SHEENS TO BRING BACK REAL FLAIR
Veteran coach out to attract top players to Tigers to help play exciting brand of footy
WESTS Tigers coach Tim Sheens has vowed to throw off the shackles and continue to chase the game’s biggest names as he prepares to take charge of his first NRL pre-season in more than a decade.
Sheens, in England sorting out personal business and advising the Italian team at the World Cup, will begin pre-season with a skeleton Tigers squad alongside assistants Benji Marshall and David Furner over the next fortnight. The club’s other assistant – Tigers legend Robbie Farah – is in England with Lebanon.
Sheens, Marshall and Farah – coach and stars of the 2005 premiership side – have given the Tigers an instant injection of optimism, with Sheens declaring the club will play attacking rugby league.
Sheens, 71, will become the secondoldest head coach in the game behind only Wayne Bennett, but he insists he is as switched on and committed as ever. His goal over the next two years is to set up the club and Marshall for success when the Tigers’ great eventually takes over.
ATTACK, ATTACK, ATTACK
When Sheens coached the Tigers to a premiership nearly 20 years ago, they were exalted for the way they played the game. It was exhilarating.
It was also a reflection of their coach, who advocates attacking rugby league and shudders at the suggestion you need to defend your way to a title.
“You coach to what you have got but we will be coaching an offensive style of game,” he said. “At the end of the day, you coach to what you feel is your DNA somewhat. Again, you have to have the people to do it, so recruitment over the next couple of years is important. We are going to rely heavily on our juniors.
“We already have two of the best kids in our country in our system. I am not saying their names – I don’t like putting pressure on any kids.
“I have more than two, to be honest, but I have two who are spine players, which is important to have.
“They are the franchise players you need. The franchise changes with the spine. You’re not winning too many games without a smart group of players in key positions.
“Api (Koroisau) coming changes things straight away. It brings in some smarts around the nine and he touches the ball more than anyone. “There’s a good start.”
Pressed on what sort of style the Tigers will play, Sheens said: “Defence is important, there is no doubt. But if you score tries, you get the ball back. If you think you are going to win a premiership on stopping sides these days – six agains in tackle counts and offensive skills of teams – you are going to be outscored.
“Good sides can score tries. Why? Because of their skills and they finish their sets with good kicks or runs. You can’t just say it is all about defence.”
BIG TARGETS, BIG NAMES
The Tigers under Sheens, Marshall and Farah are targeting the biggest names in the game.
They made it known they were willing to match or better any offer for Cameron Munster.
They have reached out to James Tedesco and will officially enter the race for Mitchell Moses on November 1 by tabling a monster deal to bring him back to the club.
If they miss him, expect them to flip to his halves partner Dylan Brown.
The club is taking their time with re-signing the likes of Adam Doueihi, Jackson Hastings and Luke Brooks as they keep money up their sleeve to blow others out of the water.
FAR FROM TOO OLD
Sheens bristles when it is suggested he may be out of touch. He is 71 and hasn’t coached in the NRL since being sacked by the Tigers 10 years ago.
After his time at the Tigers came to an end, he moved to England and worked at Hull Kingston Rovers and Widnes. Asked whether he still had the nous and energy to match it with the younger coaches in the NRL, Sheens’ eyes narrow and he stares directly through you.
“Ask me that halfway through the year. I watch every game of football on both sides of the world. If you know me, you know that. It is something I have done all my life as a footy player and as a coach.
“You enjoy watching it. I enjoy looking at the game. I know the game. To say that you have lost touch with it or don’t understand it, who are these people?
“How many games have they coached or played? In real terms, the proof will be in the pudding. It is not going to be easy to start from where we start – at the bottom of the table.
“But what I am touching wood for, and hoping desperately for, is to have our best team available.”
BELIEF IN BENJI
Benji Marshall is not just a Tigers legend, he is a rugby league icon. He will spend two years under Sheens before taking the reins on a full-time basis.
When the Tigers announced their succession plan, some questioned whether Marshall had the work ethic and desire to be an NRL coach.
Sheens has seen enough to know those qualities won’t be an issue.
“All I know is that his enthusiasm is there, which brings his attitude and dedication to the time frames that are involved,” Sheens said. “I am interim for two years and trying to help lay the pathway. In those two years, the kids are going to grow and get some opportunities. When those kids are ready, they will be Benji’s kids.”