Written by Rhea Alison, Sports reporter, covering international sports since 2020
URL Slug: benji-marshall-rejects-israel-folau-wests-tigers-rumours
The Benji Marshall Israel Folau rumours were firmly shut down on Thursday as the Wests Tigers coach dismissed reports linking the former NRL star with a return to the club. Speaking ahead of the Tigers' Round 15 clash against the Gold Coast Titans, Marshall made it clear that recruitment speculation is not his priority after his side's heavy 68-0 loss to Penrith last weekend. The comments matter as the Tigers look to recover from one of their toughest defeats of the season and prepare for their final match at Leichhardt Oval before the venue's redevelopment.
Marshall Ends Folau Speculation
Rumours emerged this week suggesting the Tigers were considering signing 37-year-old Israel Folau, who last played in the NRL in 2010 before moving through AFL, rugby union and Super League.
Marshall quickly rejected the reports.
"No, we’re not signing him,"
He added:
"I don’t talk about recruitment publicly, but that’s the furthest thing from my mind right now."
Tigers Looking for Response
The Tigers were outclassed by Penrith last Sunday, with Marshall admitting his players were disappointed by the performance.
"It was really important for us to go through that process so we didn’t just flush it under the carpet and pretend it never happened."
Despite the defeat, Marshall reminded supporters that the club sits at 6-6 for the season and remains focused on finishing strongly.
Attention has also turned to Jarome Luai following his future move to the PNG Chiefs, but Marshall believes criticism aimed at the playmaker is misplaced.
"You can talk all you want about Jarome’s decision to go to PNG, but there are 16 other players or 18 other players in the squad that need to do their job as well."
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