The new Wests Tigers coaching team of club legends Tim Sheens, Benji Marshall and Robbie Farah has been dealt a blow just days into the start of the new regime, with their plans for an intense post-season training session blocked by the NRL and RLPA.
The Daily Telegraph reports that the new mentors were hoping to run intense training between now and the NRL Grand Final date on October 2 in the hopes of getting the squad off to a strong start for next year.
But the Tigers, along with the other clubs that landed in the bottom eight, had already been told that once the regular season had come to an end, they were to send their players on holidays, demonstrating the communication issues that clearly still exist.
The Telegraph reports that an email was sent out by a ‘workloads and balance committee’ – though it’s unknown why that information wasn’t passed on to the incoming group prior to devising their plan.
The email also included a recommendation that pre-season training for 2023 should not begin at any time before November 1, as well as a recommendation that players not be required to train on Sundays when pre-season training begins.
Meanwhile, the club has also confirmed the appointment of David Furner to their new-look coaching staff, with the former premiership winner brought in to help mentor Marshall ahead of his eventual move to the head coaching role.