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Guest
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Young fans hit me hard in my darkest hour at the SCG
BENJI MARSHALL
June 6, 2010
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You can often find your best out of the worst places. There's no doubt our worst place for some time came against South Sydney. This is not something that's easy to say, but after the game, I was walking off and two young fans handed me their jumpers, saying they wanted to support another team. I've been able to keep my cool for a lot of my career, but those two little kids giving me their jerseys - it just took me over the edge. I never want that to happen again.
I could tell their parents must have put them up to it because they were only about seven and eight. When you're looked up to throughout your career, to have that sort of thing happen, I didn't want to tell anyone about it, but it wasn't a nice thing to happen. I'd like to think after everything I've been through at the club, I meant more than that. That was one thing I just couldn't forget.
Our coach Tim Sheens gave us great support through it all. That Sunday afternoon, that night, it all hit me, and I was pretty down for a couple of days. I even thought about going home to New Zealand for a while. I went into the coach's office and we had a good talk for a couple of hours, and he reminded me about the player I was and what I've done for the club. He's helped me get back on my feet.
I've got no doubt that game turned things around for us. It was a wake-up call for me. I was so intent on trying to be what everyone else wanted me to be, instead of being what I wanted to be.
We went into camp before the Newcastle game the week after and we bonded together. It was the most fun I've had in ages. We went go-karting in the rain and the boys were drifting out there - there were a few accidents! It was the best thing we could have done.
It's been about us wanting to play for each other over the past few weeks. We stuck together when times were getting tough.
All the talk about there being disharmony in the camp, it just makes you laugh. If there's an issue between me and the coach, we talk to each other. If there's an issue between any of the senior players, we nut it out. I reckon, as a team, we're very close compared to other teams. We're close enough that we can give each other sprays and no one gets down about it. You've got to laugh it off. Where does it come from? Some people just believe anything and anybody these days. And the fine that allegedly led to the disharmony - I was fined $250 for being five minutes late. Training was usually at 10 o'clock and they changed it to 9 o'clock and I was doing an interview when they told the team it was changed, so I didn't even know about it.
But look, I should have known about it, I'm a senior player. I was five minutes late. At the end of the day I was just happy I didn't have to spin the wheel like the Melbourne players. I'm not sure how I'd look with dyed blond hair or a shaved head. I'd rather cop the fine.
The other one that came up was the relationship between me and Robbie Farah. What do I have to do? Kiss him on the field? People can say what they want. Anyone who's been watching our games all these years can see how tight we are. We just play off each other and know each other so well. If there is a problem, we're too honest sometimes, and we can get stuck into each other.
But where these silly things come from, I'd love to know.
GOOD ON YOU, ISRAEL
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A few thoughts about Israel Folau. I've said my piece before about the salary cap, so I won't go over old ground. I just hope this is a wake-up call for the NRL. People are saying another Israel Folau will come along, but there won't be another one, just like there won't be another Greg Inglis. We need those players in our game. Israel would have been stupid not to go to the AFL. Even if he fails - that's still $6 million for failing and he could come back to rugby league when he's 25\. I support him all the way. Good on him.
BENJI MARSHALL
June 6, 2010
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You can often find your best out of the worst places. There's no doubt our worst place for some time came against South Sydney. This is not something that's easy to say, but after the game, I was walking off and two young fans handed me their jumpers, saying they wanted to support another team. I've been able to keep my cool for a lot of my career, but those two little kids giving me their jerseys - it just took me over the edge. I never want that to happen again.
I could tell their parents must have put them up to it because they were only about seven and eight. When you're looked up to throughout your career, to have that sort of thing happen, I didn't want to tell anyone about it, but it wasn't a nice thing to happen. I'd like to think after everything I've been through at the club, I meant more than that. That was one thing I just couldn't forget.
Our coach Tim Sheens gave us great support through it all. That Sunday afternoon, that night, it all hit me, and I was pretty down for a couple of days. I even thought about going home to New Zealand for a while. I went into the coach's office and we had a good talk for a couple of hours, and he reminded me about the player I was and what I've done for the club. He's helped me get back on my feet.
I've got no doubt that game turned things around for us. It was a wake-up call for me. I was so intent on trying to be what everyone else wanted me to be, instead of being what I wanted to be.
We went into camp before the Newcastle game the week after and we bonded together. It was the most fun I've had in ages. We went go-karting in the rain and the boys were drifting out there - there were a few accidents! It was the best thing we could have done.
It's been about us wanting to play for each other over the past few weeks. We stuck together when times were getting tough.
All the talk about there being disharmony in the camp, it just makes you laugh. If there's an issue between me and the coach, we talk to each other. If there's an issue between any of the senior players, we nut it out. I reckon, as a team, we're very close compared to other teams. We're close enough that we can give each other sprays and no one gets down about it. You've got to laugh it off. Where does it come from? Some people just believe anything and anybody these days. And the fine that allegedly led to the disharmony - I was fined $250 for being five minutes late. Training was usually at 10 o'clock and they changed it to 9 o'clock and I was doing an interview when they told the team it was changed, so I didn't even know about it.
But look, I should have known about it, I'm a senior player. I was five minutes late. At the end of the day I was just happy I didn't have to spin the wheel like the Melbourne players. I'm not sure how I'd look with dyed blond hair or a shaved head. I'd rather cop the fine.
The other one that came up was the relationship between me and Robbie Farah. What do I have to do? Kiss him on the field? People can say what they want. Anyone who's been watching our games all these years can see how tight we are. We just play off each other and know each other so well. If there is a problem, we're too honest sometimes, and we can get stuck into each other.
But where these silly things come from, I'd love to know.
GOOD ON YOU, ISRAEL
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\
\
A few thoughts about Israel Folau. I've said my piece before about the salary cap, so I won't go over old ground. I just hope this is a wake-up call for the NRL. People are saying another Israel Folau will come along, but there won't be another one, just like there won't be another Greg Inglis. We need those players in our game. Israel would have been stupid not to go to the AFL. Even if he fails - that's still $6 million for failing and he could come back to rugby league when he's 25\. I support him all the way. Good on him.
