"Needs a big change": Why Townsend loved Marshall's pre-season spray

Chad Townsend has praised Wests Tigers coach Benji Marshall for the hardline stance he has taken with the side throughout their pre-season.

Having won nine games last season (their most since 2019), there is some hope that the side can continue to improve in 2026 to push towards a finals berth.

Throughout their pre-season, the Tigers have documented their training on a four-part YouTube series called Rising.

And in that series, Marshall would ensure to instil some clear messages to his playing group.

“I’m big on standards,” he said.

“If you don’t make your f---ing times consistently and you can’t perform and you don’t turn up and you’re not professional, then you’ll be f---ing out of here.

“It has happened, trust me. We’ve been through this s—t; we’re not doing that anymore.

“At the Wests Tigers, we stand for something, and if you’re not prepared to follow what we stand for, there’s the f---ing door.”

Having listened to the spray, the 2016 premiership halfback loved the standards that Marshall was trying to set, considering the club’s struggles on the field and trying to build a culture.

“I love it,” Townsend told SEN’s Kick Off.

“Benji Marshall laying down the law, and this is what they need to do.

“There needs to be a big change there at the Tigers with regards to their culture.”

But as Townsend acknowledges, a spray like Marshall’s may not always get the best out of a player.

“A spray doesn’t work for everyone,” he added.

“And we hear constantly that coaches only have a couple (of sprays) per year.

“Times have changed a little bit now. Earlier in my career, sprays were quite normal and used often.

“As I progressed over the course of my career, especially at the back end, sprays were less and less.

“So, it’s interesting to see that’s how I guess the new age of youngsters sort of tolerate (it)."

Marshall and the Tigers begin their season at Leichhardt Oval against the North Queensland Cowboys on Saturday.

SEN League will have live commentary of the game beginning from 2pm AEDT with the Bunnings Build-Up. Kick-off takes place at 3pm.