NRL great questions Benji Marshall move after Jarome Luai handed Wests Tigers captaincy
The NRL great has questioned the decision from the Tigers coach ahead of the 2025 season.
NRL great Scott Sattler has questioned Benji Marshall's decision to announce two captains ahead of the 2025 season, with Jarome Luai catapulted into the role. Last year, Api Koroisau was the captain of the Wests Tigers but couldn't help stop the club from finishing last and earning yet another wooden spoon.
But there is plenty of hype around Marshall's new-look Tigers outfit this year with the likes of Luai, Sunia Turuva and Terrell May just a number of stars joining the roster. Luai is the highest-profile star to join the Tigers from Penrith and has already been hailed for his impact at the club.
Luai will take over the No.7 jersey and feature in the halves with promising youngster Lachlan Galvin. And his attitude at training has seen Marshall immediately propel Luai into the co-captaincy role alongside Koroisau.
This means the club will now have two former Penrith players as their captains, despite one never having played a game for the Tigers. While clubs such as Penrith (with Nathan Cleary and Isaah Yeo) utilise the dual-captain scenario, traditionalists still feel only one captain should be appointed.
Penrith great Sattler feels it was important for the Tigers to reward their big-money signing with a leadership role due to the experience his brings. "Jarome makes sense, because he has won everything you can win. Outside of that, when you get a player that's tasted so much success you also need to develop them as a player furthermore at a new club," Sattler said on SEN Radio.
"By doing that, it's giving them an official leadership role. He was a leader at the Panthers, but giving the 'C' next to his name is the next challenge. And that is really important to him at this stage of his career."
Scott Sattler congratulates Jarome Luai on his appointment as Wests Tigers' co-captain!
However, he isn't convinced co-captains are the way to go for any team. Why/why not do co-captains work well for teams?#NRL pic.twitter.com/SGmbQoDlxJ— Sportsday with Scott Sattler & Mat Rogers (@SattsRatSEN) January 22, 2025
Why Scott Sattler isn't a fan of co-captains at clubs
However, Sattler admitted he isn't a fan of two captains at a club and claimed clubs only name a number of leaders because they are worried they will disappoint their stars. "Well done to the Tigers of making Luai as one of the captains, no doubt he would have been seen as one of the leaders anyway. But I do have to say I am not a fan of co-captains and never have been," he added on Wednesday.
"I think co-captains are at clubs they they don't want to disappoint one, so they'll name two, sometimes three. In that case if you have two completely different personalities, you can get mixed messages."
While Luai has been leading by example at training, the former Penrith player has been known to ruffle feathers with opposition players. Sattler admitted Koroisau appears to have the more settled demeanour when it comes to leading, while Luai will lead with his actions.
Corey Parker praises Benji Marshall's captain call
Despite Sattler's thoughts, Broncos great Corey Parker disagreed and was in favour for the dual-captaincy at the Tigers. "Two Penrith players have come across to the Tigers and now will be co-captains. I think that is a really good appointment," Parker said on Thursday on SEN Radio.
Luai admitted it was a dream come true to captain the Tigers, which was his childhood club. "Being named captain of the Wests Tigers with Api is an honour I don't take lightly," said Luai. "Api has set an incredible standard as a leader and I'm excited to work alongside him again and contribute to building something special here."
Koroisau will be suspended for the first game of the season after he was hit with a three-game ban for a lifting tackle in the Wests Tigers' last game against Parramatta. While he was able to serve two of those games in the international schedule for Fiji, he will still miss the opening game of the NRL. This means Luai will be the sole captain the Tigers in his very first game for the Tigers in 2025.