Benji’s bold play to lure Tedesco back to Tigers

Incoming assistant coach and Wests Tigers boss-to-be Benji Marshall has already set about trying to resurrect the club’s struggling list with star players, including several from the team’s past, and his latest target is Blues skipper James Tedesco.

Marshall and his mentor for the next two years, Tim Sheens, have a tough job at the Tigers. The club has failed to play NRL finals in a decade and are on a collision course with last place this year.

While Wests do have several star recruits on the way, including Isaiah Papali’i—if his eleventh-hour backflip doesn’t work—and Apisai Koroisau, but are in danger of losing number seven Luke Brooks to the Newcastle Knights next season and have been struggling to find any star signings they don’t have to pay overs to lock in.

And so Benji’s gone back to the past and made a play for James Tedesco.

It was a bold one too: Marshall simply text the star Rooster.

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As far as The Sporting Base understands, there was little said in the other direction. Tedesco’s management have also denied that they’ve heard anything from Benji Marshall or the Wests Tigers on an official front. It is against NRL rules for clubs to approach players before the last 12 months of their ongoing contracts.

Tedesco is signed with the Sydney Roosters until the end of the 2024 NRL season.

Nine is reporting Teddy isn’t the first high-profile ex-Tigers star Benji has privately messaged either. Mitchell Moses, who is contracted with the Parramatta Eels until 2023 and has a further year in his favour, was another on the new assistant coach’s hit list.

Moses left the Tigers in 2017 after 67 games for the club. 90-game Tiger Tedesco followed soon after and has since gone to play 107 top-flight games for the Roosters and win two premierships.

The Tigers fell to last place in Round 19 after a controversial loss to the Cowboys.

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