Benji Marshall - Official..

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We're still at least one fast player away from having a decent backline. Slowest team in teh comp.
Lolohea - decent speed
Nofo - slow
Suli - slow
Marsters - slow
Milne - decent
Thompson - slow
Fonua - slow
Reynolds - slow
Brooks - fast
Benji - slow

Benji will also only play when injuries or form hit us badly. If gamble is outplaying him or offers us the skills which we're lacking in the first team then he should get called up above Benji too.

Gela-Mosby would fix that. Still not signed as far as I'm aware.
 
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We're still at least one fast player away from having a decent backline. Slowest team in teh comp.
Lolohea - decent speed
Nofo - slow
Suli - slow
Marsters - slow
Milne - decent
Thompson - slow
Fonua - slow
Reynolds - slow
Brooks - fast
Benji - slow

Benji will also only play when injuries or form hit us badly. If gamble is outplaying him or offers us the skills which we're lacking in the first team then he should get called up above Benji too.

Gela-Mosby would fix that. Still not signed as far as I'm aware.

There's been plenty of pace on the market recently but the Tigers have chosen not to take it:

Johnston, Gagai, Gela-Mosby, Roberts, Watson and many others that I can't think off the top of my head.

I think we prefer meter-eating outside backs with lots of power in their running game to break a few tackles and hopefully get an offload. I think the club would prefer that over a fancy, fast and acrobatic outside back.
 
I think we tried really hard to get Watson. I bet we had a look a couple of the other guys as well.
 
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Whats happened?

Pascoe, Cleary and the Tiger's media guy all got really drunk and decided to play a practical joke on the fans by saying they signed Benji. Benji thought he was actually getting signed and now Pascoe and Cleary are crapping themselves. The reported figure is $2 million dollars a season for 5 years.
 
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Whats happened?

Pascoe, Cleary and the Tiger's media guy all got really drunk and decided to play a practical joke on the fans by saying they signed Benji. Benji thought he was actually getting signed and now Pascoe and Cleary are crapping themselves. The reported figure is $2 million dollars a season for 5 years.

You need to stay off the turps!!!!
 
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Woodsy sulking about HIS decision again lol….

Where/when was this?

Sort of eluded to it in the after game press conference last Sunday.
"Pity I won't get a chance to play with Benji again"
or something along those lines.
 
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Hopefully he has grown up in his time away from the club

In what way? Apart from his Auckland Blues announcement (which he admits he handled badly) he has not put a foot wrong IMO. The Macca's incident was a non-issue. Considering he grew up in a football club from age 17 or so he has handled himself magnificently. Compare him to mungbeans like Ferguson, Dugan, Carney, Pearce etc.
Welcome back Benj, a very feel-good announcement for our club. Looking forward to seeing him on the paddock next year.

You are looking through rose coloured glasses mate. He left the club on poor terms and was central to the player centric culture that we have spent the last 5yrs trying to change

I think it's fair to say he's changed over the last 5 years too. He's been humbled by failing at rugby. He's been humbled by the Dragons showing him the door. He's been humbled by having to take a bottom dollar salary at the Broncos just to stay in the NRL. He's been humbled by getting parked in reserve grade for the Broncos. And how has he responded? By putting in 100% for Redcliffe and stepping up every time he's been called on by the Broncos. A bloke that was a superstar of the game and could have just walked away managed to swallow his pride and work to earn a chance at redemption. I'm behind him 100%.

He obviously needs the $$$$$$
 
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In what way? Apart from his Auckland Blues announcement (which he admits he handled badly) he has not put a foot wrong IMO. The Macca's incident was a non-issue. Considering he grew up in a football club from age 17 or so he has handled himself magnificently. Compare him to mungbeans like Ferguson, Dugan, Carney, Pearce etc.
Welcome back Benj, a very feel-good announcement for our club. Looking forward to seeing him on the paddock next year.

You are looking through rose coloured glasses mate. He left the club on poor terms and was central to the player centric culture that we have spent the last 5yrs trying to change

I think it's fair to say he's changed over the last 5 years too. He's been humbled by failing at rugby. He's been humbled by the Dragons showing him the door. He's been humbled by having to take a bottom dollar salary at the Broncos just to stay in the NRL. He's been humbled by getting parked in reserve grade for the Broncos. And how has he responded? By putting in 100% for Redcliffe and stepping up every time he's been called on by the Broncos. A bloke that was a superstar of the game and could have just walked away managed to swallow his pride and work to earn a chance at redemption. I'm behind him 100%.

He obviously needs the $$$$$$

I'd wager he doesn't need the money.

I agree with your first comment in a manner of speaking Larry. He handled his exit here poorly, but five years can change a person dramatically, as Nelson has elaborated on his ego has copped a bit of a hiding since he left us. He's no more a guarantee of playing first grade here as he is in Brisbane, maybe his time away has made him realise it was important to him to come back and finish on the right terms here.
 
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You are looking through rose coloured glasses mate. He left the club on poor terms and was central to the player centric culture that we have spent the last 5yrs trying to change

I think it's fair to say he's changed over the last 5 years too. He's been humbled by failing at rugby. He's been humbled by the Dragons showing him the door. He's been humbled by having to take a bottom dollar salary at the Broncos just to stay in the NRL. He's been humbled by getting parked in reserve grade for the Broncos. And how has he responded? By putting in 100% for Redcliffe and stepping up every time he's been called on by the Broncos. A bloke that was a superstar of the game and could have just walked away managed to swallow his pride and work to earn a chance at redemption. I'm behind him 100%.

He obviously needs the $$$$$$

I'd wager he doesn't need the money.

I agree with your first comment in a manner of speaking Larry. **He handled his exit here poorly, but five years can change a person dramatically, as Nelson has elaborated on his ego has copped a bit of a hiding since he left us. He's no more a guarantee of playing first grade here as he is in Brisbane, maybe his time away has made him realise it was important to him to come back and finish on the right terms here.**

This is basically what Benji said himself in the interview I saw.
 
Bennett encouraged Benji's Tigers return

Thu 17 Aug, 2017, 2:10pm
By Eden Richards‌, Queensland Correspondent‌‌, ‌‌‌NRL.com

Brisbane Broncos coach Wayne Bennett says he encouraged Benji Marshall to sign with the Wests Tigers for the 2018 season.

The 32-year-old Marshall will re-join the club where he made his NRL debut in 2003 after this week announcing a one-year deal that will likely see him end his career at Concord.

Marshall is a favourite son of the Tigers after helping them to a premiership win in 2005\. After departing the club in 2013, Marshall had a stint with the Auckland Blues in Super Rugby before returning to the NRL with the St George Illawarra Dragons in 2014.

He spent three years with the Red V but was left without a club at the end of 2016 after rejecting a one-year deal that would have seen him remain a Dragon.

With Marshall's career at the crossroads it was Bennett who offered Marshall a last-minute lifeline, with the master coach seeing something in the experienced campaigner.

It is a gamble that has paid off, with Marshall's leadership doing wonders on and off the field, particularly for Brisbane's young halves.

But with limited money available in the Broncos' salary cap for 2018, Marshall has been forced to depart.

Bennett has given Marshall his blessing, thankful for the 10 times the former New Zealand international pulled on a Broncos jersey this year.

"Yeah he did [talk to me about it]. I encouraged him to go actually. I was keen for him to go," Bennett said.

"It's a good offer for him and it's his original club. He has a lot of history there and he was a great player for them so it's a great way for him to finish his career.

"Last year nobody wanted him and 12 months on he's got offers."

Brisbane will face one of Marshall's former clubs on Friday night, with the Dragons travelling up to Suncorp Stadium to try and keep their finals hopes alive.

It is a club Bennett knows well having coached the Red V for three years, including to a premiership in 2010.

Bennett is looking forward to taking on the club he where had so much success, saying games between Brisbane and St George Illawarra always produced an exciting brand of football.

"I just enjoy playing against good football clubs. I think they are a good football team," he said.

"I spent a wonderful three years there so I have a lot of relationships there. We play great footy against each other.

"Dragons v Broncos has never been anything else but good football so it should be a really good game.

"They are at that place where they have to win and we are at that place where we want to maintain our momentum."

http://www.nrl.com/bennett-encouraged-benjis-tigers-return/tabid/10874/newsid/111140/default.aspx

Unca Wayne has given his blessing…
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HUwM4N8adI&lc=z233tzz4ivqxxlb0facdp43b3gkhvpkemmmmzr2c541w03c010c

:sign: :sign: :sign:
 
Does anyone know why Marshall was at fullback for that flick try assist to pat in the grand final? Was quite young back then
 
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Does anyone know why Marshall was at fullback for that flick try assist to pat in the grand final? Was quite young back then

He was defending on the wing which he did a lot throughout that year…Hodgson fielded the ball...it was a well known tactic that the Cows were putting players on the deck after passing..same thing happened ..Hodgo passed to Benji the defender continued onto him allowing Marshall space...Marshall skips away Marshall Skips away..the rest is history..
 
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I don't believe any current Bulldogs actually qualify for the veterans player allowance so it's clearly not designed at appeasing them

100% it still benefits them, if they have no veteran players than they would have only been able to spend $8.9m, they will now be able to spend $9.2M

Not true .. they would always be able to spend $9.2m regardless

No they wouldn't, the $300000 long serving player allowance was included in the $9.2M cap, if the club had no long serving players they wouldnt have been able to use it as they could not access that part of the cap.

The point is moot though as Josh Morris started playing for the bulldogs in 2009 making him eligible for the long serving player allowance.

Klemmer may also qualify depending if they count is matts and flegg days as part of the bulldogs.

They wouldn't count flegg or Matthews but ..
My understanding is that the veteran player allowance has been scrapped .. the cap is a flat 9.2m with 200k for development players (under 22, two years at the club but never top tier) or long serving players (8 years at the club or 10 years at any club) and 10% of that money (adding up to 200k) can be spent any way they want .. example if Lawrence is on 500k, 50k of that can go to another player (adding up to 200k).

I quite like this .. it ensures that a Steve Menzies type player isn't shipped to England as there is some value to the team in retaining him as it increases their cap.. some teams won't qualify for the 200k extra as they don't have enough long standing players or players that fit as "development"

Penrith however have a million "development" players and will get the full allowance as I understand
 
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Does anyone know why Marshall was at fullback for that flick try assist to pat in the grand final? Was quite young back then

He was defending on the wing which he did a lot throughout that year…Hodgson fielded the ball...it was a well known tactic that the Cows were putting players on the deck after passing..same thing happened ..Hodgo passed to Benji the defender continued onto him allowing Marshall space...Marshall skips away Marshall Skips away..the rest is history..

I could be wrong (I usually am) but IIRC the needles in Richards' ankle were wearing off too, so he got Benji to go back to help out. Thought I heard that in an interview from Richards. My memory ain't great though.
 
Wayne Bennett cracks me up, taking credit for telling Benji to return to the Tigers, turning a blind eye that Broncos would have kept him for $5 a season if they had the chance.

Next Unca Wayne will be taking credit for putting a slightly early end to Corey Parker and Sam Thaiday's careers, perhaps to save them from excessive head knocks.

Wonder if Wayne still takes credit for King Wally winding down at the Gold Coast?
 

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