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Tigers urged to farewell Leichhardt in style
George Clarke, AAP • June 13th, 2026 6:00 am
Wests Tigers fans hope their side can fire up one last time for the year at their spiritual home | Photo: Dean Lewins/AAP
As they prepare to say goodbye to their spiritual Leichhardt Oval home, Benji Marshall wants Wests Tigers to use their farewell game at the venue as the turning point for their stalling NRL season.
The Tigers face Gold Coast at the popular suburban ground on Sunday, before the dilapidated venue undergoes a major facelift in time for the 2028 season.
Wests have won five of their last six games at the iconic ground, but enter this round under big pressure.
Marshall's men have just one victory in their last five, with their defensive woes laid bare in last week's 68-0 loss to Penrith.
Wests Tigers fans have seen their side score big wins over the Cowboys and Raiders so far in 2026 | Photo: Dean Lewins/AAP
"It's a big occasion for everyone and in the context of our season for us, but also for our fans and our crowd as the last game there for a while," Marshall said.
"We love playing at Leichhardt and we love the support there, but what we've got to do is give our crowd something to cheer about and bring them into the game.
"You don't just turn up at Leichhardt and it happens automatically, you've got to go out there and play a certain way to bring the fans into the game.
"For our players, it's understanding that it's going to give us a lift, but how do we give our best performance and turn up with the right mindset and attitude that we get back on track with our season."
Marshall said he hadn't sugarcoated the Tigers' pitiful defeat at the hands of the Panthers in the side's video review session.
Benji Marshall's men let in 12 tries, including two from Thomas Jenkins, in their big last-out loss | Photo: Dan Himbrechts/AAP
But the coach has stressed how his side can use the pain of the Penrith loss to drive them on towards ending their long-running finals drought.
"It was really important for us to go through that process, so we didn't just brush it under the carpet and pretend it never happened," said Marshall, whose side sat 10th at the start of the round.
"Although it was tough, I think the value we'll get out of that will hold us in good stead.
"We're 6-6 in our season so it's not all doom and gloom as it feels like it is externally and my job is to get the team back on track into a positive mindset."
