'It makes no sense': NRL great questions 'hurried' Wests Tigers call as young gun eyes early exit

James Graham has raised question marks over the "hurried" decision from Wests Tigers officials to let Tallyn Da Silva negotiate with rival clubs.

The young hooker has reportedly been granted permission to talk to other teams right now, despite being signed with the joint venture until the end of 2026.

Da Silva's contract situation is dictated by the club's plan to keep Api Koroisau beyond his current deal, blocking the local junior's pathway to the starting No.9 jersey.

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Things came to a head on the weekend when Da Silva was left on the bench for the entire 80 minutes as a late Tigers comeback fell flat against Canberra.

Benji Marshall brushed off the concerns over his lack of game time, but wouldn't confirm whether the 20-year-old would be at the club by the end of June.

Speaking on Triple M's NRL Daily, league great Graham took aim at the club for a move that could have "shot themselves in the foot" and also pointed out how the Lachlan Galvin departure earlier this year has left the Tigers reeling.

"They've hurried this decision along," he said.

"A lot can change in a week in football with injuries, especially to older players. They had both of these guys contracted until the end of 2026 and it appears as though they're going to let Tallyn Da Silva walk out the door now.

"If something happens in the next six months to Api Koroisau, they've shot themselves in the foot ... I think you delay that decision for as long as possible.

"They did the same with Galvin, they allowed him to go early. Two of their best juniors are being allowed to play for other rival clubs a year early - it makes no sense."

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The latest contract saga at Concord has been compounded by a rough losing streak, with the round 16 defeat their fifth in a row.

In that stretch, three of those losses have come by less than a converted try.

While there has been improvement on the field from an overall perspective, Sharks premiership winner Wade Graham conceded things were heading in the wrong direction after a promising start to the 2025 campaign.

"There will be some frustration there from a fans' point of view, because there were some bright moments at the start of the year," he said.

"No doubt they've improved in their football ... but despite all that improvement and all that hope from the start of the year, they are sitting in the same spot.

"The frustration would be the same old noise out of the Wests Tigers - we saw the Lachie Galvin situation and now the Tallyn Da Silva situation. There always seems to be noise of the place being a little bit unsettled and issues behind the scenes.

"When you're not getting the results on the field, that part of the game becomes a frustration if you're a Tigers supporter."

Graham pointed out the "soft" defensive issues as a reason for their shortcomings.

"They've improved - they've just not improved enough," the English legend said.

"It's a significantly improved roster, but as a team, they just haven't improved enough.

"Some defensive lapses [against Canberra] - like the Joe Tapine try - just far too easy.

"It's a deep dive on the Tigers around where their areas of improvement are, but ultimately it starts with defence and not leaking soft tries."

Marshall's men will take on the besieged Sea Eagles at Brookvale on Friday night.