As for O’Neill, the Tigers have held informal discussions with him about his interest in returning to the club.
One of the driving forces behind the push for O’Neill is his former teammate Benji Marshall. The new head coach has given the Tigers his support to lure O’Neill back to the club.
O’Neill’s relationship with Marshall extends back two decades. Before Marshall’s retirement in 2021, O’Neill told the Herald he once told Marshall, ‘You’re not the king’ after watching the then-teenager sign a crown above his signature.
Marshall respects his 2005 premiership-winning teammate, who is 10 years his senior.
O’Neill has expressed his interest in discussing the role but is currently employed by the Eels, where he has been general manager since 2018. He doesn’t have a contract with the Eels for a specified time frame and would be free to leave immediately if he opts to sign with the Wests Tigers.
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The Tigers haven’t had a general manager for the past 12 months after deciding to appoint Tim Sheens as head coach. The club opted against bringing Sheens back into the administration role despite the veteran coach signalling interest in doing so after being replaced as head coach.
The previous general manager, Adam Hartigan, is now working with Phil Gould at the Bulldogs.
The Tigers also had discussions with Knights head of football Peter Parr, who decided to remain in Newcastle despite a third party organising a meeting.
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