Benji Marshall insists there is room for Aidan Sezer at Wests Tigers next season despite Jarome Luai's impending arrival adding to selection pressure in the halves at the struggling NRL club.
Sezer, 33, has a mutual contract option to remain at the Tigers for a second year after a comeback season interrupted by suspensions for two hip-drop tackles.
A 2019 grand finalist with Canberra, Sezer has been first-choice halfback on his return from a four-year stint in England, but that will change with Penrith star Luai arriving and likely to partner young gun Lachie Galvin from 2025.
Fellow teenager Latu Fainu is also a highly touted half, while Jayden Sullivan remains on the books despite being granted permission to negotiate with rivals only months into a four-year deal.
But the glut of playmakers won't prompt Marshall to jettison Sezer as the 17th-placed Tigers continue to rebuild their roster, with the pair meeting to discuss the halfback's future this week.
"He's definitely someone we want to keep around," Marshall said.
Marshall finished his career as a bench utility and mentor to South Sydney's inexperienced players and felt Sezer could fill a similar role at a young Tigers team.
"You want as many leaders as you can around, particularly when you've got a young squad and you've got guys who need to teach these young guys how to prepare and how to play," he said.
"They become really important whether they play on the field or not."
Sezer himself is yet to make a call as to whether he will play on into a 14th professional season.
"I feel good, a decision will be made over the next few weeks and see what happens," he told AAP.
"I've been very fortunate to get in 13, 14 years in the game. I'm still enjoying it, I'm still enjoying being around the boys so hopefully I can prolong that. But if not, I've been blessed."
Marshall's Tigers would have held their breath when Parramatta threatened to upset Penrith on Friday night and open up a six-point gap at the bottom of the ladder.
The Panthers eventually staged a miraculous 36-34 comeback to keep the 16th-placed Eels within the Tigers' reach.
Given their inferior for-and-against, Wests likely need to win two of their last four games to leapfrog the Eels and avoid a third-consecutive wooden spoon, with a meeting against Parramatta scheduled for round 27.
Marshall said his players were aware of the stakes.
"They put that pressure on themselves so I don't need to add to that," he said ahead of Sunday's clash with Newcastle.
"We've got to find moments to take pressure off ourselves and not beat ourselves, that's the hard part that we're finding at the moment but they are getting better."
