaller lengths of time,” he said.
“The improvements are visible and I think that is why it is so frustrating. At the same time, we’re doing the same things that are hurting us.”
KID WONDER
Amid the dark days this season, there has been one shining light for the Tigers. Galvin is only 18 but he has become a mainstay in the side, forging a reputation as one of the game’s emerging stars.
The Tigers have him under contract for a further two seasons but Galvin’s camp have been agitating for a release.
Richardson is expected to meet his parents this week and the club is ready to dig in their heels. Marshall, one of the greatest halves of his era, wants to work with Galvin and is convinced he can build a club around the teenager.
“We are not letting them go,” Marshall said.
“We’re sticking solid – we want to work with him and develop him and build the club around him. That’s what we think about him.
“He is a big part of our future moving forward.”
Galvin isn’t the only issue. Utoikamanu is also heading towards the open market despite the Tigers tabling a five-year extension worth upwards of $4 million to keep him at the club.
They may be powerless to stop him leaving given the clauses in his deal that mean he could be off contract at the end of the season.
Galvin is another issue. He has a deal that will only be broken if the Tigers agree to his release.
“We want to work with him (Galvin),” Marshall said.
“We want to work with him to get it sorted and keep him long term. We’re going to work hard with him, absolutely.
“But I think Richo has made it very clear that we are not wavering on that.”
BELIEF
The Tigers face the Titans on Saturday afternoon at their spiritual home, Leichhardt Oval. It will be the first game at the ground since round 3, when they celebrated a 32-6 win over Cronulla.
That performance was probably the highlight of their season and Marshall will be hoping for a similar effort this weekend.
He hasn’t given up hope and he is urging the Tigers fans to do the same.
“We need small wins in the game around our process for long periods,” Marshall said.
“At the moment we do it for 20, 30 (minutes). Dragons at the weekend we came back fresh and for 20 minutes we looked unbelievable and fresh and upbeat.
“We have to do it for longer periods of time. I have to do more to help them as well. In every sense. If I am saying the same things after games then obviously I have to change my approach around the way I am saying it or what I am doing about it.
“This has been a massive learning curve for me. I have never been a head coach before. The way it has gone now it has been a really steep learning curve.
“At the same time there are things I am learning from it that will make me even better in the long run.
“I have the confidence in what I want to do and where I want to go that we can turn it around. It has been tough but you have to fight to win.”
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