**Winning is the best send-off of all**
Benji Marshall
June 19, 2011
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"At some point, players have to move on." Benji Marshall will be without team mate Bryce Gibbs, who is leaving at the end of the year.
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"At some point, players have to move on." Benji Marshall will be without team mate Bryce Gibbs, who is leaving at the end of the year. Photo: Getty Images
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I'm not going to lie, the past few weeks have been tough. When you've been with some of your mates for so long, and when you re-sign thinking they're still going to be there … to hear they have to leave is hard to take. Bryce Gibbs made his debut a month after I did. We've been playing together for a long time. To hear that someone who was a Wests junior has to leave the club, it's sad. All the boys are fairly shattered.
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We can still make this a good season, a fitting one for our best mates.
>
Our coach, Tim Sheens, ended any possible discontent when he told us we were here to do a job and to play, not to get involved in politics. He's right. We've just got to play. We're representing our club and each other and our mates. It still hurts because Bryce and Andrew Fifita, who are leaving for the Sharks, are my friends. I want to play well because my best mates are leaving, and I want to send them out on a good note.
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We can't let this have an effect on our season. We don't want to send out our mates by not making the finals. We want to send them out on a high and go all the way. My main focus is to fittingly farewell Gibbo and Andrew.
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As much as you hate to see your mates go, it's been happening in the game as far back as I can remember. I had to watch Scott Prince, Anthony Laffranchi, Mark O'Neill, Ben Galea, Pat Richards and Brett Hodgson go. At some point, players have to move on. I don't blame the club. I still think the salary cap is designed incorrectly when it means players who have been developed by a club are forced out. If you develop the 13 best players in the world, you should be rewarded for that. Players should be able to play for the team they want to play for, the team in the district they grew up in.
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The rumours about Bryce, Liam Fulton and me have been a distraction, too. They were devastating not only for me and my teammates but also the people who were unwittingly dragged into it.
>
We've had so many distractions recently, but we have decided we need to come together as a team. We've talked about the need to play for these guys, the ones leaving us.
>
The only way to shut off these destabilising rumours and shut up anyone who thinks that we are not a tight group of players is to win games. This has all made us tighter. And we have won our past two games. I think that says a lot.
>
I believe the win over the Warriors last weekend will prove to be a turning point. We are not playing anywhere near our best, but we are still getting away with wins. We probably had no right to win that game, but we stuck together and fought for it.
>
When you're playing poorly and still winning, you have a lot to anticipate. The following few days were interesting, of course, being stuck in Auckland as a result of volcanic ash. I think the whole ordeal might be a blessing. We were able to enjoy each other's company and relax.
>
Melbourne, to me, have been the surprise team of the year so far. After losing the players they did last year, their key players have stepped up. I love watching them play. Cameron Smith, Billy Slater and Cooper Cronk will be looking to bounce back after losing in the State of Origin.
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They'll be out to get us. I hope there are Tigers fans on their roofs watching the game, because we need all the support we can get.
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A word on the Origin
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I thought it was an outstanding match. I was so pleased for Anthony Minichiello, who no doubt thought he wouldn't get another chance to play Origin again, because of his back problems. Paul Gallen led by example, Kurt Gidley made a difference out of dummy half, as did Luke Lewis on the edges, and I thought Anthony Watmough was great off the bench. Jamie Soward controlled the kicking game.
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If Jamie can understand he is always capable of that last play, when he set up Minichiello's try, he can take his game to another level. I'd like him to watch that game at ANZ Stadium again and see how strong he is, and how good his footwork is.
>
He could play Origin for the rest of his career. But the thing is, Queensland didn't have to win. Now they do. And it is a lot easier to find that extra energy when the crowd's on your side.
>
When you play away from home, you have to find your own energy, and Queensland failed to do that. Now NSW will have to.
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Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/winning-is-the-best-sendoff-of-all-20110618-1g8wv.html#ixzz1PfnBNzY2
Couldn't see this posted anywhere else.
Benji Marshall
June 19, 2011
>
"At some point, players have to move on." Benji Marshall will be without team mate Bryce Gibbs, who is leaving at the end of the year.
>
"At some point, players have to move on." Benji Marshall will be without team mate Bryce Gibbs, who is leaving at the end of the year. Photo: Getty Images
>
I'm not going to lie, the past few weeks have been tough. When you've been with some of your mates for so long, and when you re-sign thinking they're still going to be there … to hear they have to leave is hard to take. Bryce Gibbs made his debut a month after I did. We've been playing together for a long time. To hear that someone who was a Wests junior has to leave the club, it's sad. All the boys are fairly shattered.
>
We can still make this a good season, a fitting one for our best mates.
>
Our coach, Tim Sheens, ended any possible discontent when he told us we were here to do a job and to play, not to get involved in politics. He's right. We've just got to play. We're representing our club and each other and our mates. It still hurts because Bryce and Andrew Fifita, who are leaving for the Sharks, are my friends. I want to play well because my best mates are leaving, and I want to send them out on a good note.
Advertisement: Story continues below
>
We can't let this have an effect on our season. We don't want to send out our mates by not making the finals. We want to send them out on a high and go all the way. My main focus is to fittingly farewell Gibbo and Andrew.
>
As much as you hate to see your mates go, it's been happening in the game as far back as I can remember. I had to watch Scott Prince, Anthony Laffranchi, Mark O'Neill, Ben Galea, Pat Richards and Brett Hodgson go. At some point, players have to move on. I don't blame the club. I still think the salary cap is designed incorrectly when it means players who have been developed by a club are forced out. If you develop the 13 best players in the world, you should be rewarded for that. Players should be able to play for the team they want to play for, the team in the district they grew up in.
>
The rumours about Bryce, Liam Fulton and me have been a distraction, too. They were devastating not only for me and my teammates but also the people who were unwittingly dragged into it.
>
We've had so many distractions recently, but we have decided we need to come together as a team. We've talked about the need to play for these guys, the ones leaving us.
>
The only way to shut off these destabilising rumours and shut up anyone who thinks that we are not a tight group of players is to win games. This has all made us tighter. And we have won our past two games. I think that says a lot.
>
I believe the win over the Warriors last weekend will prove to be a turning point. We are not playing anywhere near our best, but we are still getting away with wins. We probably had no right to win that game, but we stuck together and fought for it.
>
When you're playing poorly and still winning, you have a lot to anticipate. The following few days were interesting, of course, being stuck in Auckland as a result of volcanic ash. I think the whole ordeal might be a blessing. We were able to enjoy each other's company and relax.
>
Melbourne, to me, have been the surprise team of the year so far. After losing the players they did last year, their key players have stepped up. I love watching them play. Cameron Smith, Billy Slater and Cooper Cronk will be looking to bounce back after losing in the State of Origin.
>
They'll be out to get us. I hope there are Tigers fans on their roofs watching the game, because we need all the support we can get.
>
A word on the Origin
>
I thought it was an outstanding match. I was so pleased for Anthony Minichiello, who no doubt thought he wouldn't get another chance to play Origin again, because of his back problems. Paul Gallen led by example, Kurt Gidley made a difference out of dummy half, as did Luke Lewis on the edges, and I thought Anthony Watmough was great off the bench. Jamie Soward controlled the kicking game.
>
If Jamie can understand he is always capable of that last play, when he set up Minichiello's try, he can take his game to another level. I'd like him to watch that game at ANZ Stadium again and see how strong he is, and how good his footwork is.
>
He could play Origin for the rest of his career. But the thing is, Queensland didn't have to win. Now they do. And it is a lot easier to find that extra energy when the crowd's on your side.
>
When you play away from home, you have to find your own energy, and Queensland failed to do that. Now NSW will have to.
>
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/winning-is-the-best-sendoff-of-all-20110618-1g8wv.html#ixzz1PfnBNzY2
Couldn't see this posted anywhere else.
