NRL great says Tigers' juniors provide hope for future despite not improving under Benji

NRL great Scott Sattler has argued the Wests Tigers have not improved since 2023 but a crop of talented young players should provide hope for the future of the club.

The Tigers, last year, won their second consecutive wooden spoon where then-assistant coach Benji Marshall was effectively running the side while head coach Tim Sheens oversaw Marshall’s development.

Sheens was fired at the end of 2023, thrusting Marshall into the role earlier than anticipated. The Tigers currently sit in second last having only won two of their first eleven games of the season.

Sattler thinks that the Tigers haven’t improved thus far under Marshall, but the club’s extensive selection of talented juniors is enough to give the club confidence that brighter days are ahead.

“I think it’s the same as last year but in saying that, if you look over their top 30 squad they’ve got some really really impressive teenagers and 20-year-olds who just need to get those games under their belt,” Sattler said on NRL Crunchtime.

“It’s difficult for fans to sit back and be patient… but I think… in the next two or three years when they have 40-50 games under their belt, I think we’ll see a completely different Wests Tigers.

Sattler also said the Tigers ability to attract top-tier players was another promising factor that Tigers fans should feel very optimistic about.

In the last two years, the Tigers have had a roster overhaul, signing captain Apisai Koroisau, Isaiah Papali’I, John Bateman, David Klemmer, and Aidan Sezer, while Jarome Luai and Sunia Turuva are joining the club in 2025.

“As long as they continue to recruit top-tier players, like Jarome Luai, I think they’ll have some breathing space… results will be the decision in the end but if you’ve got the ability to attract top-tier players then it means your club’s going okay,” Sattler said.

“(With) Shane Richardson at the helm, he will clean out their salary cap and I think collectively they’ll do some good at the Tigers.”

The Tigers have a bye to prepare for their crucial Round 14 clash with the St George-Illawarra Dragons as the club aim to avoid their third-straight wooden spoon.