Tip sheet: 5 talking points for Wests Tigers in 2024

The only way is up for Wests Tigers after back-to-back wooden spoons with club legend Benji Marshall facing a big task in his first full season as a head coach.

The responsibility of steering Marshall’s team around the paddock will fall to experienced playmaker Aidan Sezer and youngster Jayden Sullivan, both of whom arrive at Concord with expectations high that they can ignite the Tigers’ attack.

How will Benji fare in his first season flying solo?

Having served his apprenticeship under Tim Sheens, the moment has arrived for the Tigers’ favourite son to take off the training wheels and blaze his own trail as a head coach in the NRL. Just as he did as a player, Benji will do things his way and bring a unique perspective to the toughest gig in rugby league. The youngest coach in the NRL certainly has his work cut out taking over a side that has collected consecutive wooden spoons but one thing the 38-year-old won’t lack for is confidence. It will be intriguing to see whether the attacking flair and genius that made Marshall a superstar becomes the Tigers’ trademark or whether the constraints of the modern game dictate a more conservative approach.

Can the Tigers lure Luai to Tigertown?

The acquisition of three-time premiership winning Panther Jarome Luai for 2025 looms as a massive shot in the arm for the Tigers as they enter a new era under new management. The chance to run his own team and earn in excess of a million dollars a season look to have convinced the 26-year-old to leave the club that gave him his start and a trifecta of titles and take a punt on the team that has finished last in the past two seasons. The Tigers have missed the signatures of a number of big-name stars in recent times but landing a player of Luai's calibre would no doubt help attract other players to the club and give the 2005 premiers plenty of momentum heading into one of the most important seasons in the history of the joint venture.

Can Jahream elevate the Tigers’ attack to the next level?

From the moment he led the Tigers to an upset win over premiers Penrith in just his second NRL game, it was clear Jahream Bula had the X-factor. Blessed with great speed, footwork and elite game awareness for one so young, Bula is the man Tigers fans will look to in 2024 to drag them out of the cellar and into the finals conversation. On the back of a rookie season in which he averaged 159 metres per game and busted 59 tackles, Bula will enter his second season safe in the knowledge that he belongs in the big time. If new five-eighth Jayden Sullivan finds his feet and starts producing some trick plays by hand and foot for the gun No.1 then long-suffering Tigers could be in for a treat in 2024.

What role does Latu Fainu play with Sezer and Sullivan there?

"I don't care how old you are, how experienced you are, if you earn it through hard training in the pre-season, you're more than likely going to play." With those words, coach Benji Marshall sent a clear message to the likes of Latu Fainu that no-one will be guaranteed a position in his side and if you can make a statement in the pre-season then you're in the mix. At 18 and signed on a four-year deal, Fainu is seen as a long-term project for the Tigers, with the young playmaker set to thrive under Benji's guidance. The signings of Latu and his brother Samuela in July were met with much fanfare at Concord after both played strongly in NSW's Under 19s Origin victory over Queensland and both will push hard for spots in the top 17 come the start of the 2024 season.

The power of home ground advantage

After playing just three games at Leichhardt Oval and three at Campbelltown Stadium in 2023, Wests Tigers will run out in front of their passionate fans five teams at each of their home grounds next season. Their other two ‘home’ games are at Scully Park in Tamworth and Suncorp Stadium in Magic Round when they face the Dolphins. If the joint venture can conjure wins over the Sharks in Round 3 at Leichhardt and the Dragons in Round 6 at Campbelltown they will give their fans hope and belief for the rest of the season. You can pretty much guarantee the ‘house full’ sign will go up at Leichhardt when the Storm (Round 18), Cowboys (Round 22) and Sea Eagles (Round 25) come calling while the games against the Broncos (Round 8) and Rabbitohs (Round 24) will have Campbelltown rocking. The facilities at CommBank Stadium and Accor Stadium are second to none but for real atmosphere and tribal passion you can’t beat a packed Leichhardt Oval on a sunny Sunday afternoon.