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Laurie Daley urges Wests Tigers' Benji Marshall to find more consistency
By Christopher Boyd
foxsports.com.au
August 13, 2010
Benji Marshall needs to take the simple option more often to reach the next level as a playmaker, and give Wests Tigers their best chance in this year's NRL finals, believes Fox Sports' Laure Daley.
“" That's something Benji has to learn - the right play for the right moment. "” – Laurie Daley Says Benji needs to pick his time
Fox Sports Stats highlight how Marshall is a supreme talent in this year's competition, but also a mixed bag when it comes to making decisions with the football.
The 25-yer-old has conjured 21 try assists in 20 matches this season, ranking second only to Penrith halfback Luke Walsh. He trails only Johnathan Thurston when it comes to line-break assists, having compiled 27 - just two behing the Kangaroos halfback.
Brilliant indeed, but it is the error rate which Daley believes the New Zealand five-eighth must cut down on if he is to take the next step as a ball player.
Marshall has made a whopping 10 more errors than any other player in the competition, and Daley, a former New South Wales and Kangaroos pivot, pointed to last Saturday night's loss to South Sydney as a prime example of where 'Benji brilliance' is misleading the Tigers.
Last week saw the Tigers leading the Rabbitohs by 18 points in the second half when Marshall had the opportunity to kill off Souths after he had made a break down field.
But instead of taking the tackle and looking to set up his team for points later in the set, his flick-pass handed possession back to the Rabbitohs, who went on to steal the game in golden-point.
"Looking back on that tape, if he couldn't have passed to anyone he probably would have been better off to be tackled, and then build pressure off the back of that, rather than going the flick-pass, which, if it came off, would have looked really special, but right at that moment it wasn't the play," Daley told foxsports.com.au.
"That's something that Benji has to learn. The right play for the right moment in a game. He needs to be aware that the game is never won and that you must take the easier option rather than the harder option."
"I am one of his biggest fans but I suppose you get frustrated when he plays like this and doesn’t seal the deal for his team … because you know he is capable of doing it.
"I just like to see him play with that more control in his game and make the simpler play rather than going for the harder play. Because he sometimes does that a bit too much for my liking.
"It's something that has plagued Benji throughout his career, having that moment - and everyone will go through it."
On paper, the Tigers are one of the form teams of the NRL premiership, having won eight of their last 11 matches to sit in fifth position.
However, three of their past four wins have come by two points or less - an indication of how tight life is at the top of the table as the finals approach.
Daley believes Tim Sheens would justify Benji’s erratic play by saying he has won more games than he has lost - and the Wests Tigers coach may be right.
But with the Tigers having not made a finals appearance since 2005, Daley suggests Marshall play a more "controlled style" in the coming weeks to give the 2005 premiers their best chance of being around on the first Sunday in October.
"If he can just hold back on that part of his game I think it will make him a much better player and a more error-free player," Daley said.
"It will certainly help the Tigers win more games of football. And that's for all playmakers in the competition. They are there to make those decisions and make sure nine out of 10 times they are coming up with the right one.
"You've got to get them right, and to go on and win a competition, you need your halves to be doing that."
By Christopher Boyd
foxsports.com.au
August 13, 2010
Benji Marshall needs to take the simple option more often to reach the next level as a playmaker, and give Wests Tigers their best chance in this year's NRL finals, believes Fox Sports' Laure Daley.
“" That's something Benji has to learn - the right play for the right moment. "” – Laurie Daley Says Benji needs to pick his time
Fox Sports Stats highlight how Marshall is a supreme talent in this year's competition, but also a mixed bag when it comes to making decisions with the football.
The 25-yer-old has conjured 21 try assists in 20 matches this season, ranking second only to Penrith halfback Luke Walsh. He trails only Johnathan Thurston when it comes to line-break assists, having compiled 27 - just two behing the Kangaroos halfback.
Brilliant indeed, but it is the error rate which Daley believes the New Zealand five-eighth must cut down on if he is to take the next step as a ball player.
Marshall has made a whopping 10 more errors than any other player in the competition, and Daley, a former New South Wales and Kangaroos pivot, pointed to last Saturday night's loss to South Sydney as a prime example of where 'Benji brilliance' is misleading the Tigers.
Last week saw the Tigers leading the Rabbitohs by 18 points in the second half when Marshall had the opportunity to kill off Souths after he had made a break down field.
But instead of taking the tackle and looking to set up his team for points later in the set, his flick-pass handed possession back to the Rabbitohs, who went on to steal the game in golden-point.
"Looking back on that tape, if he couldn't have passed to anyone he probably would have been better off to be tackled, and then build pressure off the back of that, rather than going the flick-pass, which, if it came off, would have looked really special, but right at that moment it wasn't the play," Daley told foxsports.com.au.
"That's something that Benji has to learn. The right play for the right moment in a game. He needs to be aware that the game is never won and that you must take the easier option rather than the harder option."
"I am one of his biggest fans but I suppose you get frustrated when he plays like this and doesn’t seal the deal for his team … because you know he is capable of doing it.
"I just like to see him play with that more control in his game and make the simpler play rather than going for the harder play. Because he sometimes does that a bit too much for my liking.
"It's something that has plagued Benji throughout his career, having that moment - and everyone will go through it."
On paper, the Tigers are one of the form teams of the NRL premiership, having won eight of their last 11 matches to sit in fifth position.
However, three of their past four wins have come by two points or less - an indication of how tight life is at the top of the table as the finals approach.
Daley believes Tim Sheens would justify Benji’s erratic play by saying he has won more games than he has lost - and the Wests Tigers coach may be right.
But with the Tigers having not made a finals appearance since 2005, Daley suggests Marshall play a more "controlled style" in the coming weeks to give the 2005 premiers their best chance of being around on the first Sunday in October.
"If he can just hold back on that part of his game I think it will make him a much better player and a more error-free player," Daley said.
"It will certainly help the Tigers win more games of football. And that's for all playmakers in the competition. They are there to make those decisions and make sure nine out of 10 times they are coming up with the right one.
"You've got to get them right, and to go on and win a competition, you need your halves to be doing that."
