Wests Tigers coach Tim Sheens believes the Wests Tigers have over-achieved over the last few seasons despite only this season making a return to the NRL finals for the first time in five years.

After producing a fantastic late surge to storm to the premiership in 2005, the Tigers were merely finals spectators over the next four seasons before stopping the rot with a third-placed finish this season.

While most believe the club's return to the finals is long overdue, Sheens doesn't see it that way and rubbished claims the club have been majorly disappointing over the last few seasons.

The Tigers boss said there were a number of issues that prevented the club from cracking the top eight in that time and the players deserve credit for even challenging for the finals over those years.

"The talk about we've under-achieved for the last four years I quite disagree with," Sheens said ahead of Saturday night's clash with the Roosters at the SFS.

"I think we've over-achieved the last four years just to stay anywhere in close contact with the finals given some of the issues the club has had and the financial restraints we've been under."

"I think this year is a reward for some hard work over the last three years rather than the last three or four years we've under-achieved or we haven’t played well enough to make the semis."

"We've worked our backsides off literally to get anywhere near it the last four years and I just look at this year as a reward for that."

The challenge for Sheens' troops is to now make the most of the opportunity that's in front of them, starting with the Roosters on Saturday night.

The Tigers lost both encounters between the two clubs during the season but Sheens denied it will give the Tricolours any advantage.

A plus for the Tigers over the last few weeks has been the form of five-eighth Benji Marshall, who has seemed to find the balance between flair and risk-free footy over the last month.

While Sheens has tried to convince the New Zealand international to cut out his trademark fancy play heading into the finals, he doesn't want his star playmaker to be too conservative.

"We've always talked about the circumstance and the situation and what to do...as long as he's practicing what he wants to do that's alright," Sheens said.

"A lot of our so-called flair is practised, we move the ball, we do it at training and as long as we're doing things they're doing at training, I'm not upset at what they try."

"He just needs to settle down that's all, if he wants to flick a pass, he's good at it and he'll do that."

Sheens also dismissed talk his side would be overawed by the occasion despite being out of the finals arena for so long.

"It's just a matter of concentrating on your game, preparing well and we've tried to make the week as normal as possible," he said.

"The excitement is naturally there. You just look at the size of the press contingent this morning, there's plenty of interest in the game.

"The players just need to keep a tight focus on the game, it's the same as any other albeit it will be an intense game there's no doubt about that."