Luke Garner delivers message to former club
The Wests Tigers will also have an entirely different coaching staff than what they started with at the beginning of the 2023 season.
Tim Sheens (head coach), David Furner (assistant coach), Wayne Lambkin (assistant coach and NSW Cup coach), and Warren McDonnell (recruitment manager) have all exited the club, prompting the Tigers to inject some new blood into their coaching staff.
Benji Marshall will take the head coaching position – one season before he was expected to – and will be joined by Robbie Farah, John Morris, Chris Heighington and Aaron Payne in the coaches’ box.
Despite links to transitioning to the head office, Farah will remain on as an assistant coach in what will be his second season in the role. Chris Heighington has transitioned into the assistant role after being the club’s trainer in 2023 and will look after the middle forwards.
“At the Sharks we got the wooden spoon in 2014, made the semis the next year and then won the comp. It’s a process. Improvement game after game. You can turn yourselves around quickly,” Heighington recently told News Corp.
“My biggest asset is probably working one-on-one with players and trying to create a better person and better player.”
John Morris joins from the South Sydney Rabbitohs and adds a ton of valuable experience to the roster. While Aaron Payne has reportedly secured the old job of Wayne Lambkin.
The former North Queensland Cowboys hooker is set to join the Tigers after working as the head coach of the Townsville Blackhawks in the QLD Cup from 2018-2023.
Penrith Panthers premiership winner Luke Garner has delivered a message to his former club after they claimed their second consecutive wooden spoon in the 2023 season.
Only registering four wins in 2023, the Wests Tigers had a year to forget as they would continue their losing ways. This would cause the loyal fans to lose trust in the organisation’s head office, and more than one fan protest would occur during their last season’s games.
However, while it may not have been a successful season for the Tigers, 2023 saw the emergence of several future stars. Jahream Bula has claimed the fullback role and is considered one of the brightest prospects in the game.
