Wests Tigers five-eighth Benji Marshall knows he is number one. On his day, the step, the speed and the swerve all dominate, as they did yesterday afternoon against the Gold Coast Titans.
Marshall’s brilliance resulted in a 28-12 win for the Tigers over the Titans in the last round of the 2008 NRL season.
Forget the match was a dead rubber. Forget the game had no effect on the make up of this year’s top eight. And at least try and forget that it was Brett Hodgson’s last match of a 225 game career in the NRL.
The focus was on Marshall. And, quite simply, he was brilliant.
With the ball in hand, the fans up on the Gold Coast were made to suffer, yet appreciate the skills of a Kiwi who is strongly considering leaving the game he loves in exchange for Croissants more greens.
There was one moment in the second half that summed up Marshall’s “Hollywood on the Gold Coast” antics.
On the last tackle, the Kiwi representative received the football, grubbered through the defence, stepped past Titans fullback Ben Jeffrey, and flick passed to the waiting hands of Tim Moltzen, who was eventually pinned for knocking the ball on.
In the end, the try of the season never came, but Marshall’s presence at Skilled Stadium earned the Tigers enough points to end 2008 on a high.
If anything can be consolidated from another failed campaign for the Tigers, it comes in the form of Marshall – a player who has gone to hell and back in regards to injury, but who is again starting to show his instincts with the footy in hand.
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