Chalk and cheese.
A succinct assessment from Tigers skipper Api Koroisau but one that encapsulates the coaching evolution of Benji Marshall.
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Marshall, a club champion and one of the NRL’s most popular former stars, was thrust into the Tigers’ head coaching role late in the 2023 season following a brief and unique apprenticeship.
Despite not boasting any head coaching experience, the Tigers hired Marshall as an assistant under Tim Sheens for 2023 and 2024 with the plan for Marshall to take over Sheens in 2025.
However, Marshall’s promotion was fast-tracked when the struggling Tigers parted way with Sheens a little more than a season early.
Since, Marshall has had to endure more than his fair share of rocky moments. The Lachlan Galvin exit, the club’s seemingly never-ending boardroom drama and public doubts over his commitment to the cause just to name a few.
Not only that, but he assumed control of a club that was parked to the bottom of the ladder.
Given one of the NRL’s toughest assignments, Marshall has had some tough moments throughout his two years at the helm, including a wooden spoon in his rookie year, but he is clearly tracking in the right direction.
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TRENDING UPWARDS
The Tigers only won three more games in 2025 than they did the year before but it was a sharp improvement in Marshall’s second season as head coach.
Up until the final month of the season, they were a mathematical chance of making the eight, before finishing with three straight losses. Not ideal, but there were plenty of signs to suggest this is a team building to good things.
From the outside looking in, it’s a group that not only loves playing with each other but for their coach.
That was no more evident last season when several Tigers stars strongly leapt to Marshall’s defence, particularly during the tumultuous few weeks when Galvin agitated for an exit from the club, but more on that later.
Koroisau has seen Marshall’s coaching progression first hand, having joined the Tigers from the Panthers ahead of the 2023 season – Marshall’s first as an assistant coach.
When asked what the differences were between now and when Marshall first took over, Koroisau didn’t mince words.
“It’s chalk and cheese. Even just compared to how he was last year, the standards have gone through the roof, the attention to detail has gone to a new level,” Koroisau told foxsports.com.au.
Not long removed from his playing career, Marshall has been criticised or accused at times of being too buddy-buddy with his players and questions have been raised about his style. Can he crack the whip when he needs to? How will players be disciplined?
Koroisau says his coach has made big strides in altering the dynamic in a way which will help the Tigers succeed.
“I think as well he’s found out the ways that he needs to approach the group which is sort of like a personal building thing for himself,” he continued.
“He’s just sort of building on how he needs to be as a coach and it seems to be paying off his pre-season as well. The boys know where they stand.
“He likes to let the boys know exactly where he is too so there’s no second guessing or anything and I the attention to detail is insane at the moment so no one’s going to worry about anything.”
Co-captain Jarome Luai has often said on the record that Marshall was a hero of his and a huge reason as to why he left in the middle of a Panthers dynasty to join the struggling Tigers, but admitted there were times he needed to see past his admiration of Marshall the player and forge a relationship with Marshall the coach.
“I just think around the trust we have for each other and what we talk about, how we talk about things and go about things has been a massive eye-opener for me,” Luai told foxsports.com.au.
“Still to this day I am trying to get out of that… he was my hero back in the day and he was a big part of why I wanted to chase being an NRL player. So for me, it’s about sometimes putting that aside and just having a proper captain-coach relationship.
“That’s been a test for myself, but I think we’ve hit a sweet spot.”
Tigers halfback Adam Doueihi shared a similar sentiment to Luai and Koroisau, believing Marshall has employed a harder edge to his coaching style.
Like Koroisau, Doueihi has ridden the Tigers rollercoaster since Marshall was employed as an assistant,
“He’s done it for a few years now. He was assistant for a few years as well, so you develop and learn things on the run,” Doueihi said.
“Obviously with a lot of losing it comes with experience and a lot of challengers and leanings along the way as well.
“He grew last year into the head coaching role and adapted. We had a big off-season and he has come back into this pre-season demanding more from us senior players and the younger players and everyone in the club.”
THE TURNING POINT
Circling back to the much-publicised Lachlan Galvin departure as it’s an important chapter in Marshall’s coaching story to date.
When the prodigiously talented Galvin declined the Tigers’ massive five-year extension offer in April of last year, it created the story of the 2025 season.
There were reports the Galvin camp made the decision they did in part to Marshall’s coaching CV or lack thereof.
In one press conference, Marshall responded to the reports with a quip, saying: “Everyone thinks I can’t coach anyway”.
Seeing how their coach faced the media often and handled the firestorm was impressive and inspiring. According to Koroisau, it helped the club turn a corner.
“I think it was probably when everything happened midway through last year was a bit of a turning point. The way he tried to deal with everything and try to keep everyone out of the spotlight,” the Tigers skipper said.
“He tried to shield the boys from everything that was happening outside and he was copping a lot of flak at that time too, but for him to still put himself out there and try and take most of the hits for the boys was something that everyone saw and noticed. Those are the kinds of people you want to play for.
”Even before then he was already pretty good, but that sort of thing, well I think it took things to a new level.”
HANDS-ON BENJI
Given he only retired from football just over four years ago, Marshall is still in fine shape.
He’s using that advantage in an attempt to gain a coaching edge over his counterparts.
“He jumps out there and helps in the opposition team sometimes and put the plays on for them. He’s one of the best options, puts the best plays on and gives us the best practice sometimes with just his skill in some of the drills,” Doueihi explained to foxsports.com.au.
“He’s definitely still got it and he’s not trying to tell you that either. There’s a bit of banter that goes out there on the field when he’s on there but when it’s time to zone in and lock in, he puts the serious mode on.”
Ironically, it was reported last season that Doueihi and Marshall got into a training confrontation after the utility took umbrage to a tackle Marshall made, however both men refuted those claims.
Doueihi continued that not only is Marshall getting the most out of his players on the training field, but his 340-odd games of NRL experience has been a massive asset to the utility, who is set to permanently move into the halves this season.
“Benji is one of the greatest halves to ever play the game,” he said.
“I was lucky enough to play alongside him in 2020 at the Tigers in his last season. For him to transition into the coaching role … the way that he sees the game from a halfback’s perspective and can break down the opposition with little trick plays is great for me.
“I’m all ears whenever he talks. Me and ‘Romey’ (Luai) sit down with him and our attack coach Brett Hodgson about coming up with different game plans and styles of footy that suit our team.
“We’re taking this club to a higher standard than where it’s been before. Hopefully it pays off for us.”
Marshall and the Tigers will likely trot out a near full-strength side against the Panthers at Leichhardt Oval this weekend in their final hitout before the season proper.
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