Wests Tigers rookie coach Benji Marshall has broken his silence on parting ways with his former teammate David Nofoaluma and who will replace Luke Brooks before Jarome Luai arrives.
The Tigers released veteran winger Nofoaluma from the final two years of his contract after a series of run-ins this off-season with new coach Marshall.
It came after Nofoaluma was issued a second breach notice in a month, having first been sanctioned by the club for turning up late to an official pre-season training session
Marshall sat down with The Daily Telegraph’s Brent Read for a lengthy Q&A on the eve of the season and addressed the Nofoaluma situation and the prized signing of Luai.
“I played with David and he spilt a lot of blood, sweat and tears for our club,” Marshall said.
“He’s obviously the club’s leading all-time try-scorer and he did a lot of great things in his time here, but it was probably time for him to have a fresh start.
“We both agreed that was the right thing for him. We wish him all the best.”
Marshall lured three-time premiership star Luai to the club from the Panthers on a five-year deal from 2025.
But rookie coach Luai won’t be discussed inside four walls of his club this year because it would be “disrespectful” to his current players.
“Jarome is going to be a massive part of what we do in the future but he is not here now,” Marshall said.
