From the Sydney Morning Herald
Robbie Farah believes Benji Marshall tailor-made for his new role as the pair prepare to link up with Tim Sheens.
www.smh.com.au
‘He’s a natural’: Marshall backed to thrive as a Tigers coach
July 15, 2022 — 5.16pm
Key points
- Farah to team up with Marshall and Sheens
- Ricky Stuart calls Tigers scheme a “smart plan”
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Benji Marshall is being backed to thrive in the volatile world of NRL coaching as he and Robbie Farah prepare to rekindle a dream team under Tim Sheens to take the Wests Tigers back “where we belong”.
Sheens will return to coach the Tigers for the next two years with Farah and Marshall as his understudies before the latter steps in as head coach from 2025-27.
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Benji signs mega deal to coach Tigers
Wests Tigers legend Benji Marshal has signed a long-term deal to coach his beloved club.
Farah and Marshall played under Sheens in the 2005 premiership triumph, which stands as the joint venture’s only grand final win.
Marshall’s rapid ascension through the coaching ranks brings with it an element of risk given he has never coached, but Farah is confident the bold move can pay off for a club desperately trying to reverse its fortunes.
Tigers officials reached out to Farah last week to gauge his interest on joining Marshall under Sheens’ new regime and the 303-game veteran “couldn’t say no”. He is excited by the prospect of re-establishing the Tigers style of football and turning a junior nursery into a production line for NRL talent.
“It was just too appealing a project for me to knock back. Sheensy brought us through as young kids, and now to have the opportunity to have him as a mentor in a coaching capacity and learn from one of the best ever, and help turn our club around, it’s really exciting,” Farah said.
Robbie Farah and Benji Marshall will join forces under Tim Sheens.Credit:NRL Photos
“[Marshall] has definitely got the ambition for [coaching]. It’s something he’s very passionate about, and what better mentor to have than Sheensy? Both myself and Benji will be very hands-on and learn as much as we can from Tim, so when it does come time for Tim to step aside, Benji will be ready to step into that role.
“He definitely became a lot more of a mentor to younger players, coaching on the run during training sessions; you could see he’s definitely a natural.
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“I’ve got no doubt he has still got a lot of learning to do, and the next couple of years are going to present a lot of challenges for the both of us, but that’s the learning experience we need to go through. It’s the apprenticeship we need to go through under Tim to make sure when the time does come he’s ready for what’s ahead.”
Marshall’s move into coaching comes 12 months after he retired from the NRL following last year’s grand final loss with the South Sydney Rabbitohs.
It is a path walked by Canberra Raiders coach Ricky Stuart, who won premierships as a player under Sheens – a man he sees as a perfect fit to revitalise the Tigers.
Stuart spent one year in retirement before being fast-tracked into the head coaching role at the Sydney Roosters in 2002 and leading the club to a premiership in his first season.
“I was fortunate, I had Phil Gould around me helping ease my way into full-time coaching. I was only out of the game for 12 months, so it was very much-needed to have that experience around me,” Stuart said.
“Having that experience and somebody to bounce ideas off from training to development of players, having an experienced voice in your ear, is a great advantage when you’re learning at a young age.
Back together ... Benji Marshall and Tim Sheens at Tigers training in 2012Credit:NRL Imagery
“[Sheens] will have to steady the ship there. He’s got a lot bigger job on his hands this time around than he did when he first took over the position. I don’t think it’s a job for a young coach yet.
“I think it’s a smart plan. [Marshall] is going to be learning from one of the best and for Benji, after two years under Tim seeing how things should and shouldn’t be done, it will be a great apprenticeship leading into what’s a very volatile position.”
The Tigers have spent 11 years in finals exile but Sheens will look to help Marshall build a roster capable of challenging for a premiership by tapping into the philosophy that helped them to success in 2005.
“I don’t think it’s about being the entertainers, but it’s definitely about allowing the players to have the confidence to back their talent. That’s what Sheensy did with us,” Farah said.
“We’ve got so many talented players coming through; we want to give them the confidence to develop their game and express themselves.
“We still want to play a hard-edge style of football. You’ve got to show up with the right attitude to roll the sleeves up and do the tough things, but we want the players to have the confidence and the ability to back themselves when they need to.”
