BRAKING NEWS: Why is Benji already worried about the Tigers having a difficult season?

After a devastating 34–18 loss to fellow 2023 underdogs St George Illawarra in Saturday’s trial, rookie Wests Tigers coach Benji Marshall is left with more questions than answers as 18-year-old phenom Lachlan Galvin strives for an NRL debut.

At least there was some positive news for the Tigers: match review committee approved halves candidate Jayden Sullivan to begin the season, while star signing Justin Olam was upbeat despite only being able to play a brief cameo against the Dragons due to a knee injury.

Sullivan was not punished on Sunday despite receiving a citation for a late hit on Kyle Flanagan, who took his position on the Red V roster and engaged in a running battle with the Tigers playmaker for the majority of the trial match.

The Tigers start their season away at Canberra in round two due to a first-round bye, while Marshall’s scrumbase combination is still up in the air.

The new coach was more concerned with his team’s dedication to defense in Mudgee, even with their full strength. Before the Dragons loosened up in the second half, the Tigers missed 39 tackles in the first forty minutes and gave up easy barge-over tries to Moses Suli and Mikaela Ravalawa.

“Our attitude towards showing up is something I didn’t think we’d have to question,” Marshall remarked.

We are fortunate that it is not the first round and that there are not two points at stake. But we’re going to have a difficult season if we don’t take care of that.

Sometimes it’s as easy as the opposing team tackling and running more forcefully than you. That is the one non-negotiable aspect of our system where we are not defeated.