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Despite all that promise, Benji Marshall's lost his way
Phil Rothfield
The Daily Telegraph
October 15, 2012 12:00AM
A COUPLE of years ago Benji Marshall was rated by some as the No.1 player in rugby league.
A more brilliant footballer than even Cameron Smith, Billy Slater, Johnathan Thurston and Greg Inglis.
The Kiwis had just won the 2010 Four Nations final after Marshall grabbed the match-winning try in the 79th minute.
He'd achieved everything - a premiership with the Tigers in 2005, a World Cup victory in 2008 and now the Four Nations with the Kiwis.
He was the face of the game. The player every youngster aspired to be.
Today, if you were compiling a list of the top 20 players in the game, Benji wouldn't make it.
Saturday night's Test match against Australia in Townsville on the back of a poor season with the Wests Tigers proved that.
I'm not blaming him for the Kiwis' defeat. Australia were always going to win and should have done so far more convincingly.
The Kangaroos have four future immortals in Smith, Inglis, Slater and Thurston. On paper they are a 20-point better side than the Kiwis.
But back to Benji. He had just four runs for 26m and missed five tackles.
He kicked well and put up the bomb that was miraculously taken by Sam Perrett for Gerard Beale's try on half-time.
But when the score was locked at 10-all for 20 minutes of the second half, the Kiwis were desperately looking for some of his old magic. A big sidestep, a broken-play surge or even the old flick pass.
It just wasn't there.
Whoever coaches the Wests Tigers next year faces an enormous task to get his career back on track.
It will be a massive challenge for a rookie coach like Matt Parish or Kevin Walters because Benji carries so much influence at the club.
He is the chief executive, chairman of selectors, recruitment boss and just about everything else at the Wests Tigers.
He reports to no one.
And that's the major reason why his game has gone backwards. He gets sidetracked by other issues.
For three or four games a year he plays like a superstar and can still tear an opposition to shreds.
But there is no consistency in his game.
At 27, after more than 200 appearances, he should be at the peak of his career.
It's an age when good players become greats and champions become legends.
He should be a better player than two years ago because of the extra experience.
He should be like Smith, Slater and Cronk by producing week in, week out.
Benji is desperately in need of a strong mentor. Someone like a Craig Bellamy, a Des Hasler or a Wayne Bennett who can control his ego.
He still has the class and the ability.
There is absolutely no doubt about that.
Time is on his side and he could still finish his career over the next three or four years as an all-time great.
But it will require a huge turnaround.
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**Pack change shows Sheens is tactically Myles away**
TIM Sheens made a major tactical error by changing the side the selectors had given him for Saturday night's Test match.
Starting Tony Williams ahead of Nate Myles was an impossible-to-justify decision.
Myles was the State of Origin player of the year while T-Rex struggled in Manly's pack for much of the season.
Nathan Hindmarsh summed it up well on Twitter during the game.
"If you started with Nate Myles the job would have been done earlier," he said.
Williams should not have been in the squad, let alone the starting 13.
He lost the football in the second minute of the game, gave away a penalty in the first minute of the second-half and knocked on in the 48th minute. Myles eventually got onto the park midway through the second half.
Earlier this year, Sheens controversially left Daly Cherry-Evans on the bench the entire match, on Saturday night it took him 57 minutes to send in Myles, the Dally M representative player of the year.
Myles passed brilliantly from off the ground to play a role in Darius Boyd's match-winning try, showing little evidence of the sternum injury behind his demotion. Again Williams didn't stand deep enough to hit the line with pace or power.
There were other back-rowers more deserving of the green and gold jersey. Out of 10, the Australian performance on Saturday night was probably a seven. They fielded a superior side to New Zealand but took 70 minutes to put the Kiwis away.
Phil Rothfield
The Daily Telegraph
October 15, 2012 12:00AM
A COUPLE of years ago Benji Marshall was rated by some as the No.1 player in rugby league.
A more brilliant footballer than even Cameron Smith, Billy Slater, Johnathan Thurston and Greg Inglis.
The Kiwis had just won the 2010 Four Nations final after Marshall grabbed the match-winning try in the 79th minute.
He'd achieved everything - a premiership with the Tigers in 2005, a World Cup victory in 2008 and now the Four Nations with the Kiwis.
He was the face of the game. The player every youngster aspired to be.
Today, if you were compiling a list of the top 20 players in the game, Benji wouldn't make it.
Saturday night's Test match against Australia in Townsville on the back of a poor season with the Wests Tigers proved that.
I'm not blaming him for the Kiwis' defeat. Australia were always going to win and should have done so far more convincingly.
The Kangaroos have four future immortals in Smith, Inglis, Slater and Thurston. On paper they are a 20-point better side than the Kiwis.
But back to Benji. He had just four runs for 26m and missed five tackles.
He kicked well and put up the bomb that was miraculously taken by Sam Perrett for Gerard Beale's try on half-time.
But when the score was locked at 10-all for 20 minutes of the second half, the Kiwis were desperately looking for some of his old magic. A big sidestep, a broken-play surge or even the old flick pass.
It just wasn't there.
Whoever coaches the Wests Tigers next year faces an enormous task to get his career back on track.
It will be a massive challenge for a rookie coach like Matt Parish or Kevin Walters because Benji carries so much influence at the club.
He is the chief executive, chairman of selectors, recruitment boss and just about everything else at the Wests Tigers.
He reports to no one.
And that's the major reason why his game has gone backwards. He gets sidetracked by other issues.
For three or four games a year he plays like a superstar and can still tear an opposition to shreds.
But there is no consistency in his game.
At 27, after more than 200 appearances, he should be at the peak of his career.
It's an age when good players become greats and champions become legends.
He should be a better player than two years ago because of the extra experience.
He should be like Smith, Slater and Cronk by producing week in, week out.
Benji is desperately in need of a strong mentor. Someone like a Craig Bellamy, a Des Hasler or a Wayne Bennett who can control his ego.
He still has the class and the ability.
There is absolutely no doubt about that.
Time is on his side and he could still finish his career over the next three or four years as an all-time great.
But it will require a huge turnaround.
\
\
\
**Pack change shows Sheens is tactically Myles away**
TIM Sheens made a major tactical error by changing the side the selectors had given him for Saturday night's Test match.
Starting Tony Williams ahead of Nate Myles was an impossible-to-justify decision.
Myles was the State of Origin player of the year while T-Rex struggled in Manly's pack for much of the season.
Nathan Hindmarsh summed it up well on Twitter during the game.
"If you started with Nate Myles the job would have been done earlier," he said.
Williams should not have been in the squad, let alone the starting 13.
He lost the football in the second minute of the game, gave away a penalty in the first minute of the second-half and knocked on in the 48th minute. Myles eventually got onto the park midway through the second half.
Earlier this year, Sheens controversially left Daly Cherry-Evans on the bench the entire match, on Saturday night it took him 57 minutes to send in Myles, the Dally M representative player of the year.
Myles passed brilliantly from off the ground to play a role in Darius Boyd's match-winning try, showing little evidence of the sternum injury behind his demotion. Again Williams didn't stand deep enough to hit the line with pace or power.
There were other back-rowers more deserving of the green and gold jersey. Out of 10, the Australian performance on Saturday night was probably a seven. They fielded a superior side to New Zealand but took 70 minutes to put the Kiwis away.
