For the majority of season 2022 the Wests Tigers and Gold Coast Titans have been trading the dishonour of wooden spoon favourites.

Two weeks ago the Tigers found themselves on the bottom of the ladder after the Titans had a bye and they lost to the Parramatta Eels.

In round 18 both clubs had one of their better weeks of the season as the Tigers and Titans each put up a great fight against top eight sides the Penrith Panthers and Brisbane Broncos.

Neither side deserves a whole lot of criticism for their effort but the Tigers remain wooden spoon favourites for now as they are sitting in 16th place through for and against.

The club has also seemingly decided to look more towards next year and their long-term plans for the future as Tim Sheens has been confirmed as head coach for 2023 and 2024 with Benji Marshall taking over in 2025 while the Tigers are yet to win a game under interim coach Brett Kimmorley.

Marshall’s appointment as head coach from 2025 came as a surprise to many but not his former mentor and super coach Wayne Bennett who has backed his former half in a recent interview with The Sydney Morning Herald.

“He’s been coaching for a lot longer than you think he has been,” said Bennett.

“He just didn’t have ‘coach’ beside his name, he just had ‘player’.

 
“He will succeed. He’s very good with his leadership and management around players.

“There’s no bs with him.

“He knows the game extremely well, he knows the people in the game.

“He might not know someone until he comes to the club, but he will know that personality very well.”

In round 19 the Tigers face the second-placed North Queensland Cowboys in Townsville with all of the Cowboys State of Origin stars set to return and will be hoping that the Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs can notch up a big scoreline against the Titans to bring the two teams closer on for and against.

The Tigers and Titans do not face off again this season so it is likely that for and against will decide who wins the spoon.