The Wests Tigers are poised to drop one of the biggest training bombs in the game’s history, ending a five-year contract with Benji Marshall that will see him take over as coach in 2025.
Two decades after the club’s first and only prime minister, Marshall and Tim Sheens will reunite as part of a 2005 dream team, which is also expected to include former Tigers captain Robbie Farah.
Sources familiar with the negotiations told the Herald that Marshall has accepted the mammoth deal today and will spend the next two seasons as a replacement for Tim Sheens before taking the reins as head coach.
The Tigers will also announce Sheens as head coach for the 2023 and 2024 seasons, deciding to cede control of the team to the Premier League winner after Panthers assistant coach Cameron Ciraldo chose not to accept a five-year contract.
The Herald has also been told that Marshall has played a key role in alleviating the concerns of star recruit Isaiah Papali’i, who has been considering joining the Wests Tigers with a three-year deal from the year coming.
Marshall, one of the most revered figures in the New Zealand rugby league, spoke to Papali’i about the direction the club is heading the boat.
Back together … Benji Marshall and Tim Sheens in training for the Tigers in 2012Credit: NRL Imagery
Marshall retired from the NRL after last year’s big final defeat with the South Sydney Rabbitohs.
Although he has no experience as an NRL coach, he has been working with the club’s younger players as a consultant throughout the year.