Benji Marshall #70

[hsvjones]

Like many people here, I agree that the time may come for Marshall to retire. However, my issue is, he is much better than Mbye and JR. But somehow we keep both of them??
IMHO, ALL of them shall not be with the WT for the next season!

If the other guys didn't have contract (top $$$) I am sure Madge would of kept Benji and not them. That way it would of created more cap space to address other needs.. You cannot just cancel a contract and say goodbye, you either keep them or sell to another club and we contribute to there salaries..
But as we all know the high priced players we have on our books NO ONE WANTS THEM even at a cheaper rate so we are stuck with them.. (Also not Madge's fault as brought before he arrived)

In the halves we have Brooks, Reynolds, Mbye, Madden, Walters and AD. Thats 6 halves out of your 28 spots and make that 7 if we kept Benji - You cannot run a team with 7 halves and hope the rest of the players can cover the other 15 positions on the field. I personally think if we could of offloaded Reynolds we would of left the decision up to Benji but unfortunately he didn't want to move on and rightly so.

We are lucky to have a experience Coach that can handle this clean out as its well overdue. We cannot keep doing what we have been doing as nothing changes. We truly lack experience players from winning cultures that know how to lead from the front.

 

[Hangonaminute]

Thanks Benji.
All round great human being.
Not a bad footy player in his day too.

Gave me one of the biggest thrills being at that 2005 GF and for that I'll always be forever grateful.

A Tigers Legend

 

[Tiger_Steve]

Good. See ya Benji. Hope he goes to the broncos. I'd love to see them miss the 8 again. Loved him back in the day when he was a bit of a magician. Laughed at his rubbish at the dragons, despaired at the return to the tigers. If only he was half as good as he considers himself to be.

Pathetic post

 

[Tiger_Steve]

It’s time but it’s still sad.
What joy and excitement he’s given all WestsTigers fans.
Good luck to him. Hope he’s back with the club sooner rather than later.

 

[Jedi_Tiger]

still a legend got us a premiership shame we couldn't have removed Reynolds or Mmbye.
Benji the greatest tiger of them all

 

[watersider]

He's our greatest for sure. Flawed, absolutely, but everything that is good about the tigers was because of Benji and we've done nothing but suck without him. Jay, I was Balmain fan and had the same response to seeing Benji play: it was creativity and speed and electricity like never before. Jordan, though was precision and execution, Benji's far more enigmatic. He's a Brian Lara type, just magical. World cup final was perfect example: miserable first half, virtually gifting Australia the game, then out of nowhere with 20 to go almost singlehandedly wins the world cup. Unbelievable. Will never enjoy rugby league more than when I saw Benji at his peak and I feel lucky and privileged to have been a supporter at that time. I'd take that over the methodical success of Melbourne and the roosters. Give me fleeting, brilliant flair instead. What a brilliant clubman too.

 

[Chicken_Faced_Killa]

Most of Wests Tigers highlights involve Benji in some way. He has brought a lot of joy to this club and to the wider game. Some of the things he has done have been freakish. Off the field he has been all class, personally I remember being out the front of Burwood Woolworths playing with my son on one of those ride machines when he walked passed I was trying to work out who he was and once I got it I instinctively called out his name. He stopped said hello and was happy to take my well wishes. This was shortly after his own son was born and he was clearly in a hurry but still took time to be polite. I wish him the best for the future and hope the club allow him and Lawrence to have one last game for the fans to say goodbye (round 20 v Parra at Campbelltown)

 

[Aesopian]

still a legend got us a premiership shame we couldn't have removed Reynolds or Mmbye.
Benji the greatest tiger of them all

Robbie's heading straight to the scoreboard with a 6 pack of tinnies after reading this :joy:

 

[rustycage]

Good. See ya Benji. Hope he goes to the broncos. I'd love to see them miss the 8 again. Loved him back in the day when he was a bit of a magician. Laughed at his rubbish at the dragons, despaired at the return to the tigers. If only he was half as good as he considers himself to be.

Pathetic post

It's how I feel. Just being straight up. Say what you want. Doesn't phase me.

 

[cochise]

Good. See ya Benji. Hope he goes to the broncos. I'd love to see them miss the 8 again. Loved him back in the day when he was a bit of a magician. Laughed at his rubbish at the dragons, despaired at the return to the tigers. If only he was half as good as he considers himself to be.

Pathetic post

It's how I feel. Just being straight up. Say what you want. Doesn't phase me.

There are plenty of other threads where people can have a crack at him, you couldn't leave this one to be a positive thread

 

[rustycage]

Good. See ya Benji. Hope he goes to the broncos. I'd love to see them miss the 8 again. Loved him back in the day when he was a bit of a magician. Laughed at his rubbish at the dragons, despaired at the return to the tigers. If only he was half as good as he considers himself to be.

Pathetic post

It's how I feel. Just being straight up. Say what you want. Doesn't phase me.

There are plenty of other threads where people can have a crack at him, you couldn't leave this one to be a positive thread

Yeah, maybe you're right. Oh well, it's done now

 

[StarswithStripes]

Good. See ya Benji. Hope he goes to the broncos. I'd love to see them miss the 8 again. Loved him back in the day when he was a bit of a magician. Laughed at his rubbish at the dragons, despaired at the return to the tigers. If only he was half as good as he considers himself to be.

Pathetic post

It's how I feel. Just being straight up. Say what you want. Doesn't phase me.

There are plenty of other threads where people can have a crack at him, you couldn't leave this one to be a positive thread

Yeah, maybe you're right. Oh well, it's done now

You said you loved him back in the day. What did you love?

 

[rustycage]

Good. See ya Benji. Hope he goes to the broncos. I'd love to see them miss the 8 again. Loved him back in the day when he was a bit of a magician. Laughed at his rubbish at the dragons, despaired at the return to the tigers. If only he was half as good as he considers himself to be.

Pathetic post

It's how I feel. Just being straight up. Say what you want. Doesn't phase me.

There are plenty of other threads where people can have a crack at him, you couldn't leave this one to be a positive thread

Yeah, maybe you're right. Oh well, it's done now

You said you loved him back in the day. What did you love?

Everything. His zip, his ability to create magic on the field. His match winning abilities, he was an excitement machine. It stopped around 2012 from memory.

 

[StarswithStripes]

Good. See ya Benji. Hope he goes to the broncos. I'd love to see them miss the 8 again. Loved him back in the day when he was a bit of a magician. Laughed at his rubbish at the dragons, despaired at the return to the tigers. If only he was half as good as he considers himself to be.

Pathetic post

It's how I feel. Just being straight up. Say what you want. Doesn't phase me.

There are plenty of other threads where people can have a crack at him, you couldn't leave this one to be a positive thread

Yeah, maybe you're right. Oh well, it's done now

You said you loved him back in the day. What did you love?

Everything. His zip, his ability to create magic on the field. His match winning abilities, he was an excitement machine. It stopped around 2012 from memory.

And that flick pass to Pat Richards in the GF was THE highlight of all.

 

[GNR4LIFE]

I remember at the 03 World Sevens hearing about a kid named Ben Marshall. Didn’t create too much fanfare. Wasn’t till about midway through that season there started to be rumblings about a young Kiwi kid coming through our system who was something special. After the horror’s of those first few seasons, the wasted money, off field scandal after off field scandal, out of all that manure out he popped from the ground. It gave the supporters such a buzz that we actually had something special on our hands. We’d been a joke of a club since inception and now we had a kid who gave us credibility and gave us something that 15 other clubs were envious of us for. Looking back, it was a great time. It was like knowing there was a massive storm rolling in and knowing the thunder clap was going to be a game changer.

I’ll never forget the try he set up at Shark Park in 05, stepping 3 players, drawing the fullback and throwing a no look pass to set up the try. Probably my all time favourite try. We were really spoiled watching him do some of the stuff he did. The pass around his back to put Ayshford in the corner against Parra at the SFS in 2009 was another one of his moments of genius.

I’ve had a real love hate relationship over the years. He was dead to me when he left, his ego was out of control at that point. I think his time away humbled him a lot and he had grown up, and he came back to the club as a man. I’m grateful to have had the chance to watch him again these last 3 years, and I’m really going to try and savour this last month, as I think we all should. He’s the last surviving member of the 05 side. That in itself is something big, cos when he’s gone, it will be the end of an era. I personally don’t care about wins or losses or his form over the next few weeks, I just want to enjoy him running around in the jersey while I can.

 

[TrueTiger]

I just wanted to make a post, I have alot of emotions going through. As a kid I used to go watch Magpies games with my dad and I liked it but it wasn't exciting. I then followed Wests Tigers. Same deal. But it was when this guy came in, Benji, he was like Jordan to me. He made my love for the whole game go up so much. I have so much love for him. Like Jordan, he took a team considered constant duds and they got a premiership. He is extremely likeable to me. He was a breath of fresh air. It's hard to know he is going, and i wonder if I will ever like a player so much again, its hard to imagine.

I LOVE YOU BENJI!!!!!!!!!!

Benji is an icon,thanks for the memories,but I really loved Taniela Tuiaki,Pat Richards,Simon Dwyer,Brett Hodgeson...but wait Benji won all those games himself...

 

[Madge]

I remember at the 03 World Sevens hearing about a kid named Ben Marshall. Didn’t create too much fanfare. Wasn’t till about midway through that season there started to be rumblings about a young Kiwi kid coming through our system who was something special. After the horror’s of those first few seasons, the wasted money, off field scandal after off field scandal, out of all that manure out he popped from the ground. It gave the supporters such a buzz that we actually had something special on our hands. We’d been a joke of a club since inception and now we had a kid who gave us credibility and gave us something that 15 other clubs were envious of us for. Looking back, it was a great time. It was like knowing there was a massive storm rolling in and knowing the thunder clap was going to be a game changer.

I’ll never forget the try he set up at Shark Park in 05, stepping 3 players, drawing the fullback and throwing a no look pass to set up the try. Probably my all time favourite try. We were really spoiled watching him do some of the stuff he did. The pass around his back to put Ayshford in the corner against Parra at the SFS in 2009 was another one of his moments of genius.

I’ve had a real love hate relationship over the years. He was dead to me when he left, his ego was out of control at that point. I think his time away humbled him a lot and he had grown up, and he came back to the club as a man. I’m grateful to have had the chance to watch him again these last 3 years, and I’m really going to try and savour this last month, as I think we all should. He’s the last surviving member of the 05 side. That in itself is something big, cos when he’s gone, it will be the end of an era. I personally don’t care about wins or losses or his form over the next few weeks, I just want to enjoy him running around in the jersey while I can.

Couldnt have said it any better champ, great post!

 

[bbobb]

My all time fav rugby league player. In front of Les Boyd and Joe Cool. Like those other two, there was something about him that just made you want to watch the game. Benji may not be perfect but I can’t recall to many kids wanting to grow up and be Cam Smith or Cooper Cronk. At his peak, the amount of kids On the field trying to emulate his sidestep was crazy.

The things I admired most about Benji was not the flashy flick passes or the side steps in mid air but his toughness and love for the jersey. To came back from five shoulder reconstructions was a measure of his toughness and while he did leave the club, his return wasn’t about money but about him almost finding peace in coming home.

I may be wrong but I couldn’t think of too many sixes from either the Tigers or Magpies that would be better? Maybe Lamb but he played his best footy at the Dogs. If immortals are judged on highlight reels or influence over the game - he’d be the first chosen

 

[WT2K]

A pleasure to watch. Thank you for all the years of Magic, Benji. All the best with whatever the future holds.

 

[jirskyr]

I went through all this in 1990 with Wayne Pearce, still my all-time favourite player.

Losing '88 and '89 grand finals, then his farewell match at LO, couldn't even muster up a win over Parramatta. I didn't throw the crepe paper they handed out, I kept it as a souvenir. It faded dramatically on my windowsill over the decades I held onto it. Poor bloke could barely even walk for the weight of the black and gold paper streamers the adoring crowd threw over him. Crying his eyes out.

Two weeks later we are shut-out by Manly in the semi-final and that's it for the Wayne Pearce career. Decorated with representative honours but no club-level success, about as un-fairytale as you could imagine for such a respectable footballer.

So at least Benji has 2005 and they can't take it away from him. No fan is ever going to think badly of Benji, he's a legend. In fact with time I think his legacy will become ever more storied, the flick passes more audacious, the step more gravity-defying.

But in true Tigers style, no fairytale ending.