Wests Tigers coach Benji Marshall has refused to deny reports hooker Tallyn Da Silva could leave the club before the June 30 transfer deadline.
Reports emerged on Friday that Da Silva has been granted permission to speak with rival clubs, effective immediately.
In the Tigers’ 16-12 loss to the Raiders at Campbelltown Sports Stadium on Friday night, Marshall left Da Silva on the bench for the entire game, playing no minutes.
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In the post-game press conference, Marshall explained his decision to include Da Silva on the bench and then not play him.
“We needed to cover for (starting hooker) Api (Koroisau) as well, if he needed a spell, but the game’s in the balance, you want your best players on the field,” Marshall said.
“If there was an opportunity to put Tallyn on, I would have, but we needed Api on the field.”
When asked if Da Silva would leave the club before June 30, Marshall said: “Not sure.”
The 20-year-old is under contract with the joint venture until the end of the 2026 season, but it appears as though his time with the Tigers may soon be coming to an end.
According to reports, skipper Koroisau, who is also under contract until the end of the 2026 season, is currently negotiating an extension with the club, which would leave Da Silva as his long-term understudy if he were to remain with the club.
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The Knights are understood to have shown interest in securing Da Silva on a loan deal for the rest of 2025, while the Eels and Cowboys, who are looking for a replacement for Roosters-bound rake Reece Robson, have also shown interest.
Meanwhile, Marshall said he will need to address the Tigers’ poor discipline.
At one stage in the loss to the Raiders, Jeral Skelton was penalised for pulling Xavier Savage’s hair.
When asked is ill-discipline was an issue for the Tigers, Marshall said:
“Yeah, it’s an issue. We’ve just got to address it,” he said.
“Couple of weeks in a row we’ve had some poor discipline but again it’s not intentional stuff where it’s foul play, we’ve just got to stop doing this stuff.”
