Let me start by congratulating Benji Marshall on a great career. He will (hopefully) finish with 200 NRL games for the club, our leading tryscorer, pointscorer and will always be remembered for "that" pass. What happened behind closed doors is for Benji, Tauber, the club and the NRL to know. Rugby League is a business, and at this time Mayer and Wests Tigers management is working overtime to ensure a dominant future past 2013. Both Benji and the club need to do whats best for them moving forward. Not all Rugby League players get the fairytale goodbye.
As Robbie Farah said yesterday, "No one player is bigger than a footy club." Benji's legacy will always live on at Wests Tigers.
Moving Forward
In 2014, we will have depth through the club that we have not seen before. We will have a good mix of youth and experience. For fans asking why the club needs to make players who are 'untested' in the NRL a priority it is as simple as this. Guys like Brooks, Moses and Nofoaluma have fielded offers from rival clubs over the past two years and some of the offers are downright ridiculous. Players like Brooks, Moses, Lovett and Santi, although still to play first grade, are players which the club have to keep. Our under 20's have been the brunt of a lot of criticism this year about 'underperforming' but it is overlooked that Tedesco, Sironen and Nofoaluma are still eligible. Injuries have enabled the club to test players like Luke Brooks in the NSW Cup which will only help his development.
Whether it is Benji Marshall, Luke Brooks or Mitchell Moses, it is important to remember what occurred to Taniela Tuiaki and Simon Dwyer. Nothing in life (or rugby league) is a given.
Fans are understandably nervous about 2014 and beyond, but remember this, players from the graduation class of Farah, Fulton, Halatau and co have said the talent we will see in 2014 at Wests Tigers is unparalleled. Robbie Farah made no secret that a major reason he re-signed was due to the talent at the club. I am not going to sit here and tell you that all of the 20+ players we have in NRL and NSW Cup who are 22 years of age or younger are going to play 200 NRL games, win premierships and represent their country, but we have the base to work with, as we have the most talented group in Rugby League.
It is time to have faith in our junior system. Since the start of the National Youth Competition we have seen 30 players who have graduated from the Wests Tigers U20's and play NRL. Before a ball was kicked in 2013 the thought of having 7 debutants and playing games with 8 players who had less than 10 games NRL experience was 'far-fetched'. The injury crisis the club battled this year, in my opinion, has helped the club for next season.
To the believers that 'only Benji can guide the new talent around the NRL', i say this. Within our current squad, Robbie Farah, Braith Anasta, Aaron Woods, Liam Fulton, Adam Blair, Chris Lawrence and co all made their debuts as teenagers or as 20 year olds. They know the expectation, they know the feeling.
Because of these points, i believe we will enter season 2014 in the strongest position the club has been in. Support the jersey, Support the badge. Yes we have lost a superstar, but another is about to take the NRL by storm.
Management
For too long, retention, recruitment and fan interaction has been a huge blight on the club. Point the finger at whoever you like over this, but 6 weeks ago Grant Mayer became COO of the Wests Tigers. In that time we have seen Marty Taupau join the club, Keith Galloway re-sign for 3 years and extensions for 2014 provided to James Gavet and Ava Seumanufagai. I have no doubt that Mick Potter and Grant Mayer are the best people for the job to help the club move forward.
Fans
So we have two months of guaranteed footy left in 2013, I was disgusted to see fans threaten to boycott games 'in honour of Benji'. If you are considering boycotting games just remember this, Benji has his last game at Leichhardt, his last game at Campbelltown and his 200th game coming up. Who are you trying to punish?
Finally, to the fans who say they will burn their Wests Tigers jerseys, all i can say is, please do it. All it means is that you will have nothing to wear when you feel like jumping back on the bandwagon.
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