The Wests Tigers coach didn’t appear interested in playing one of his young superstars in the loss to the Raiders.
Benji Marshall has hit back at reporters after opting to leave Tallyn Da Silva as an unused sub on the bench in the loss to the Raiders after reports emerged the young gun has been granted permission to negotiate with other clubs. Although the Wests Tigers may have found the long-term NRL answer to Lachlan Galvin’s role with Latu Fainu having his best game in the jersey.
On Friday, the Daily Telegraph reported he’s been granted permission to negotiate with rival clubs and is free to walk early if he can secure a deal. The 20-year-old talent stuck behind Api Koroisau at the Tigers and has played 23 first-grade games since his debut in 2023, and looks every bit an NRL-level player.
But he’s spent the majority of 2025 in reserve-grade due to the fact the Tigers have Koroisau entrenched as their No.9. Da Silva is contracted to the Tigers until the end of 2026, but The Tigers had already stated the 20-year-old was free to leave if they extend Koroisau’s current contract (also ending at the end of 2026).
Da Silva was brought back into the Tigers fold on Friday night against the Raiders with Marshall set to use him off the bench. However, Marshall opted to leave Da Silva on the bench for the whole 80 minutes.
The timing of the snub left Tigers fans confused. Despite trailing 16-0 at half-time, the Tigers made a comeback but needed some energy in the final 10 minutes. Although Da Silva was nowhere to be seen with Marshall feeling like the experience of Koroisau was more important.
When Marshall was asked about his decision to leave Da Silva sitting as an unused substitute in the cold all night, the coach hit back. “We needed to cover for (starting hooker) Api (Koroisau) as well, if he needed a spell, but the game’s in the balance, you want your best players on the field,” Marshall said.
If there was an opportunity to put Tallyn on, I would have, but we needed Api on the field.” When pushed on whether the young gun was leaving the club, Marshall played it coy. “Not sure,” he replied.
Fans have already admitted they would like Da Silva to stay beyond his current contract. But the decision to leave him on the bench in yet another Tigers loss left fans perplexed and frustrated with Marshall’s coaching. This isn’t the first time Marshall has left players on the bench without stepping on the field in the NRL this year. And his bench rotation has become a prominent talking point among the fans.
Latu Fainu stars in Wests Tigers loss
One shining light in the loss to the Raiders at home was Fainu. There were plenty of concerns when Galvin left the club with the Tigers’ attack set to take a hit with the playmaker joining the Bulldogs.
However, Fainu showed why many were fine to see Galvin leave with the young star showing plenty of promise in his return from injury. Jarome Luai was strong in the second-half for the Tigers and combined well with Fainu to send Starford To’a for a try. This was just a glimpse into what could be a long-term combination for the side who suffered their fifth-straight defeat.
Fainu started on the bench, but came on to play 53 minutes before settling in at five-eighth. He ran for 108 metres and made 16 tackles, but it was his creativity that had viewers impressed with the youngster.
Former Broncos coach Kevin Walters claimed Fainu: “Changed the whole way the Tigers were playing.” While Greg Alexander admitted: “They could’t tackle him, he was a handful.” This is promising signs for Marshall going forward, but the Tigers now drop well outside the top eight with a tough game against the Manly Sea Eagles next week at Brookvale Oval.
