Source :- THE AGE NEWS
Benji Marshall’s all-encompassing powers at the Wests Tigers are being diluted, with the club advertising for a coaching director and senior management taking charge of the search for an assistant.
The Tigers have conceded Marshall needs help in his stressful role as the head coach of a prominent Sydney NRL club. It’s a smart move.
Marshall was rattled by the drama caused when Adam Doueihi stood himself down from a match against the Raiders in July after the coach moved him from halfback to lock. The pair have since publicly made up, but Marshall admitted at the time the situation was impacting his family life and said if it continued, he would walk away.
Marshall can’t just pick one of his mates to be a senior assistant. Chief executive Shaun Mielekamp and general manager Pat Richards will head a committee to select a replacement for defence coach John Morris, who left the club this week after three seasons.
They will recommend candidates for Marshall to choose from. The club has also advertised for a pathways coaching director to “lead the strategic direction of coaching”.
“The role will play a critical part in developing future NRL talent while driving coaching excellence, performance outcomes and a high-performance culture,” the job advertisement reads.
It comes after we revealed Marshall had too much power at the club, was not being challenged by those around him and was essentially surrounded by “yes men”.
The issue is that the Tigers are too heavily invested in those who bow to Marshall, and the exit of Morris has only strengthened the “2005 clique” at the club. It means Marshall’s coaching staff and management is dominated by his close mates from the 2005 premiership-winning team – Brett Hodgson as an assistant, Chris Heighington in conditioning and Richards. But change is coming.
Morris was also tight with Marshall, but that friendship was put aside when he was told he was no longer required. Morris was the least compliant of the coaches and someone who challenged Marshall – which is what he needs as a young coach on the rise.
The Tigers will cite the club’s defensive record under Morris as the reason for his departure. Some believe it is a change for change’s sake. The club needs to do something – or at least be seen to be doing something – after another season of despair.
On statistics, the Morris exit can be justified given the Tigers’ terrible defensive record this season – they conceded 699 points, the second-worst in the premiership ahead of the Dragons (717). But they also ranked 16th in attack, scoring just 445 points. That is damning for attack coach Hodgson, and quite surprising given the Tigers’ reputation as an entertaining side.
The issue for the Tigers is the culture of their roster is not what it should be. We pointed out a few weeks ago they needed to sign some experienced hard heads with different values. And it’s why they’ve been linked with the likes of Tyson Frizell and Kurt Mann recently. They also signed Jayden Brailey.
The club would kill for a Phil Gould to shake things up and give Marshall the help he needs.
He can talk to South Sydney coach Wayne Bennett all he likes, but Bennett isn’t paid to manage the Tigers and he can’t be there on a day-to-day basis to mentor Marshall.
Marshall is also using his own people for personal development, and that is a good sign – but it doesn’t guarantee change.
As a head coach, Morris guided the Sharks to the finals in 2019-20 but was released in 2021 when the club signed Craig Fitzgibbon. He was also a part of the South Sydney coaching set-up when they made the 2022 preliminary final.
It wasn’t enough to save him at the Tigers. Perhaps he needed to have played for them in 2005, instead of joining the club and being part of the squad with Marshall from 2007 to 2009.
News Corp’s cheap trick
At a time when the NRL media is striving for greater access to players, News Corp have involved Nathan Cleary in a cheap trick that commercialised a media opportunity with Penrith stars.
In an Instagram ambush, Code Sports filmed a commercial for a phone company showing players, other journalists and network branding – with no benefit to the players, the Panthers or anyone.
That’s a breach of the Rugby League Players Association’s collective bargaining agreement.
Leading rugby league journalist Brent Read filmed a commercial for the phone brand during time specifically set aside for media interviews in the lead-up to Sunday’s qualifying final against the Roosters.
Read – who didn’t get any financial rewards or even a free phone out of it – was recorded doing interviews, apparently using a press conference for working media as a prop, for the commercial. The Panthers were given no prior warning.
As he sat down for an interview with Cleary – which the star halfback was obliged to conduct under the game’s media rules – Read asked him if he had a conflicting sponsor before involving him in the ad.
Fortunately for News Corp, Cleary is as easygoing as they come, and didn’t protest.
But it was not the right way to do it. Cleary is the best player in the game and deserves to be treated with greater respect. At worst, it should have been cleared with his management.
The phone company got to use Cleary in the advertisement without paying him a cent. Cleary’s agent, George Mimis, has done six-figure deals with Rexona, Nine Entertainment (the publisher of this masthead), Kia and various other brands for his top client.
Cleary should invoice News Corp for the commercial. They can afford it. At worst, Mimis needs to thrash it out with News Corp.
RLPA boss Clint Newton said it was understandable that publishers need to generate revenue, but that access to players in designated media slots should be respected.
“It should not be used to create sponsored content involving players or clubs without the appropriate permissions and approval,” he said.
“Players’ IP [intellect property] is incredibly valuable, and those rights need to be recognised consistently across the industry. We all want to grow the game, but the value of the players at the centre of it needs to be respected. We’re keen to work with new and traditional media on how to best unlock this value with players.”
Read did not want to comment.
Dog and horses
Lachlan Galvin was up at 4am on Saturday – six hours after becoming the youngest winner of the Bulldogs player of the year award, named after club great Dr George Peponis.
Galvin wasn’t having a bender – the 21-year-old doesn’t drink – but instead taking steps towards his next sporting endeavour.
“I want to train horses,” he revealed. “It’s something I really love. I’ve got two at the moment. One is called Don’t Want Me and the other is a grey filly that is unnamed. If you want a share let me know. I’ll be up at 4am tomorrow morning going in to Warwick Farm with Jason [trainer Jason Coyle]. He has been a great support to me and he is part of my circle.
“I can go out and learn about the horse. The biggest thing for me about the horses is they don’t judge anyone. You give them a pat, and they don’t care who you are. I love getting around there, and it’s something I really love.
“I’ll be swimming them and saddling them up. Bloody oath I love them. Jase is good person to learn off. He has a few special ones coming through and hopefully, he can win a few big races.”
Galvin’s allusion to his horses not judging him is significant.
He has been hammered by sections of the media. But the club’s general manager Phil Gould is smart and knows how to keep the young half’s mind distracted away from the grind of football. Like Galvin, Gould loves the races and horses.
“Gus usually talks to me about horse races,” Galvin said. “That’s the best thing for me, and it’s smart from him. He knows that’s my getaway and that gets my mind off rugby league and that helps me perform at my best. It’s why he is a great person and I love working for him. Along with the staff and my teammates and the coaches, they help me get to my best.”
That’s exactly what Galvin did this year, with some observers even prepared to say he is performing better than Nathan Cleary at the same age. Galvin won’t hear any of that talk.
“I don’t think I’m anywhere near Nathan yet,” he said. “I know Gus was with Nathan at this age but I wouldn’t want him to tell me that.”
Watts doing, Anthony?
The sight of a bulked-up Anthony Watts as part of a story in the courts pages this week had everyone in the NRL talking.
He was a halfback/hooker back in the day. I remembered his exit from Cronulla, which was particularly fiery. Ricky Stuart, the Sharks coach at the time, tossed his belongings out of the house where he was staying. I reminded Stuart of this on Friday.
“I do remember that,” Stuart said. “He’s a big boy now. I think I’d handle it differently. I’d iron his clothes, put them in a suitcase and carry them out to the Uber I’d have called for him.”
Chief concern
Titans back AJ Brimson is being offered to clubs as a swap deal. The problem is, Brimson is only interested in leaving the Gold Coast to play for the Chiefs, and PNG won’t pay the $950,000 he is on. They are willing to pay only $700,000.
Luke who’s a signing option
Here is an interesting whisper that has been put to this column – injured Manly five-eighth Luke Brooks has been suggested as a solution to clubs short on halves next year.
Manly have Jamal Fogarty and rising stars Joey Walsh and Onitoni Large ready to launch. It’s one worth keeping an eye on. Brooks is coming off a ruptured ACL in his left knee so that may diminish his value. But he was brilliant for his team this year.
Plane tickets lost in the post
Jarryd Hayne’s incredible NFL journey won’t be forgotten by sports fans, but it appears the team he was part of – the San Francisco 49ers – has done that.
Hayne played eight games for the 49ers during their 2015 season. Naturally, he was expecting to get tickets to Friday’s clash at the MCG. He took to social media to say they had fallen through. And that his teammates from those days were surprised he was not part of the week.
“Only the good teams stick solid” was Hayne’s observation.
The 49ers may have done a Google search on his recent years. In June 2024, Hayne walked out of a Sydney prison after the state’s top court quashed sexual assault convictions following an incident involving a 26-year-old woman in her Newcastle home on the night of the 2018 NRL grand final.
Hayne always maintained his innocence.
Hayne’s remarks about teams still backing him was obviously a reference to the Eels, whose public support for him was detailed in this column when they celebrated his appearance at a 2009 grand final reunion.
Gentle nudge
We told you some months back that Manly general manager Peter Gentle would be moved on. It was inevitable once Anthony Seibold was sacked.
The Sea Eagles will need to restart talks with superstar Tom Trbojevic. His agent had opened discussions with Gentle with a view to signing a two-season extension. The deal should not be a tough one to do, as Trbojevic wants to stay with the club he loves. It could be his last NRL contract.
Out of the Woods?
The Bulldogs have decided to scrap an overseas trip for young half Mitch Woods to try and get his hamstring right. He was going to be sent to Los Angeles, but they think local treatment and experts here can get the job done.
Manu in demand
A number of clubs have made inquiries about Joey Manu potentially making a pit-stop in the NRL next year before he joins the Chiefs in 2028.
Manu is playing rugby union in France but could be available for NRL clubs to sign before the June 30 transfer deadline next year.
The Warriors tried to do it this year but the former Roosters centre wasn’t able to commit given he is contracted to Racing 92 in the French Top 14 premiership.
Next year he will be a free agent by June and the Chiefs have got no issues with him joining a rival NRL team before he heads to Papua New Guinea in 2028.
“Joey has our blessing to do whatever he chooses,” Chiefs general manager Michael Chammas said of the 30-year-old.
“If he feels his body needs a rest, we will support him. Equally, if he feels like the best thing for him to do is get some NRL games under his belt before joining us, then we definitely wouldn’t be opposed to it. That’s up to Joey.”
The Chiefs have had Manu in their sights for six months. While their pursuit only became public when he visited Port Moresby a month ago, a lot of work went in behind the scenes to make it a reality.
Incoming coach Willie Peters, in England with Hull KR, flew to Paris on his day off in April to meet with Manu and sell him the dream. That’s where the seed that led to Manu becoming Chief 007 some five months later was planted.
Peters has been working tirelessly in the shadows building this roster. Out of respect for Hull KR he has not spoken about the Chiefs since his unveiling six months ago.
He arrives in Australia next month and is headed straight to PNG for the World Cup for two of the Kumuls’ matches against Lebanon and Samoa, before officially starting with the Chiefs on November 1.
News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport sent every Friday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.
