Wests Tigers co-founder Jim Marsden has 'grave fears' that the merger NRL club could be forced to fold or relocate with second wooden spoon looming Tigers have won just three NRL games all season Founder fears they could be sacrificed as part of expansion 'It would absolutely break my heart and break the hearts of many, many fans,' By Josh Alston For Daily Mail Australia Published: 22:14 EDT, 17 August 2023 | Updated: 22:14 EDT, 17 August 2023 e-mail View comments The man behind the Wests Tigers merger that saved footy clubs Balmain and Western Suburbs fears the venture is on the brink of collapse. The Wests Tigers have become the running joke of the NRL , failing to make a finals series in 12 years, losing a swag of elite players including James Tedesco and Josh Addo-Carr while the club is closing in on its second wooden spoon in two years. The Tigers' dire situation became even worse this week with veteran coach Tim Sheens resigning despite being contracted for the 2024 season . It means rookie coach and club favourite Benji Marshall will be thrust into the hottest seat in rugby league when he makes his debut next season. For many supporters it is hard to see where the light at the end of the tunnel is going to come from, including former Western Suburbs chairman Jim Marsden. Benji Marshall and Ben Galea celebrate the Wests Tigers premiership in 2005 in better days for the club Benji Marshall as a premiership winning player. Marshall now has the weight of the world on his shoulders as Wests Tigers coach Marsden forged the Wests Tigers merger from the ashes of the Super League war along with Balmain counterpart John Chalk. He is devastated by the current state of affairs at the club and fears with expansion on the table at NRL HQ, the Tigers could fall by the wayside. 'From someone who was one the founders of the club, I have grave fears moving forward – something has to give,' Marsden told News Corp . 'If you're on the bottom of the ladder forever, you're going to lose your fan base. 'The league [NRL] is always looking to expand and if they have to expand at the expense of another club, they're more likely to do it with a club down the bottom. 'If a club has to be sacrificed in the interests of expansion, a club on the bottom of the ladder and losing popularity, is the easiest one to sacrifice. Wests Tigers fans had plenty to cheer for back in 2005 when the club surged to an unlikely premiership, but the club has done little ever since Tim Sheens went from premiership winning coach to leaving the club for the second time 12 months before his contract expired 'It would absolutely break my heart, no doubt about it, as well breaking the hearts of many, many fans. I don't think it's an actual threat at the moment but unless something is done, it could get to that level. It is a reality.' 'From my point of view, it is extremely disappointing. When you look at it at the moment, you think: 'There is nowhere to go.' Disappointed is an understatement. You've got to go up but how do you go up?' That is the million dollar question for Tigers fans. Since Sheens first departed the club after the 2012 season, the Tigers have churned through coaches Mick Potter, Jason Taylor, Ivan Cleary and Michael Maguire in their quest to find change. Joel passionately weighs in on the current situation the Wests Tigers find themselves in #NRL pic.twitter.com/hAm0WXQcz6 — The Run Home with Joel & Fletch (@JoelFletchSEN) August 17, 2023 No @WestsTigers fan will ever forget the miracle of 2005... #neverbefore #neveragain pic.twitter.com/Az0k9SfMqS — The Mole (@9_Moley) August 16, 2023 Departing Wests Tigers veteran Luke Brooks says he has no idea who makes the decisions at the joint venture. 24 hours on from the shock news of Tim Sheens' looming departure, Brooks explained how management bungled negotiations. https://t.co/OF81oZXOfr #WestsTigers #7NEWS pic.twitter.com/8e0rvDLIfM — 7NEWS Sydney (@7NewsSydney) August 17, 2023 The club settled back onto Sheens with a five-year plan to groom premiership-winning half Benji Marshall for the role, but that plan lies in tatters with Sheens walking away just one year into the deal. 'I'm not closely associated with the club anymore, I'm a mere observer looking in from the outside, but still a Wests Tigers fan,' said Marsden, a senior partner in Marsden Law Group. 'When you have radical changes, and constant changes of coaches, it's not good for the fans, it's not good for the players, not good for morale. It just doesn't work. Former Western Suburbs chairman Jim Marsden is worried that the club will collapse because of expansion in the NRL 'You can't turn somebody from bottom of the ladder to top of the ladder overnight. You have to have a well-developed plan to do it and that plan must (include) consistency, get it right and stick to it,' Marsden continued. 'I'm not here to tell anyone what to do but you can't allow little hiccups to change the plan. That plan may well be that you make the top eight in three years, five years, whatever it is.' 'I don't sit in the boardroom and I don't sit in the management room but from my experience, you've got to have a plan, and that plan has to be properly developed and then properly executed. In other words, you've got to stick to it. 'So in doing that you then start to develop a level of constancy, I distinguish that from consistency. That makes for a better organisation.' Where to next? Even much-maligned Tigers halfback Luke Brooks (pictured right) is leaving the club, signing a contract with Manly for 2024 West Tigers chief executive Justin Pascoe (left) and chairman Lee Hagipantelis are wearing plenty of blame for the state of the NRL club It comes after current Wests Tigers chairman Lee Hagipantelis was grilled by News Corp and the state of the club labelled a 'shambles', 'The presumption we're a shambles is completely wrong,' Hagipantelis said. 'We had put in a five-year plan which involved two years with Tim Sheens overseeing the transition of Benji Marshall. That's been accelerated. Tim's come out and publicly acknowledged that Benji's ready to step up. The five-year plan has become a four-year plan in a sense that we've accelerated one year from where we thought we might be. We've landed in a good place. The discussions with Tim and his management were very professional, amicable and respectful. There's nothing shambolic about it.' Share or comment on this article: Wests Tigers co-founder Jim Marsden has 'grave fears' that the merger NRL club could be forced to fold or relocate with second wooden spoon looming e-mail Add comment Comments 0 Share what you think No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. Add your comment Enter your comment By posting your comment you agree to our house rules . Submit Comment Clear Close Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. No Yes Close Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy .