OpinionJuly 17, 2026 — 3:40pmYou have to wonder how much more Benji Marshall can take before he starts to contemplate pulling the pin on the Wests Tigers.Now that would be a disaster for the club.Benji Marshall discusses the impending departure of Jarome Luai on Tuesday.Kate GeraghtyMarshall does not need the stress or the money. He is the unofficial mayor of Canada Bay. He could easily spend his days hitting the ball around Concord Golf Club, and maybe even lowering his impressive handicap of three.Yet here he was again this week having to answer the hard questions about Jarome Luai and why the decision was made to set him free at the end of the year.Marshall had a front-row seat to the early exit of coach Tim Sheens, the ongoing boardroom dramas, the Lachie Galvin soap opera, and the sudden departure of his good friend and confidante Shane Richardson at the end of last season – but the Luai split would have stung the most.Why? Because Marshall knew he had finally found the long-term playmaker the club had craved since “King Benji” hung up the boots.Wests Tigers halves pairings since the middle of July 2022Adam Doueihi and Luke Brooks;Adam Doueihi and Jock Madden;Brandon Wakeham and Luke Brooks;Starford To’a and Brandon Wakeham;Daine Laurie and Brandon Wakeham;Will Smith and Brandon Wakeham;Daine Laurie and Luke Brooks;Daine Laurie and Apisai Koroisau;Daine Laurie and Will Smith;Lachlan Galvin and Jayden Sullivan;Lachlan Galvin and Aidan Sezer;Jayden Sullivan and Aidan Sezer;Aidan Sezer and Apisai Koroisau;Lachlan Galvin and Apisai Koroisau;Lachlan Galvin and Latu Fainu;Lachlan Galvin and Jarome Luai;Jarome Luai and Adam Doueihi;Heath Mason and Jarome Luai;Apisai Koroisau and Latu Fainu;Adam Doueihi and Latu Fainu;Jarome Luai and Latu Fainu;Jarome Luai and Jock Madden.*Statistics provided by David MiddletonIt is hard to believe it was this corresponding week four years ago the Tigers put out a press release confirming Sheens would return as head coach, before stepping aside for his apprentice Marshall. “It’s a great day for our club,” former chief executive Justin Pascoe said at the time.Since then, the Tigers have used 22 different halves combinations. It is the most of any NRL club.According to rugby league statistician David Middleton, South Sydney and Newcastle have used 20 halves pairings during that same period, followed by Penrith with 19.It is a shame the Tigers’ greatest playmaker is being forced to search again for his heir apparent.Jarome Luai trains with his Tigers teammates on Thursday.Steven SiewertLuke Brooks had potential, but hung around more than a decade before realising he needed new scenery, so packed his bags (and barbecue, which was given to him as a farewell gift by the Tigers) and chased the salty air over at Manly.Players like Will Smith, Aidan Sezer and Jayden Sullivan were all appointed before Marshall was in a position of power. The trio tried hard, but weren’t the solution.Adam Doueihi remains the pick of the bunch, but has struggled with injuries. Another who signed a bumper deal as a teenager, Latu Fainu, has also had a bad run with injuries.Daine Laurie had speed but was more suited to the No. 14 role off the bench, something he is proving this year at the Raiders, while Jock Madden is reliable, but his pay packet indicates he is seen as a back-up player.Benji Marshall fronted the media this week.Kate GeraghtyGalvin could have been anything, and may well still be, but his management dropped the bottom lip when Marshall mentioned how the local junior had the potential to also pack into the back row. Months after the club signed Luai, Galvin was off to Belmore, ending months of speculation over his future.The PNG Chiefs did not exist when the Tigers opened the chequebook for Luai. Nor did the Chiefs’ tax concessions – and certainly not their favourable third-party agreements – which in Luai’s case will reportedly soar as high as $3m, tax-free, over four years.Luai is the closest thing the Tigers have had to Marshall. He has the swagger, the marketability, confidence in front of the camera, and an enormous appetite to win.Which is why the Luai news will take some time for Marshall to digest.Marshall, 41 years young, will never be able to teach a playmaker how to produce one of his wicked steps, or how to play with instinct.But how he sees the game, and how best to expose a defensive line, is priceless, and something the Tigers’ next generation of playmakers should never take for granted.Marshall used to love jumping into opposed sessions, and would often make the NRL halves at the club look foolish. It was not his fault. It just happened.As the club has slowly added depth to their squad, Marshall was happy to scale back his involvement.If the mail is right, the next playmaker in waiting will be Queenslander Javon Andrews, a lovely mover whose career almost ended a few years ago when he cannoned head-first into an upright during a game.Should the Tigers lose their next few games, including against Galvin’s Bulldogs on Saturday night, they will be headed for a 15th straight year without playing finals football. Expect Andrews to be given a crack if this occurs.In an ideal world, Andrews would wear the No.7 next year, and Doueihi would play at five-eighth.Marshall only wants to see the Tigers succeed. He is signed until the end of 2030. He is still new to coaching, and learning on the run. But he is also a family man, and can only cope with so many setbacks.Tigers chief executive Shaun Mielekamp is backing Marshall to hang around for the long haul.“Everything I see from Benji, how hungry he is, how humble he is, and how smart he is, it’s a true testament to the quality he brings to our club, which is why we’ve backed him for the long term,” Mielekamp said on Friday.“We believe in him. We’re all part of the one family moving forward.”Sports news, results and expert commentary. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.More:NRL 2026OpinionCanterbury BulldogsWests TigersBenji MarshallFrom our partners