Known as one of the best coaches in the history of rugby league, Wayne Bennett has backed Benji Marshall to succeed as an NRL coach for the Wests Tigers.
Announced during the week, Marshall has been fast-tracked into the head coaching role at the Tigers next season, a job that he was meant to take on in 2025. The decision came after a horrific and embarrassing season for the club, which is set to see them claim their second consecutive wooden spoon.
A former coach of Marshall, Wayne Bennett helped mentor the former Golden Boot winner in stints with the Brisbane Broncos, South Sydney Rabbitohs and New Zealand national side. The two share a great history and are close friends away from the football field.
โIf there is anyone that can handle that situation, it's Benji,โ Bennett told The Sydney Morning Herald.
โOnly in the sense he has a lot of contacts there. It gives you a lot of goodwill, and he's going to need that. He will need them to be patient, as simple as that. You can't go from zero to hero overnight.
โEveryone wants results, that's what makes it such a cut-throat business and so difficult at times. They just can't keep turning coaches over like they're confetti. It's just ridiculous.
โAt some point they have to say, โThis is the guy. He may not be the best coach we can get, but he's the guy we've got, so let's all get in behind him and make it work'. They have to make it work, don't be tearing him apart.
โAll the conversation right now is, โWill Benji make it as a coach?' None of us know that right now. What I do know is that Benji is a really good person, he knows his football and that he treats people with dignity and respect. So let him get the job done and get the support of the chairman and the CEO and let him be that guy.
โIf it's not working in two or three years' time they won't be any worse off than what they are now, I can tell you that. They can't just keep undermining themselves publicly and privately.โ
As Marshall gets thrown into the deep end, Bennett stated the Wests Tigers will need to stick with him for the long haul. Since the end of Tim Sheens' successful first stint as head coach, which saw them win the Grand Final and regularly reach the finals, the club has run through five coaches since.
Mick Potter, Jason Taylor, Ivan Cleary, Michael Maguire and a returning Tim Sheens have all failed to help the club reach the finals and re-enter their glory days.
โIt's the hardest [job] in the game at the moment because they have been underperforming for a period of time and the pressure is building on everybody,โ he added.
โThey have shown that pressure is building because they continually react to the situation.
โNone of that is going to help Benji, I can tell you. If they want it to work, they have to make it work and more importantly give him their support. Not through spoken-word support but real support, with what they say and also what they do.
โThere is a great line that goes, โAs I grow older, I listen less and less to what people say, I just watch what they do.' Everyone is having a say on Benji and the Tigers, but it's what they do next that counts.โ
