Return of the king:..

Return of the king: Marshall on Tigers return, Sheens and Brooks​

By Christian Nicolussi​

February 15, 2022 — 8.00pm

Retired superstar Benji Marshall has spoken for the first time about how excited he is to return home to the Wests Tigers, why Tim Sheens will restore the faith with long-suffering fans, and how few players love the club more than Luke Brooks.
Within hours of Marshall announcing his retirement from the NRL following last year’s grand final loss with South Sydney, Tigers chief executive Justin Pascoe picked up the phone to ask Marshall about a return to the joint venture.

Wests Tigers icon Robbie Farah has revealed his favourite moment from Benji Marshall's career – and his choice might come as a surprise.

Marshall was initially shattered the club did not offer him a new deal for 2021. It was perceived he had fallen out with coach Michael Maguire (for the record, the pair met for coffee after the season), while there were suggestions he refused to take home the game ball following his farewell at CommBank Stadium (Marshall later confirmed he handed the ball to a club staffer to hold for the night “until I get home because we’re all going out on the piss”).
The player the Wests Tigers loved the most has already started an ambassadorial role and will soon commence coaching - his real passion - with the club’s juniors, including the SG Ball team.

Turning 37 at the end of the month, Marshall said his heart always remained at the club where he spent 14 of his 19 seasons in the NRL, including the 2005 premiership year.
“When the club asked me if I wanted to come back I was like ‘yes’ straight away,” Marshall told the Herald on Tuesday, as he arrived at the Fox League launch via helicopter.
“What happened at the time [with my exit], it was bad miscommunication. When you’re not wanted you take it to heart, but once you accept it and move on it’s all good. I finished at Souths in a grand final. How can I be angry?

Benji Marshall hugs Adam Reynolds after winning through to the grand final last year.
“The biggest thing I learned about footy during my career is, ‘nobody is bigger than a club’. When you talk about me and the club, I’ve had a massive influence on the history of this club, and they’ve had a massive influence on my life. That will never change.

“I’m keen to coach the juniors. When you’re building a club back up, it’s about bringing through the next wave of players. I wanted to help the hookers, halves and fullbacks in the junior grades so by the time they arrive in the NRL they are ready to make the transition.”
Sheens won the Tigers’ only title, and Marshall said it was already starting to smell like 2003 around the Concord corridors. That year Marshall and a young Robbie Farah debuted, while Sheens started a recruitment drive for the following year, including signing Scott Prince and Brett Hodgson.
“One of the biggest things with the club is fans may have lost some trust and some respect - the appointment of Tim brings back some of that confidence,” Marshall said.

Benji Marshall in action for the Tigers, and with his halves partner Luke Brooks (right).CREDIT:GETTY
As for Brooks, the perennial punching bag who was linked to a move to Newcastle over the summer, Marshall said of the homegrown No.7: “I feel for him because he cops a lot of criticism. Unfortunately, when you’re in the halves or the most high-profile player, a lot falls on you.

“At Souths last year we did a lot of video on him before we played him because we knew if we could shut him down we would win. That says a lot about him.
“He doesn’t need to leave. It’s all outside noise. Professional players, you can either deal with the outside noise, let it go and keep playing, or you succumb to it and do what everyone else wants you to do.

“I’m glad he’s stayed strong. He loves the Tigers. People don’t see what he does behind the scenes, but he loves the club and he’s stayed for a reason.”
Marshall also tipped Souths to thrive without Wayne Bennett and Adam Reynolds, and was confident enough to suggest first-year NRL head coach Jason Demetriou could lead the Bunnies to a grand final replay against Penrith.