Millions of hours have been wasted on YouTube by people watching cat videos. Chasing their tails round and round, amusing stuff.
Not so funny when it’s the Wests Tigers, who have been doing the same for a decade-plus.
The imminent exit of Tim Sheens follows a familiar … tale (last feline pun, promise) that has been repeated since the first time he was shown the door in 2012.
Benji Marshall will be the eighth coach who has been coach of the Tigers, interim or full-time, since Mick Potter inherited the poisoned chalice a decade ago.
Sheens stepping aside, or jumping before he was pushed depending on whose spin you believe, is the right move.
Benji Marshall. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)
But it’s yet another example of the Tigers fixing an error of their own creation.
The cockamamie plan for Sheens to return for a two-year term while Marshall served an apprenticeship was flawed from the get-go.
It was a venture that was supposed to bring stability to the joint but it painted the merged club as being in a holding pattern.
After signing Api Koroisau, Isaiah Papali’i, Charlie Staines, John Bateman and David Klemmer this year, they should have at least shown signs of improvement but they’ve somehow gone backwards.
They finished with a 4-20 record last season and with three rounds remaining, they are 3-18 after losing their past 10 matches since their 66-18 triumph over the Cowboys at Leichhardt in Round 12.
Wests have been competitive to not awful in most matches during their streak apart from the 74-0 revenge mission the Cowboys wreaked upon them last month.
Sheens has been up in arms about refereeing decisions most weeks, repeating himself in post-match media conferences to such an extent he’s started wondering aloud himself whether there’s any point in making the same complaints to the NRL after each round.
It’s a mentality that Marshall needs to eradicate from the Tigers.
He has been hands-on with the preparations at training and calling shots from the coach’s box on game days but now it’s his team.
Refereeing decisions can be costly but when a coach is constantly feeding the narrative that a club can’t catch an even break, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Paul Green, when he took over at the Cowboys, told the players to stop moaning about the officials after a few straight years of controversial calls contributing to early playoff exits and they became premiers the following year.
Marshall faces at least a few years of further rebuilding before the Tigers can even think about ending their 12-year playoff drought let alone dream of adding to their 2005 trophy which the incoming coach was an integral part of winning.
Tim Sheens. (Photo by Mark Evans/Getty Images)
There have been green shoots in the form of fullback Jahream Bula, who should probably win Dally M Rookie of the Year, prop Stefano Utoikamanu graduating to the Origin ranks and a bunch of prospects getting accelerated first grade educations like Fonua Pole, Aitasi James, Justin Matamua and Tallyn Da Silva.
Getting a taste of NRL level before players are ready can go two ways – they can be burnt by the experience and their careers never reach their potential or it can provide a few early scars to harden them up when the time is right for them to cope with the weekly grind.
The addition of NSW under-19 duo Latu and Samuela Fainu and Dragons playmaker Jayden Sullivan gives the Tigers even more young talent for Marshall to mould into game-changers for the club.
But it’s going to take time.
Despite the change in roles, Marshall remains under contract until the end of 2027, only now he will be serving four of his five years as head coach.
No matter what, the Tigers have to stand by him. It would be a public relations disaster to not fully support arguably the most talented players who ever pulled on the club’s jersey but unfortunately on brand for factions to be sniping in the background if fortunes don’t turn around swiftly next year.
(Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
Cameron Ciraldo is another young coach who has gained massive plaudits but nobody is questioning his appointment at Canterbury – well, not yet anyway – because he has a five-year deal unlike his two immediate predecessors.
The long-term deal to an inexperienced coach doesn’t always work out – just ask Broncos supporters still trying to forget the Anthony Seibold experiment which started poorly from the moment he was parachuted in early to replace Wayne Bennett and only got worse.
Marshall was an instinctive player in his early days at the Tigers but he developed a shrewd understanding of the game as his career progressed.
As the pace in his boots gradually diminished, his speed between the ears more than made up for it.
Whether he can pass on that knowledge to a Tigers team which has been bashed from pillar to post on and off the field will be one of his main challenges.
Settling on a spine will be a process of trial and error, finding the combination that complements Koroisau at hooker and Bula at the back.
Aidan Sezer is being brought back at 32 from the Super League to be the mentor to Sullivan and Latu Fainu, who both have been touted as stars of the future as they’ve progressed down the junior Origin pathway.
While Luke Brooks is heading to Manly, Adam Doueihi remains on the roster but he is unlikely to be fit again until midway through next season at the earliest after yet another knee reconstruction.
The fans and everyone associated with the club are crying out for the Tigers to shed their tag as the NRL’s laughing stock but outweighing that desperation is the reality that expectations are at an all-time low.
For Marshall, the only way is up and if the Tigers can stay out of their own way, and more importantly his, they can finally stop chasing their tails and three years from now again be finals contenders.
After the recent years of misery, their fans would even be happy to rack up another ninth placing – reviving that old joke is much better than being a perennial punchline.
mushi
Roar Guru
I like that they've fast tracked it. No point making someone wait 3 years for a 12-24 month role right
mushi
Roar Guru
Yep the results show a definite HGA
mushi
Roar Guru
But the flip side to that has always been: you can only sell them ice once.
mushi
Roar Guru
His firm does no win no fee compensation work. Not sure how you could really down grade the perception of that?
Drac
Roar Rookie
I hope it doesn't bite us too hard. Hunt has dropped his bundle.
DP Schaefer
Roar Rookie
The point I'm missing, is that - sure - Lee might be a major sponsor, but is it good for Brydens to be associated with a mess of a club? I can't see how the results at Tigers is good for his company or his business rep. If you are going to have that much pull at a club, you need Uncle Nic level of expectations. I think it's known I'm no great fan of the Roosters, but I can tell you now there is now way in the world he would ever put up with that and no way would that club stay in the mire.
andrew
Roar Rookie
I was thinking he was being groomed as Hunt's successor. Interested to see how he goes at the Tigers.
Dionysus
Roar Rookie
Merger ain't good enough, it would need to be a take over and I don't mean by the Tigers or Wests.
Nick
Roar Rookie
And let me guess, you correctly called it all?
Nick
Roar Rookie
I'll bet you at the time when they dangle $2m in front of your face, you would actually say "yes please".
Cam
Roar Rookie
Thanks for the insight, clears a couple of things up for me. I have heard Lee Hagipantelis speak a few times and I reckon he could sell ice to Eskimo's, the bloke is slick.
Dumbo
Roar Rookie
The Board appoints the CEO. The Owners appoint the Chairman of the Board and the other directors of the Board. Unless the Articles of Association say otherwise, a 51% majority vote by the owners is sufficient to remove one or all of the directors. Removing Lee Hagipantelis as Chairman of the Board may be risky - he owns Brydens Lawyers and is the major sponsor of the club - but if the owners had a mind to do so, they could advise Lee that unless the CEO (Justin Pascoe - not a Board member) is replaced, then they will remove all the other directors and replace them with their nominees. They should probably do that anyway. The replacement of Recruitment Manager and the encouragement of Tim Sheens to leave shows that the Board is effectively Lee and seven dummies who do his bidding. It's probably not a good idea to have the principal sponsor as the Chairman of the Board - it gives him too much influence: "do this, or I will withdraw financial support" but I think the owners (the Leagues Clubs??) will not have the appetite to remove the entire board, the CEO and the principal sponsor, all at once. Starting with the CEO would probably be the lowest risk option.
Cam
Roar Rookie
Cowboys currently sitting in 9th with 11 wins. I reckon the Tigers would kill for 11 wins in a season.
Forty Twenty
Roar Rookie
I've read articles with a similar gloomy outlook for a fair number of clubs over the last decade or so. The Knights won a few spoons and were meant to be stuffed. The Pennies made a call to bring Ivan back to the fold and it briefly looked like a very bad move and they were stuffed apparently. The Broncos won a spoon and that indicated they were clueless and stuffed, allegedly. The Warriors lost Walsh and bought back Johnson and it looked like another tilt at the spoon according to most of us. The Cows bought a washed up half from the Sharks, after a poor season, and were headed for the spoon a couple of years back it was said. How about top 4 , thankyou very much? The Tigers could easily get going next season just like plenty of clubs have in the past. The factors holding clubs back, allegedly , are often found to be invalid. The Warriors are a perfect example.
Dutski
Roar Guru
Remember when we used to laugh about the Tigers always coming 9th. Feels a long time ago.
Maxtruck
Roar Rookie
Merge Wests with Bulldogs and Tigers with Souths.
Tez
Roar Rookie
If I was a good young NRL player who was starring every game and the Tigers offered me a $2M per season contract I would say 'yeah ... nah'. There is simply not enough money to make me walk into that club.
Drac
Roar Rookie
Poor old Bud went from one dud system to another. I was hoping he'd land somewhere that develops players.
BigGordon
Roar Rookie
The issue about the number of coaches needs to be put into perspective and “blame” apportioned where it’s due. None of the 8 coaches used by the Tigers have a winning percentage even close to 50%. The best was Ivan Cleary (42%) and most know about the nonsense that went on when he finally upped and returned to Penrith. Three of these coaches were interim placements, with Andrew Webster (2 games), Ben Gardner (1 game) and Brett Kimmorley (12 games) taking over from coaches who were sacked/moved on mid-season. Overall these numbers speak more about a dysfunctional front office, than they do about the ability of these coaches. Look at what Cleary’s done with a settled Board, good recruitment & retention plans, etc. Look at the number of quality players the Tigers have let go, then look at the guys they’ve paid overs to bring into the Club. Look at the various issues that have been engineered by either the CEO or the Chairman. What chance does any coach have when these problems exist? Clubs like the Broncos have turned their fortunes around by realizing they had big issues at management levels and made some serious changes. Clubs like the Tigers and Dragons have similar problems but until they recognize these same issues and do something about them, they’ll continue to fail.
Dionysus
Roar Rookie
Whilst a new coach at the Tigers (and I wish Benji the best of luck) is probably a good thing, there are far greater issues at the Tigers than the coaching staff or players. The Tigers need a seismic shift in the way that entire club is run. It needs to start at the very top cutting out dead wood and putting good people in their place (and no I don’t mean past football players or someone who runs the local launderette). The club needs to purge antiquated practices by putting in modern tried and tested management structures and processes. Put in a CEO who can really lead and back them up with capable people. The Tigers then need to take the training wheels off and let that board do whatever is needed. So great, the Tigers have a new (and possibly great) coach but its a Band-aid solution stuck over the a part of the body that isn’t even injured. Fix the real problem at the Tigers!