Is Benji Back?

[diedpretty]

Over the last 2weeks we have seen a marked improvement in Benjis all round performance - against Melbourne I was very impressed with his speed which had been lacking for most of the season - hopefully he has rock bottom and is on the way back up.

 

[everett]

Cronulla is always a side that Marshall has enjoyed success against.

Takes more than 2 good games to declare he is back.

Still like him gone after his current contract expires.

 

[Tigerdave]

Looked pretty damn happy with that last try in the Storm game, looked like the team was really happy for him too. Whether he's back or not? Not sure, as long as he keeps playing within himself, things should improve.

Still needs to stop playing low percentages though, but I don't think that will ever happen. Those low percentage plays will come off more I guess as the young players get more used to him being unpredictable and expect the unexpected to a certain extent.

 

[WestsSupporter]

nope I foresee a shocker in the making. he will tell himself he is back and believe his own hype. RIP

 

[tigerbenji]

I think he will have a big game against the Sharks, He also looks to of lost a fair bit of weight which has probably been a help as well.

 

[Love_the_WestsTigers]

Cronulla is always a side that Marshall has enjoyed success against.

Takes more than 2 good games to declare he is back.

Still like him gone after his current contract expires.

True, he does like to Carve Sharks up BUT with Carney in their team things have got a bit interesting and it wont be the same for Marshall.

The key to Marshall's success in the last game was most of the attacking kicks were from Farah and Benji only kicked for touch.. goals and yeah the last kick for his try .lol
Keep him out of general kicking (cause he is dead set shocking) and he will have a blinder.

2 More sleeps, cant Wait !!

 

[TIGERS]

Its not a question of if he's back or not

There are signs that ALL the guys are getting used to and also starting to buy into the way Potter wants us to play footy…which is not to overplay our hand as much as we did under Sheens. Less style more substance.

Benji's had to adjust to that. Its pretty silly that so many think he's been in such bad form but at the same time are expecting him to tone down his traditional style of play. He's had a lack of experience/talent in the spine with him at certain parts of this Season. (Sirro, Teddy, Isofia. Meaney) and has been playing behind a struggling forward pack. He's had some contract dramas and for whatever reason he was dropped to the interchange bench against the doggies. Not the easiest time regardless of what money he's on.

Things are starting to tick along much better now. Blair is looking good, our Injuries are not so desperate, and the young guys are killing it. All this will hopefully lead to more possessions in our opponents 20, more offloads, more meters in attack, and less penalties\knock-ons.

Its not benji's job to be like he was 5-10 years ago. He's just gotta pick the right pass, kick well, and pick his spots to take on the line himself. Almost like the difference between Brad Fittler when he was a kid at Penrith and when he took the roosters to 3 grand finals in a row at the end of his career.

If he can do that I'd really want him to stay. If he can't define himself in this new team than very sadly its time for a change.

 

[Eye_Of_Da_Tiger]

To be back he needs to be consistent .Thus far NO

 

[Oxygen]

Only time will tell , Fulton was interviewed and asked about Benji apparently his lost 5 kg and is the first at training and one of the last to leave.

I love the fact he was benched for breaking team rules it shows me Potter is finally breaking the boys club mentality and no one is bigger than the team.We all want to see Benji do well and I personally think his heading in the right direction as is the whole team under Potter.

 

[MaxB]

It was good to see a new spark in Benji's ball handling last week ,
however I do wish Wests Tigers would buy a left footed , round the corner goal kicker to do the conversions from the right side of the field as Benji is unreliable from that side .
If he cannot convert tries from the right side of the field with any certainty, whats the point in players scoring tries there.
As far as I know there is no rule that doesn't permit a club to use more than one goal kicker in a game.
A couple of extra goals per game, could make the difference in putting Wests into the grand finals.

 

[Masterton]

He's certainly looking better than he did at the start of the season. But I agree it's a team effort. There's not many in the team that haven't looked better recently.

 

[supercoach]

Still way behind where you would expect a mega buck player to be, but is way better than where he was a month ago.Iam not confident he will ever be that marque player again, but who knows, come on Benji prove me wrong

 

[GNR4LIFE]

He's improving, but his form isn't at the point where people can sarcastically beat their chests asking where all his critics are like i have seen the last couple of weeks just because he has put in a couple DECENT performances, nowhere near it.

 

[Aladinsane]

Only time will tell , Fulton was interviewed and asked about Benji apparently his lost 5 kg and is the first at training and one of the last to leave.

I love the fact he was benched for breaking team rules it shows me Potter is finally breaking the boys club mentality and no one is bigger than the team.We all want to see Benji do well and I personally think his heading in the right direction as is the whole team under Potter.

Potter has to be praised for the turnaround …..he"s got Benji working harder on his game , the weight loss has been very important & with the forwards playing harder & Robbie in peak form , the last 9 games should be fun to watch

 

[LaT]

I've noticed Lawrence appears slimmer as well. Good signs.

 

[PYMBLEPETE]

I am still not very impressed. Just a shadow of his former self in my opinion. The recent lift in form which I acknowledge, has just been enough to retain his starting position.

 

[Black_n_White]

Is he back? No.

Recently he has been performing to the very base standard that a 7 should be able to, just barely. A level of skill and understanding that should have been all but instinctual to a player of his stature and time as a professional. In a way it is kind of sad that his football development is so far behind where it should be, that up until now he hasnt been able to assess the situation… quality football vs. hail mary play.

That said, I do think that his recent footy is a turning point for him. If he takes a few more tackles he will release runners around him, and backing up Simonas break showed you he still has the drive to compete... Is he back? Not yet, but I dont want old Benji, I want to see what he is truly capable of.

 

[system]

Cronulla is always a side that Marshall has enjoyed success against.

Takes more than 2 good games to declare he is back.

Still like him gone after his current contract expires.

One of the best trys involving marshall in 2005,
He side stepped going forward at full pace about 5 defenders passed it in for try.,… From halfway!!!!

_Posted using RoarFEED 2013_

 

[mtd]

nowhere near it.

 

[laufoofan]

Benji coming back to form gradually, so he is not losing us the games. Just as a swallow does not made a summer, Benji has got to be consistent from here. He has the potential and could be an all time great in the NRL. However there are several targets he has to set first. Forget about repaying the West Tigers whilst he was not paying his way when he was injured. Just try not to lose us anymore games through his errant way.Play a bit faster so that he can make the right decision and lowering his wrong decisions which in the past had cost us games.Concentrate on his games and not let things get into his head. His remark that his best is yet to come is way off mark. Show us what he can do first instead of what he is able to do. We have been waiting a long time for him to perform to his best. His last 2 games show that he can get back to the NRL level, thus our disappointments with him for so long for performing sub standard. Just focus on what he can do well and win us the matches and things will go his way. If he loses us the games that we ought to have won, he can demand anything he like and no one will listen to him. He has done well for us when combining with Prince has won the West Tigers a premiership. Since then, he hasn't been the same. He has shown us what he is capable of, however his most horrid part of the game is he has not be able to perform since for so many years which he could be capable of. So Benji, look after your part of the game and the game will look after you. Just ask for the money first before you can deliever will set your potentials back and your future prospects. We like Benji to be always with the West Tigers, yet it is so difficult to pay him what he has asked for because he has yet to deliver. He needs to set an example and standard for the other players in the West Tigers. :slight_smile: