Coach confident Benji Marshall will stay with Wests Tigers

Wests Tigers coach Michael Maguire insists dropped co-captain Benji Marshall is still "very much part of our plans'' and says the Kiwis star hasn't told the club he wants to leave.

Speculation swirled about Marshall's future on Monday when a Sydney Morning Herald column claimed Marshall's manager Matt Desira had sounded out other NRL clubs for a mid-season move for the 35-year-old playmaker.

Parramatta was suggested as a potential destination with the Eels losing influential half Mitchell Moses to a calf injury last weekend.

But Maguire, asked by NRL.com if Marshall had given any indication he wanted to leave, said: "None whatsoever.

"We talk a lot about where the club is going, and he is very much a part of that. He is a leader and an experienced player who can have a massive influence on or off the field."

Marshall won two man of the match awards for the Tigers in the early NRL rounds, but lost his place for the last three games with Maguire preferring to start Luke Brooks and Josh Reynolds in the halves.

Maguire said he was fortunate to have depth in the playmaking positions.

"I have picked on performance - that is purely what we are doing - and to have depth is what’s required to be able to get from the start to the finish.

"Benji is very much part of our plans. To have the quality of what we have ready to go when the time is right is what you are trying to build all the time.''

Brooks has also backed Marshall to play an important part in the Tigers' campaign.

"It's obviously a tough situation for him," Brooks told the Sydney Morning Herald. "He's a legend of the game and it will obviously be hard for him. That's the way footy is sometimes, but it's a long season. Anything can happen. He might be back in the side before you know it.''

Brooks felt Marshall still had "a lot of footy in him''.

"With the fact there's no reserve grade at the moment, coaches might see a chance to rotate players. There are a lot of fresh players that haven't played much footy. But I think there's definitely a spot for him throughout the year."

The sixth-placed Wests Tigers play the second-ranked Panthers on Saturday.

Maguire will name his matchday squad at 6pm Tuesday.