Benji Marshall has been under siege since taking the coaching reins of the Tigers last season. Photo: Alan Lee/www.photosport.nz
Warriors v Tigers
Kickoff 4pm Sunday, 13 July
Go Media Stadium, Auckland
Live blog updates on RNZ Sport
Depending on who you believe, Wests Tigers are either an NRL club imploding or slowly bringing about a culture change that has shaken a few reluctant passengers to the kerbside.
Kiwi legend Benji Marshall has been under siege since the day he took over the coaching reins of the joint-venture club last season, guiding them to just six wins and the wooden spoon in his debut.
Mind you, the Tigers also finished bottom of the table the two previous seasons and last reached the playoffs in 2011, when Marshall was still on the playing roster.
Ironically, that post-season campaign ended with defeat to NZ Warriors.
This week, they arrive to face the Warriors at Go Media Stadium off the back of a morale-boosting victory over Sydney Roosters in a contest devoid of Origin stars. The result has - temporarily at least - muted the critics.
With two months remaining in the regular season, Wests already have as many wins as they managed all last season - they're only two points off the bottom of the table, but only four points outside the playoffs on a congested table.
Bolstered by several high-profile recruits - particularly former Penrith Panthers half Jarome Luai and controversial prop Terrell May from the Roosters - the Tigers seem to be turning a corner, but their cause hasn't been helped by the loss of talented youngsters Lachlan Galvin and Tallyn da Silva to rival clubs.
Last week, Marshall also had to defend himself against media reports that he had fallen out with veteran centre Adam Doueihi at training.
"There was a lot of s**t that happened during the week that was just not true and unfair, and starts because we're losing," he said.
"Then it gets reported, then every podcast jumps on it and every news article jumps on something that isn't true. Like the thing with me and Adam was crazy, and we had to defend that.
"It just puts pressure on the club that we don't need."
Outsiders claim Marshall has struggled to establish appropriate boundaries with his players in his new role as coach, and his close bond with some of his roster has fractured the squad.
If nothing else, the unwanted attention has motivated those players that remain loyal.
"It started with Benji," said stand-in captain and former teammate Alex Twal, after the Roosters result. "We showed today how much he means to us.
"Everyone really wanted to win today."
Warriors coach Andrew Webster knows the political landscape all too well, after playing through the junior grades at Balmain Tigers and later returning to coach those same teams, guiding their U18s to a national championship.
He began the 2017 season as assistant to first-grade coach Jason Taylor, but was temporarily promoted to the top job, when Taylor was sacked just three games in. Webster guided the team to two losses, before Ivan Cleary was installed as his replacement.
"I think they're used to that external pressure," Webster said. "If you coach or play or live in Sydney rugby league, you're going to get hammered every day, and I think they're used to that.
"They're a resilient bunch at the moment. They're always looking for the weak link - the team that probably hasn't played as well.
"They were all saying how good they were when they were winning at the start - they were amazing - but the media are really quick to jump on their backs. I just think they're a resilient group and showed that on the weekend."
The Tigers took back-to-back wins into their March meeting with the Warriors, who needed a late penalty from Luke Metcalf to emerge victorious 26-24.
Wests subsequently strung together wins against Cronulla Sharks and St George Illawarra Dragons, but their result over the Roosters probably ranks as their best performance of the season.
"They looked like a team that was really well bonded and looked, internally, like there were no cracks, while externally, everyone's trying to find them," Webster observed.
"That backs-to-the-wall, no-one-likes-us mentality… Queensland use it every year, so someone else may as well use it."
Much like their coach in his heyday, the Tigers play an unorthodox, off-the-cuff style that can often be difficult to plan against.
"They're a dangerous team with a lot of dangerous ballrunners and ballplayers on attack, so we'll have to be on our game defensively to limit their opportunities down our end," Warriors hooker Wayde Egan said.
"Guys like Luai and [fullback Sunia Turuva] bounce around the middle of the field with footwork and stuff, so we have to be honest defensively all game and not take a play off. That's what those guys rely on."
Webster echoed that warning.
"If your standards hold up, and you play the way you want to and defend the way you want to, then whatever they throw, you'll be ready for it," he said.
"Their unpredictability is definitely their strength, but they also play very well off structure. They certainly play what they see and [Turuva] at fullback has added a lot for them last week."
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