Benji Marshall in $2 million drama as ‘firestorm’ erupts

Benji Marshall is reportedly at the centre of a Wests Tigers “gutting” operation with big name stars rumoured to be leaving.

Benji Marshall of Wests Tigers. Photo by Izhar Khan/Getty Images.

Some of the Wests Tigers biggest stars, including John Bateman, will reportedly be part of a roster clean out under coach Benji Marshall.

The battling club has lost seven consecutive games and drastic action is being taken with some of the club’s highest-paid players.

The Panthers officially announced on Thursday morning the club has signed Tigers star forward Isaiah Papali’i.

The sudden announcement came just 24 hours after news emerged the Kiwi international had been granted permission to end his three-year contract a year early.

The 25-year-old was contracted until the end of 2025 on a deal reportedly worth $650,000 per year.

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According to reports, the Tigers’ roster moves will go much deeper than that with News Corp reporter Michael Carayannis revealing on Fox League NRL 360 that Jayden Sullivan, Brent Naden, Charlie Staines will also feature in discussions.

John Bateman may be on the move again. Photo by Michael Bradley/Getty Images.

The biggest development has come from the UK with local Super League press reporting Bateman is returning to the UK.

Losing Bateman, Sullivan and Papali’i would free up around $2 million per-year in cap space for the club to go shopping — but it also guts an already thin first grade squad.

Tigers CEO Shane Richardson has travelled to the UK and has reportedly been trying to shop some Tigers players to Super League clubs as part of a major roster overhaul.

NRL commentator Andrew Voss said on Thursday the moves look like it may be a “gutting of the joint”.

“The mail has taken off like a wildfire,” Voss said on SEN radio.

“Shane Richardson, we’re told, is over in the UK, looking to recruit from there, but he’s not just recruiting. He seems to be offloading. Because the story about John Bateman, seriously my mates in the UK have written he’s coming home. He’s coming back to Super League. They’re running stories already.”

Benji Marshall has work to do. Photo by Izhar Khan/Getty Images.

Panthers great Greg Alexander said on the show the Tigers cap is in need of some surgery.

He said it is “un-doable” for the Tigers to have Jarome Luai arriving next season while also carrying Sullivan as a highly-paid back-up half.

Lachlan Galvin appears to be the club’s preferred option to partner Luai next season.

Alexander also said the prospect of losing Papali’i and Bateman at the same time was a risk.

“If there’s no longer Bateman and Papali’i, they need a couple back-rowers,” he said.

“They don’t want to replace back-rowers that they’re were willing to move on because of the money they were on – you don’t want to see them just get a journeyman who is on his last legs for less money.”

Fox Sports reports Papali’i’s signing by the Wests Tigers at the end of the 2022 campaign was touted as a marquee signing by his former NZ coach Michael Maguire, who was sacked by the Tigers before Papali’i arrived. But in his 32 games since then, he hasn’t managed to produce the kind of elite impact he delivered in two seasons at the Eels.

His departure is also another twist in the player market state of play with several clubs chasing elite forwards.

Papali’i will be in high demand. Photo by Mark Evans/Getty Images

The Sydney Roosters will reportedly have to fight to retain in-form back-rower Angus Crichton — if his move to French rugby club Montpellier falls through.

Sitili Tupouniua was also given permission to look for a new club as it emerged the Roosters made a rich offer to Titans wrecking ball David Fifta.

The Panthers, meanwhile, will lose triple Premiership-winning prop James Fisher-Harris to the Warriors next season, leaving them short of forward weaponry.

Another intriguing back-rower available to NRL clubs next season is Kai O’Donnell, with The Yorkshire Examiner reporting the former Canberra Raiders youngster has activated an NRL release clause to return to Australia.

The Leigh Leopards star guided them to promotion to the Super League last season and also scored a try as they won the Challenge Cup in 2023.

He played four NRL games for the Raiders before joining Leigh ahead of their 2022 season, but his development over two years in England should spark greater interest among NRL teams.

Originally published as Benji Marshall in $2 million drama as ‘firestorm’ erupts