Benji Marshall at Wests Tigers training, walking across the pitch with the ball in hand and looking like he can do anything with it.
It’s not 2005, when Marshall helped propel the joint venture to their first premiership, or 2010, when he had a legitimate claim to be the finest player in the world, or even 2018, when he returned to the club after a four-year absence.
No, it’s last preseason, in February, before the Tigers took their second consecutive wooden spoon.
Marshall returned to the Tigers as Tim Sheens’s primary assistant and heir apparent to the top job, but he’d occasionally step in for a drill and still looked like he could be out there as a quarterback.
Marshall returned to the Tigers as Tim Sheens’s lead assistant and heir apparent to the top job, but he’d occasionally step in for a drill and still seemed like he could play if he wanted to.He’s 38 years old now, a long way from the 17-year-old schoolboy who made his debut in 2003, yet he’s one of those individuals who always seems young because there’s always so much ahead of him.
Eight months later, with Sheens sent packing less than a season into his return and Marshall accelerated into the top job a year ahead of schedule, it still feels that way. He does not seem like other coaches and that’s probably because he’s not.
“I’m not your typical head coach, I reckon. I do like time away from it, I’m not 24/7 coaching, I like people being themselves and I want to create an environment where people want to be and where they want to play and be their best,” Marshall said.
“The X’s and O’s don’t matter to me as much as making the players feel confident in their ability and wanting to play for the club and doing their best every time they put the jersey on.”
The 2024 campaign and Marshall’s first pre-season is just two weeks old and Tigers fans are desperate for something to believe in after two last-placed finishes.
Their first wooden spoon, in 2022, was understandable even as it was agonising.
That was a bad team who played badly and were duly punished for it. It was the law of the jungle and the Tigers were prey in a league of predators.
But 2023 was different. Three of the club’s four big recruits enjoyed strong seasons, Stefano Utoikamanu made his State of Origin debut and Jahream Bula emerged as one of the most exciting young players in the league.
They put 60 on the Cowboys and managed an incredible upset over the Panthers but still finished last. This might not have been a finals team, but they were capable of far more than they showed.
This was not a team who
