Wests Tigers in talks to re-sign coach Benji Marshall until end of 2029
After a week of boardroom drama, Wests Tigers coach Benji Marshall is set to make a call on his future, with the club in talks to re-sign him for another two-years.
Desperate for some off-field stability, the embattled Wests Tigers are negotiating to extend head coach Benji Marshall’s deal until the end of 2029.
It is a bold move given Wests Tigers have failed to reach the finals through Marshall’s two-year tenure as head coach.
The struggling club has been struck down with boardroom brawling over the past week with Marshall known to be fed up with the political infighting.
Retaining Marshall long-term – he was signed until the end of 2027 — gives the club a solid platform for looming recruitment and retention.
The players have Marshall’s back.
This masthead revealed on Tuesday that seven players – Jarome Luai, Jahream Bula, Terrell and Taylan May along with the Fainu brothers – Sione, Samuela and Latu – had spoken privately about their futures at Concord should the bloodletting include Marshall.
Marshall dragged Wests Tigers from the 2024 wooden spoon to a 13th-laced finish this year – a significant improvement for a maligned club.
It is uncertain who at Wests Tigers is negotiating with Marshall given the club doesn’t have a chairman or a CEO and only half a board.
CEO of the club’s owners the Holman Barnes Group Daniel Paton is away on the NSW south coast.
Marshall’s possible retention will come as the club announces Shaun Mielekemp as interim chief executive, replacing CEO Shane Richardson.
It is understood Mielekamp and Marshall have a strong working relationship.
Mielekamp will step up from being Wests Tigers’ general manager of football.
Marshall’s management and club officials have been locked in contract negotiations with an extension imminent.
The club is hungry for a good news story although no final agreement has been reached.
Marshall has inadvertently become a rock at Concord given many around him have either been dumped or are facing an uncertain future.
His first major task will be trying to convince Luai and Bula to stay. Both players can leave the club after next season.
Four independent directors, including chairman Barry O’Farrell, were dumped by the powerful Holman Barnes Group last week with those vacant board spots to be filled at a meeting next Monday.
Marshall is somehow trying to protect his players from the ongoing dramas at Wests Tigers.
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