'Not sure': Benji Marshall explains Tallyn Da Silva snub in loss to Canberra

Wests Tigers coach Benji Marshall said he's "not sure" if hooker Tallyn Da Silva will leave Concord before the June 30 transfer deadline.

Ahead of the 16-12 loss to Canberra on Friday night, reports emerged the rising Wests hooker had been granted permission to speak with rival clubs immediately.

Da Silva, 20, was named on the bench for the clash but did not get any game time, spending the entire night on the sidelines.

READ MORE: Raiders prop facing sanction as suspected headbutt missed

READ MORE: 'Wheels have fallen off': AFL's most surprising stories of 2025

READ MORE: Nikita Tszyu vanishing act the talk of Aussie boxing

Marshall refused to guarantee Da Silva's future at Wests before explaining the decision to keep him out of the match.

"We needed to cover for (starting hooker) Api (Koroisau) as well, if he needed a spell, but the game's in the balance, you want your best players on the field," Marshall said.

Watch the 2025 NRL premiership live and free on Nine and 9Now.

"If there was an opportunity to put Tallyn on, I would have, but we needed Api on the field."

Koroisau's standing at the club has made it difficult for Da Silva to get into the starting side.

The 32-year-old is currently negotiating an extension with the Tigers leaving Da Silva as a long-term back up.

The younger hooker is under contract with the joint venture until the end of the 2026 but it's said he wants to move on without a clear path to the No.9 jersey.

The Knights are understood to have shown interest in securing Da Silva on a loan deal for the rest of 2025, but that reportedly fell through. The Eels, Souths and Cowboys have shown interest in signing him.

"We thought the idea of swapping Tallyn just for this season was a good one that would give him exposure this season, and we would get Kai Pearce-Paul," Wests CEO Shane Richardson said.

"That's changed and now we'll see what happens.

"But just because you give permission to negotiate doesn't mean you have to accept it. We're trying to do everything we can to keep Tallyn in our system, but obviously he wants to play first grade and we don't blame him. We'll see how it unfolds."

As for the Tigers on Friday night, there were some bright spots after giving up a 16-point lead in the first half.

Young playmaker Latu Fainu had many strong touches of the ball and reaffirmed the notion he is the long-term five-eighth for the club.

The team's defence, which has shown toughness at points through the year, also kept Canberra scoreless in the second half. Although, the Wests coach admitted silly penalties hurt his side.

"Couple of weeks in a row we've had some poor discipline but again it's not intentional stuff where it's foul play, we've just got to stop doing this stuff," Marshall said.