Tigers boss Shane Richardson is backing Benji Marshall to be the club’s coach long-term as he grapples with a signing dilemma between skipper Api Koroisau and young gun Tallyn Da Silva.
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The Tigers are reportedly set to let Da Silva leave the club because he doesn’t want to play second fiddle to Koroisau for the rest of the captain’s career.
Da Silva is considered a representative player of the future, but Marshall is keen to re-sign Koroisau, which is set to cost the club arguably their best young player.
The Daily Telegraph’s Phil Rothfield revealed Richardson has given Marshall his full support, despite the club losing five straight games and sitting one loss away from a fourth straight wooden spoon.
“I spoke to Richo on Friday before the Canberra game, which was the West Tigers’ fifth loss, and he was really, really emphatic as Richo can be at times and quite determined to get his point across in the media, that Benji’s under no pressure whatsoever,” Rothfield said on NRL 360.
“And you know what? There are only two points off the bottom-place side. They’ve had three wooden spoons in a row, but he thinks long-term, into next year, that Benji is the man to take this club forward.”
However, Gorden Tallis believes the Tigers can’t afford to let Da Silva walk out the door.
“What about Tallyn Da Silva, they can’t afford to lose him,” Tallis said.
However, Rothfield believes there would be similar uproar if the Tigers lost their captain for a young player, who has not yet proven himself.
“But what do you do, Gordie, with the kid who says, I don’t want to play behind Api Koroisau?” Rothfield said.
“Do you sack Api Koroisau and cut him loose, or do you go with the kid?”
Tallis believes the Tigers need to convince Da Silva to serve his apprenticeship before taking over from Koroisau.
“Well, you play two hookers the way Cameron Smith and Harry Grant did,” Tallis said.
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“But Tallyn doesn’t want to do that,” Braith Anasta interjected.
“And Harry Grant had to go on loan to the Wests Tigers for a year for that to even work out,” Rothfield said.
“Well, you put him on loan somewhere,” Tallis hit back.
Rothfield believes Da Silva could be a costly loss in coming years because he has the potential to play State of Origin, while Koroisau’s best years are behind him.
“There’s a couple of good judges in the game who say Tallyn Da Silva is an Origin player, even in the next couple of years,” Rothfield said.
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“He’s going to be a superstar. I don’t know how they solve it, because I would not under any circumstances let Koroisau go.”
“It’s a tricky situation to be in for the Tigers,” Anasta said.
The Daily Telegraph’s Brent Read believes the Tigers have to let Da Silva go and Richardson has given Marshall his full support to make a tough call on the young gun.
“I don’t think they can solve it,” Read said.
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“I think they’ve got to be really careful that they don’t lose them both in the end because if they don’t get Api done and they’ve allowed Tallyn to go to market.
“That means they’ve got to get Api done. And I know they’re having more talks with him and his camp this week.
“I suspect they’ll get it knocked over reasonably quickly, but I think Api’s been great for that club.
“He’s been very loyal to Benji, and Benji’s been loyal to him. And as you saw, Richo’s backing his coach, and he’s backing his coach with this decision.”
