Benji quizzed on Luai saga after disastrous Tigers loss
Benji Marshall admits the Wests Tigers are down on confidence but he is unsure how much impact the off-field sagas around the club are having on his team.
A 32-0 defeat to the Bulldogs marked the fifth straight loss for the Tigers, who have now sunk to 14th on the ladder with six regular-season games left.
Jarome Luai in action against the Bulldogs. Getty Images
The disastrous results on field have only been amplified by off-field dramas, with the looming departure of Jarome Luai to the Parramatta Eels at the season’s end finalised this week. He will then join the PNG Chiefs in 2028.
The four-time premiership winner was booed each time he touched the ball against the Bulldogs on Saturday night, but he said was not bothered by the noise.
However, he was still disappointed by the result his team ended the night with.
“This was our best week in terms of training and preparation but it just didn’t transfer into game day,” Luai told Fox League post-match.
“We came out in the second half and gave it our best shot, but the Doggies are too good in defence.
“The feeling for us as players is that we are trying. It doesn’t always transfer into a result. I will always back my brothers. I believe in our boys. Onto the next.”
Marshall could not hide his disappointment as he watched his team from the sideline, but the Tigers coach has never been afraid to bluntly assess his team.
His press conference on Saturday night was evidence of that.
“We are struggling at the moment with confidence,” Marshall admitted.
“The start was pretty poor from us. We are struggling to play our type of footy, and off the back of it we struggled to defend our sets.
“I thought we showed some fight in the second half but then we struggled in key moments, and the next minute the scoreboard was 32-0. It is disappointing.”
Marshall was asked if the off-field saga around Luai’s exit could be taking a toll on his team, to which he admitted he was unsure if that would be the case.
Api Koroisau, the team’s co-captain, insisted he personally didn’t think it had an impact.
“On a personal level, I didn’t think about it once,” Koroisau told reporters.
“Like Benji said, we had one of our best weeks at training, so I don’t know if it did play a part.”
Marshall praised Luai’s effort, adding: “He went out there and did his job. The scoreboard did get the better of us at the back end, but he was trying hard.”
Benji Marshall speaks to reporters post-match. Fox League
While the 41-year-old recognised his side had shown fight in recent weeks, those glimpses of hope are coming in the wrong areas of the field.
In attempt to inspire his team to turn their season around, Marshall gave his side three days off before starting to train ahead of the Bulldogs game. That rest period was one he hoped would refresh his team, but he fears it may be too long.
“We will work out how to freshen the group up and build up the week to give them some confidence,” he said.
“If I look at the way we prepared, we couldn’t have prepared any better this week. That didn’t translate to the field. But we have to fight these moments together. I know our group will.”
He conceded the late aggressive outburst by Alex Twal on Bulldogs second-rower Jaeman Salmon summed up how everyone at the club was feeling given the poor run of results and turmoil around the playing group.
“I think we put so much emphasis on this week, especially on the result, caring and wanting to win, that the frustrations and emotions got the better of us,” Marshall said.
“(Twal’s actions) were probably a reflection of a lot of us and how we are feeling.
“It is tough at the moment because the way we started the season gave us a lot of hope, but we are battling at the moment. We have to ride through it. I told the boys to strap themselves in because we have to keep fighting for it.
“We have to keep preparing well, keep fighting and get the execution right.”
The Tigers will face the Raiders in Canberra next Saturday.
