Benji Marshall hasn’t even been the head coach for a single NRL game, yet there have been doubts raised whether he is putting in the work required to be successful in the caper.
Marshall’s Tigers will kick off their season against the Raiders in Canberra on Saturday.
The Daily Telegraph’s Dean Ritchie penned a column this week about Marshall’s unusual approach to coaching and whether it will work, with Ritchie and the NRL 360 panel discussing the topic on Wednesday night.
“In the fair dinkum stakes, I didn’t set to bag Benji but I wanted to throw out there a question. Is this a rock star who may revolutionise coaching? Or is he a coach who won’t put in the hours to succeed?” Ritchie said.
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“Benji has come out on the record and said he isn’t a 24/7 coach. He doesn’t want it to be all consuming, he’s got family and he wants to look after them. I applaud him for that.
“I spoke to Benji today and he disputed a lot of the interpretations and the thing that hurt him most was the insinuation that wasn’t putting the hours in.
“The stereotype out there is that all coaches get in at 5am and do 18 hours a day and if Benji doesn’t do that, who’s to say it isn’t right but who is to say it might not work though.”
Ritchie then posed the question to NRL 360 co-host Paul Kent if you needed to put in 100-hour weeks as a head coach to guarantee success.
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“I think you do, because there has never been a successful coach who hasn’t,” Kent replied.
“Every successful coach are micromanagers and workaholics.
“Benji elects not to put his players through watching the video he’ll just say let’s get on the field. That’s very different from other clubs.
“We’ll know (if it’s the right approach) in 10 weeks time when we look at the ladder. If the Tigers are sitting pretty in the top four, he might’ve revolutionised coaching or changed the game.
“I’m not trying to shitpot the Tigers but it’s very different from anywhere in elite sport. You talk about EPL coaches, NFL coaches, AFL coaches… 12 hour days are nothing to them.
“Benji was an intelligent player but he has no experience coaching. It’s going to be tough to do it.”
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The Tigers begin the 2024 season with arguably one of the worst rosters in the competition, which will undoubtedly make Marshall’s job harder.
However, if he can lift the Tigers a few spots off the bottom of the ladder, his debut season should be considered a success.
Fox League’s James Hooper wondered if Marshall should “get any latitude because the Tigers won back-to-back wooden spoons?” Hooper said.
“Wayne Bennett would struggle to get the Tigers to the eight this season.”
“Why should he get latitude? What you are saying is true when you hear the coach is doing six hour work days.
“I don’t know if it’s six hours, but it’s certainly not the hours put in by others.
“Brian Smith would work through to 1am, wake up by 5am and keep going. Craig Bellamy is the same. Most coaches are in there by the latest at 6am.”
Braith Anasta was willing to give Marshall a bit of leeway, believing we should wait to see unfolds on the field with the Tigers before making any judgments on Marshall’s coaching style.
“Personally I don’t know we are questioning him so much before he has coached a game.
“What if he comes out and has the secret to success?”
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