Wests Tigers legend Benji Marshall says the only way coach Michael Maguire can assure himself job security this year is to win football games.
Maguire was almost sacked by the Concord club in September, before a bizarre change of heart from the board saved his skin and earned him a reprieve not many people saw coming. Their own chairman labelled the entire saga "a debacle and an embarrassment".
The Tigers won eight games and finished 13th on the ladder, but were once again the laughing stock of the competition as they missed playing finals for a 10th consecutive year.
Sheens and Marshall won the 2005 NRL premiership together, and the latter believes his old mentor can sprinkle some magic dust on the Tigers again 17 years later.
"He brings a real calmness, a real calmness about him," Marshall said of Sheens.
"Not only that, he's brought the Tigers out of this position before. He's had to rely on a lot of young kids, sign the right people... and '05 turned out the way it did.
"He's also a shoulder to lean on if Madge (Maguire) needs it or any of the players need someone else to talk to.
"He's been there and done that."
The Tigers kick off their NRL season against Melbourne on March 12.
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I wonder if Benji will be looking to shaft him.
I wonder if Benji will be looking to shaft him.
My understanding is there’s a future WTs coach plying his trade elsewhere at the moment and he’ll be here when the seat becomes available.
Wests Tigers Podcast - Talking everything Wests Tigers!
I wonder if Benji will be looking to shaft him.
My understanding is there’s a future WTs coach plying his trade elsewhere at the moment and he’ll be here when the seat becomes available.
Tease......
I wonder if Benji will be looking to shaft him.
My understanding is there’s a future WTs coach plying his trade elsewhere at the moment and he’ll be here when the seat becomes available.
Very mysterious haha..Does your “understanding”involve a source?Is this future coach plying his trade in the NRL as a head,or assistant coach?
I wonder if Benji will be looking to shaft him.
My understanding is there’s a future WTs coach plying his trade elsewhere at the moment and he’ll be here when the seat becomes available.
Very mysterious haha..Does your “understanding”involve a source?Is this future coach plying his trade in the NRL as a head,or assistant coach?
Or in super league?
Top 8 2023
@helmesy I think it might be Todd Payten you refer to for these reasons:
Payten is on the nose with senior players in Townsville (Taumalolo & Holmes in particularly)
Cowboys roster is insanely out of balance with too many juniors and journeymen mixed in amongst big names. Payten likely to get moved this year if things go bad early up there
Tim Sheens is very, very tight with Payten.
Payten is obviously synonomous with our glory days and has great relations with many past players and staff (including many who are involved at the WT club right now)
The disappointing thing about this is that Payten interviewed for the head coaching job at the end of 2013 and was overlooked for Mick Potter (was he again overlooked for Jason Taylor or is my memory failing me?). If he had got the job all those years ago I say the Big 4 would still be at the club.
@helmesy I think it might be Todd Payten you refer to for these reasons:
Payten is on the nose with senior players in Townsville (Taumalolo & Holmes in particularly)
Cowboys roster is insanely out of balance with too many juniors and journeymen mixed in amongst big names. Payten likely to get moved this year if things go bad early up there
Tim Sheens is very, very tight with Payten.
Payten is obviously synonomous with our glory days and has great relations with many past players and staff (including many who are involved at the WT club right now)
The disappointing thing about this is that Payten interviewed for the head coaching job at the end of 2013 and was overlooked for Mick Potter (was he again overlooked for Jason Taylor or is my memory failing me?). If he had got the job all those years ago I say the Big 4 would still be at the club.
When Payten was interviewed in 2013, he had only been out of the playing ranks for 18 months. It would have been madness to have employed him then and would have ended very badly for everyone. I am yet to see any real evidence that he is a good coach other than he handles himself very well with the media. The big wrap on him used to be that the players loved him, well that seems to have fallen away up at NQ.
I wonder if Benji will be looking to shaft him.
My understanding is there’s a future WTs coach plying his trade elsewhere at the moment and he’ll be here when the seat becomes available.
So by halfway through the season
@helmesy I think it might be Todd Payten you refer to for these reasons:
Payten is on the nose with senior players in Townsville (Taumalolo & Holmes in particularly)
Cowboys roster is insanely out of balance with too many juniors and journeymen mixed in amongst big names. Payten likely to get moved this year if things go bad early up there
Tim Sheens is very, very tight with Payten.
Payten is obviously synonomous with our glory days and has great relations with many past players and staff (including many who are involved at the WT club right now)
The disappointing thing about this is that Payten interviewed for the head coaching job at the end of 2013 and was overlooked for Mick Potter (was he again overlooked for Jason Taylor or is my memory failing me?). If he had got the job all those years ago I say the Big 4 would still be at the club.
When Payten was interviewed in 2013, he had only been out of the playing ranks for 18 months. It would have been madness to have employed him then and would have ended very badly for everyone. I am yet to see any real evidence that he is a good coach other than he handles himself very well with the media. The big wrap on him used to be that the players loved him, well that seems to have fallen away up at NQ.
I agree that it would have been quite a big risk given his lack of experience but hindsight is 2020. Potter and JT were awful choices.
The club did not recognise or at worst ignored the fact that signing Payten could have helped secure Teddy Moses Woods and Brooks on long term contracts. It's not 100% certain that it would have played out like that but wow its interesting to think about 'what might have been?"
Kind of liked what Marshall has said of late. Certainly changed my view on him atad. I personally think Madge has a much better team around him now and it should send us in the right direction. I’m hoping 🤞
