Benji Marshall in Wests Tigers ‘defamatory bombshell’
Wests Tigers icon Benji Marshall is at the centre of stunning accusations as the football club continues to fall apart.
Benji Marshall’s manager has been forced to address claims the Wests Tigers icon was involved in an unscrupulous recruitment move behind the scenes at the embattled club.
Fresh from revelations Marshall will this week sit down for crisis talks with recruitment manager Scott Fulton, it has now been revealed that Marshall is trying to put out another fire.
The Daily Telegraph first reported the pair will this week sit down with chairman Lee Hagipantelis and chief executive Justin Pascoe and have been ordered to sort out their differences surrounding reported conflict.
The club has come under fire again this week after it was revealed coach Tim Sheens was not invited to the meeting.
The Tigers previously came under fire for hiring Fulton without consulting their coaching staff amid reports of friction between himself and Marshall, who is expected to coach the club from 2025.
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“Why do we all know about this?” former Panthers captain Greg Alexander asked on Fox League over the weekend.
“When it’s the Tigers, everyone knows about it. Why is Tim Sheens being left out of this?
“They hired Scott Fulton without any knowledge of the coaching staff. Why would that happen? And look at the drama that it’s caused now.
“Benji and Scott Fulton can’t agree on which player they want at the club.”
Marshall and Fulton are reportedly at odds over the club’s plan for replacing halfback Luke Brooks who will sensationally quit the club to join Manly at the end of the season.
Foxsports.com.au reports the club is on the verge of agreeing to terms with former Canberra Raiders halfback Aidan Sezer. It’s a move that has the backing of Marshall.
Fulton, however, is understood to want to pursue Jack Cogger who has impressed while Nathan Cleary has been sidelined with a hamstring injury.
Now according to the SMH, tensions have surfaced after Marshall’s manager was prompted to deny suggestions his client was set to benefit from the Tigers’ recruitment of Sezer.
It followed claims from Fulton’s godfather, Peter Peters, that a senior figure at the club was pushing for Sezer as the club’s next recruit due to owning a 15 per cent share in ARIA Management, who represent Marshall.
“Before I go any further I want to declare that Scott Fulton is my godson before people jump on that bandwagon and say I’m just supporting him. I’m not, I’m telling it as I see it,” Peters said on Sydney radio on the weekend.
“Aidan Sezer has been a client of the long-time highly respected manager Sam Ayoub for a long, long time. Currently, the deal with the Tigers, if it goes through, is being organised by another agency (ARIA management).
“I’ve been told today, it’s a bit of a bombshell, that a current high-profile Tigers official is alleged to have 15 per cent share in the company trying to lure Sezer unbeknown to Sam Ayoub, who still thinks he is managing him.”
Matt Desira, who is the director of ARIA Management, has been Marshall’s long term manager and also has Daine Laurie on his books.
“Benji Marshall doesn’t and never has had a stake in ARIA management group,” Desira said.
“Any suggestion that is the case is not only wrong, but defamatory.”
Queensland great Corey Parker said over the weekend he felt for the supporters of the club.
“Get the music out, the circus has been playing for a while now,” he said.
“It’s really unfortunate for the players and the fans involved.”
The Tigers are staring down the barrel of another wooden spoon finish in the NRL, currently 17th on the ladder with three wins in 17 matches.
On Friday, the Tigers suffered a 34-18 loss to the Newcastle Knights at McDonald Jones Stadium, their sixth consecutive defeat. They will next face the Dragons at Wollongong’s WIN Stadium on Thursday evening, with kick-off scheduled for 7.50pm AEST
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