NRL 2022: Tim Sheens speaks exclusively to Phil Rothfield about the Benji Marshall coaching deal
Arguably the most stressful coaching job in rugby league, Tim Sheens opens up on taking the reins at West Tigers and overseeing the Benji Marshall transition inside two years.
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Tim Sheens has the toughest gig in rugby league. He’s not only head coach of Wests Tigers, but he’s coaching superstar Benji Marshall to take over in a two-year time frame. He revealed his plan to Phil Rothfield in this exclusive interview
Q: Why Benji?
A: We caught up for breakfast a couple of weeks ago at Concord. A cafe called Organica. He’d made it known to Justin Pascoe that he was keen to coach at some stage. We had a long chat. He was all in and prepared to give up everything else.
Q: Some see it as a publicity stunt. A big name to take some pressure off the administration.
A: Oh please. You really think that. It’s an insult to Benji and everyone else in our organisation. He is going to work his backside off to make this work. He’s always worked hard and that’s why he’s been successful. We genuinely think that in two years time he’ll be ready and that he’s the best option. Let’s see what the critics want to say then. Just give him a chance.
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Q: Does he fully understand what he’s getting into?
A: Players sometimes don’t understand. They come to training, everything has been prepared for them, they do their work and then go home. That’s their day. The coaching staff works much longer hours. It can be a 24/7 job. Now and again you sneak in a day off. I wanted Benji to know exactly what he’s walking into. We spoke about his young family. All of that.
Q: Were you surprised he wanted to coach so soon after retiring?
A: I got the impression that while he was grateful to have all the media work, he wasn’t getting the satisfaction that he really wanted out of it. He wanted to be a coach.
Q: You obviously think he’ll make it?
A: I’m very confident he’ll make the transition. He’s got a couple of years. There will be some heavy schooling. He’s very intelligent, as is Robbie Farah. They’ll work off each other. Benji has had a long career in the spine and has a great knowledge of the game.
Q: You’ve had a bit to do with a few handy coaches. You gave Craig Bellamy his first coaching job, you coached Ricky Stuart, and more recently Todd Payten.
A: Toddy was a halfback in a front-rower’s body. I haven’t made any of them great coaches. I recognised they had potential. They’ve forged their own successful careers. It’s more than just knowing the game. They were destined to be good coaches.
Your demeanour, your personality, your presence, your ability to cope with pressure, the media, the highs and lows, and the challenges of making family sacrifices. Even at home your head can be stuck in football. If you’re going well, there’s pressure to keep it going. If you’re going bad, there’s pressure to fix it. The more I discussed all this with Benji, the more excited he got.
Q: It still can be seen as a gamble.
A: Benji has that special ability to be able to communicate with all the age groups from senior players to kids in the pathway systems. He’ll understand that not everyone will be as talented as he was. His personality is really important. He’s had that infectious manner since he came in as a 17-year-old. That will help us with recruitment.
Benji is very well respected and connected among players across the game. He’s so energetic. The apprenticeship over the next couple of years will be pretty heavy but he’s up for it. He’s played under me, Wayne (Bennett) and a lot of experienced coaches who have broadened his knowledge.
Q: What about yourself? It’s a big job. You’re coaching Benji and a footy team.
A: Benji’s not a boy. He’ll be contributing as an assistant coach. He’s had 300 games. He’s not coming in as a rookie.
Q: Why are you doing it, Tim? You could have made it a lot easier for yourself and stayed on as head of football and appointed a Shane Flanagan or Paul Green.
A: We decided to go with someone with Wests Tigers DNA. I only made the decision on Thursday. I’ve thought long and hard about it.
Q: You’re 71, Tim. Where does the energy come from?
A: I’m not that old. Are we going to start talking about ages? You’re an old journo. That doesn’t mean you’re finished up. I’ve just walked 30 kilometres up Mount Victoria with Simmo (Royce Simmons). I love doing what I’m doing. I love the challenges and having experience can give you an edge. That’s the way I look at it.
Q: It’s a big commitment, Tim. The Wests Tigers isn’t an easy job.
A: You think I don’t realise that? You’re up at 6am each day and you’re normally among the last to finish. Of course it’s hard work but that’s the case in most jobs if you want success.
Q: It’s an important part of your job to shut down the constant leaks.
A: These things sort themselves out. We’re an easy shot at the moment because we’ve slid to the bottom. We’ve got to claw our way back. We start having some success and there’s nothing to leak.
Q: What message have you got for Wests Tigers fans who have had little to cheer about?
A: Our plan is to build in the next three years into the club we want to be. That’s consistently playing finals football and not just bouncing out in week one.
Over three years our good 17-year-olds will become 20, and our good 19-year-olds will become 22. We’ll be in the market for good senior players like Api Koroisau and Isaiah Papali’I. I’m not going to put a date on anything but we’ll get the football club into a strong position. Our results recently are not acceptable even for a one-off year let alone over a long period of time.
Q: Is Luke Brooks part of your long-term plan?
A: I’d like to see Brooksy stay. Under Benji’s influence it will be very interesting. In 2018 he was Dally M halfback of the year. He nearly won the whole award. You don’t just lose that talent. It’s up to us to help him find that form again. Benji has that ability to get through to people. He always has. As he’s got older he’s become a great mentor. I really think they’ll work great together.
Q: What about your front office? The board and the CEO Justin Pascoe are always copping flak.
A: I can tell you we’re in really good shape in administration and I’ve worked for a lot of organisations. We have all the resources we need and the new centre of excellence. When I came back late last year I couldn’t believe how strong we were financially.
I remember in 2005 we had a burst water pipe at training. We could hardly afford a plumber. Our physio Andrew Leeds grabbed some tools and fixed it himself. We still had weights in pounds, not kilos.
The year we won the comp we played $600,000 under the salary cap because that’s all the money we had. We still had a loan we were paying back to the NRL.
Justin and Lee (Hagipantelis) cop a lot of flak, but a lot of it’s unwarranted. The football department now is financially in great shape.
Q: Good luck. I hope you can turn it around.
A: Well, we haven’t put our cue in the rack for this year. We’ll give some more young players some opportunities. We’re out there to win every week and to improve. It’s been tough but it’s actually a really exciting time for the club.
How Buzz made Sheens-Benji coaching dream a reality
The Tim Sheens-Benji Marshall coaching plan began inside an inner-west restaurant three weeks ago.
We’re sitting at a table for lunch at Grappa restaurant in Leichhardt on a Tuesday afternoon.
There’s Sheens, chairman Lee Hagipantelis and chief executive Justin Pascoe.
Half The Daily Telegraph rugby league team is there too for a mid-season catch-up.
Myself, Brent Read, David Riccio and Michael Carayannis.
This was an ‘off-the-record’ lunch where whatever was said had to remain inside the restaurant.
Michael Maguire had two weeks earlier been sacked as Wests Tigers coach.
Cameron Ciraldo had 48 hours earlier rejected a five-year offer to take over.
We start talking about the coaching options by the time the pasta, steaks, deep fried zucchini and roast potatoes arrive.
Shane Flanagan, Paul Green, Kristian Woolf, John Morris, Josh Hannay etc.
Sheens was seated at the end of the table.
He’d been talking footy all afternoon and you could tell that, at 71 years of age, he was still totally switched on about the challenges the club was facing.
The fact he’d been back for only eight months after a decade in England didn’t matter.
He was as sharp as a tack, heavily focused and excited about recruitment opportunities and the next wave of young players coming through their juniors … and maybe even the opportunity of bringing Benji along for the ride.
So I asked him: “Why don’t you coach the team for a couple of years and mentor a young coach?”
He answered straight away: “Yes, I’d consider doing that.”
Hagipantelis and Pascoe looked shocked. Their eyes lit up.
We continued to press them on this option, and what role Benji could play.
Like most of us, they had always been wary of the age factor with Sheens.
Why would such a respected four-time premier coach, who had achieved everything, want to take on what is arguably the most stressful coaching job in rugby league.
We left the restaurant later that afternoon with a big story but could do nothing about it.
Off the record is off the record.
On the way home Hagipantelis rang other Wests Tigers directors about the development.
Within days Pascoe and Hagipantelis had a more formal meeting with Sheens.
They agreed to leave all options open.
They loved the idea but wanted to follow due process and investigate all options.
Meanwhile the public support began building for Sheens.
First club legend Marshall declared in The Daily Telegraph: “I’ve got no doubts he could still coach an NRL side. If he’s interested he should go for it.
“He’s the same age as Wayne (Bennett) and look what he’s done. If Tim’s still got the passion and the desire, why wouldn’t he coach?”
Then Mal Meninga, Laurie Daley and Ricky Stuart jumped on board to back the idea.
Pascoe and Hagipantelis now knew they had the support of some of the game’s most respected figures. It was then about building the framework.
Who would be on Team Sheens? Who would eventually take over in 2025?
This ruled out Flanagan and Green.
Maybe Brett Kimmorley, or Morris. Where would Robbie Farah fit in?
And then it all fell into place.
Sheens and Benji are at the helm.
Eventually, through other contacts, the story was leaked and The Daily Telegraph revealed the plan on Monday.
Marshall then declared his intention to coach the Tigers on Fox League’s NRL360 on Tuesday night.
And the lunch bill may prove to be the best money the Wests Tigers have spent in a long, long time.
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