The Wests Tigers have found their man for the next half-decade: club legend and premiership winner Benji Marshall has signed a five-year deal with the joint-venture that will see him step into the head coach hot seat from 2025.
Marshall, 37, will deputise Tim Sheens for two seasons before taking the top job.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the Tigers legend has been tossing up the five-year offer for some weeks now, and put pen to paper to formalise the agreement this morning. Though he hadn’t taken up a key coaching role yet, Marshall had a heavy hand in making sure Isaiah Papali’i would honour his new Wests Tigers agreement too.
Balmain bosses were deciding between Marshall, Sheens, and other candidates like John Morris and Shane Flanagan. Powerbrokers at the orange-and-black outfit settled on Marshall as the heir to the throne under Sheens in a combo that reunites the 2005 heroes.
The Sporting Base has heard Canterbury assistant David Furner may also be signed.
Marshall retired from the NRL follow South Sydney’s grand final loss last season. While he has no coaching experience, he has been working with Tigers youngsters in a consultancy role.
The Tigers premiership winner hasn’t been coy about his desire to step into a major Wests coaching role either. Though discussions have only come to light properly today, the 37-year-old first broached the subject—to the public, at least—when he was live on FOX earlier this week.
“The dream for me would be to be an NRL coach and at the Tigers would be an ideal situation,” Marshall said on Fox Sports talk show NRL 360 on Tuesday evening.
“Obviously it has been reported that Tim Sheens is going to get the job and mentor someone. If the opportunity was for me to be mentored under him with a pathway to become a head coach it is something I would definitely consider.
“I love my job that I do now, but that is an opportunity I might never get again,” the star 346-game NRL veteran continued. “The opportunity to try and become a head coach, that’s a big dream.”
