Benji blasts ‘terrible’ Tigers’ discipline … and sends brutal selection warning to stars

A disappointed Benji Marshall has slammed his Wests Tigers team for their ongoing discipline problems after two sin-bins in their defeat to the Dolphins.

Benji Marshall and Api Koroisau were dejected after the Tigers' defeat.

A disappointed Benji Marshall has slammed his Wests Tigers team for their ongoing discipline problems after two sin-bins in their 24-12 defeat to the Dolphins on Sunday.

The Tigers have now had players sent to the bin eight times this season, two more than any other team, while they have conceded the third-most penalties of any team.

And a frustrated Marshall laid into his team again for their sloppiness after a sixth-consecutive loss.

“Yeah, pretty frustrated,” he said. “We just keep finding ways to beat ourselves. Our team gives so much effort in so many departments and so many areas. We get two in the sin bin, we fight our way back to 18-12, then we find a way to beat ourselves again.

“Yeah, it’s frustrating. The message has been the same for the last six weeks, that we keep beating ourselves.

“If we can’t change it, then the people have to change.”

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Speaking specifically about his club’s discipline problems, he doubled down on his warning to the players that they could be replaced if they don’t shape up.

“Put it this way, our discipline is terrible. We need to find players that will be more disciplined,” he said.

“I’m disappointed (in Brent Naden for his sin bin). Disappointed for the team, because then we get punished for 10 minutes with 12 players. Justin Olam’s one I can sort of understand, he was sort of given a piggy back ride. But then we’re playing with 11.

“It just doesn’t help. But again, to their credit, they fight and hang in there.

“We’re just lucky they completed like 40 per cent, 60 per cent, and kept us in the game.”

The Tigers season started brightly with consecutive wins in the first two rounds. But things have soured from there – though Marshal believes his team had opportunities to win in their six-game losing run.

“I knew it was going to be difficult. I knew it wasn’t going to happen overnight,” he stated. “But if I’m being honest, there’s moment in the last six weeks where we probably should have went on to win some of the games.

“But again, we’ve got to look at what we’re doing as a coaching staff and how we’re teaching the players to learn from these moments and be better.”

It was another match the Tigers threw away with sloppy errors.

He added: “I don’t want to make excuses about what we have and what we don’t have. But we need to start learning from our mistakes. Maybe I need to deliver that better as a coach to them.”

Tigers captain Api Koroisau celebrated his 200th NRL appearance with a try, and Marshal held him up as an example for the rest of the team.

“Api doesn’t like us talking about him that much,” he said, “but he epitomises what we want the club to be like, the way we want our players to play, and the amount of effort that he gives. I’m disappointed we couldn’t do it for him tonight.”

Benji Marshall and Api Koroisau were dejected after the Tigers' defeat.

But Koroisau deflected criticism of his teammates for their swath of errors, instead focusing on improving his own performance.

He said: “To be quite honest, I’m thinking about myself at the moment. I had a few errors out there, a couple of tackles. I’m not looking at anyone else, I’ve got my own job to perfect at the moment. As a leader, I probably should be better at giving some direction. I’ll take that one on.”

But he had to concede that their sin bin woes were ‘disappointing’.

“As you said, right on half time, obviously that’s disappointing. It is what it is though. I don’t know what to say after that. Just got to move on with it,” he said.

“I thought the response was really good. Down to 12, we started he second half with a lot of energy. Pretty proud of the boys for that to be honest.”

Originally published as Benji blasts ‘terrible’ Tigers’ discipline … and sends brutal selection warning to stars