These NRL stars are worth fighting for
Roar Guru
By Steve Kaless, 29 Mar 2010 Steve Kaless is a Roar Guru
- Tagged:
- Benji Marshall, Jarryd Hayne, Josh Morris, NRL, Parramatta Eels, Rugby League, West Tigers
Tigers Benji Marshall (centre) gets a pass away during the NRL Rugby League, Round 16, Penrith Panthers V Wests Tigers game in Sydney, Saturday, June 24, 2006. AAP Image/Action Photographics/Jonathan Ng
As I sat back and enjoyed the attacking master class that the Eels and the Tigers put on Friday night, I tried to think back to when I’d seen a player with the same bag of tricks as Benji Marshall.
My mate and I posed each other the question, and then polished off a few beers, some garlic bread, a couple of pizzas and a few glasses of red, still we had nothing.
Sure there have been many great five-eighths who’ll be remembered as better than Marshall, Wally Lewis and Brett Kenny for example, but Marshall like Jarryd Hayne has unique talents that fit the modern game like a glove.
It means that when other suitors come, as they inevitably do, the NRL needs to be able to stand up and play ball.
Of course, it doesn’t mean they pay anything to keep them but league fans need to get over the idea that they will automatically be replaced. “Plenty more where that came from,” is often the line but it often just isn’t the case.
Sure the game doesn’t stop, more players are found and fans are just as passionate, but it doesn’t mean that the stars are completely replaced.
Watching Lote Tuqiri for the Tigers on Friday convinced me that despite what they say the Broncos haven’t produced a winger as good since he left eight years ago. Yes, they’ve produced plenty of great players but imagine if Tuqiri had remained on the end of that backline?
Now I want to be clear that I am firmly behind the salary cap and believe it has given league fans a fantastic competition, but the real challenge for those with more power and higher salaries than me is to ensure that after all the hard work rugby league does to produce these superstars, the fans get to see them during their prime.
I could happily give up the beers and pizza if I knew I was going get football like that every Friday night.
And it wasn’t just that game, there were some other standout performances over the weekend.
Now here is the first name on the NSW Origin team sheet, but they can use it twice: Morris.
Those boys are certainly worth the price of admission, even if Josh was the benefactor of some comically woeful play from the Roosters on Sunday.
I’d like to make the point that when I talked up Todd Carney last week I did also say it was only Round 2. A week might be a long time in politics but it is even longer in football.
But surely while the NSW selectors can often be cited for pulling the reign, this one if a given.
I just hope I get to see them in full flight for years to come.
Enjoy sports? Enjoy a bargain? All Sports Online has your favourite sporting brands at up to 70% off. Online only, premium quality sporting goods and merchandise at discounted prices. Get a deal now.
Do you have what it takes to become a sports writer? Write for the roar
Rugby League articles
- An open letter to Channel Nine (107)
- Gallop and some of his precious Sydney NRL clubs must go (101)
- The NRL is back baby! (65)
- The NRL’s scariest players (56)
- The NRL needs a vision (52)
- Federal Court has it wrong on sports broadcast copyright (48)
- Bulldogs setting benchmark for Sydney’s NRL clubs (46)
- Rugby league’s new era: where to now? (23)
- New dawn for rugby league gets underway (11)
- Rugby league commission ushers in new era (3)
- Ennis confident about his NRL fitness
- Why sporting seasons should never cross paths (35)
- Independent Commission four years in the making, but worth the wait (30)
- Kearney still to choose Eels kicker
- Rugby league’s new era: where to now? (23)
- Federal Court has it wrong on sports broadcast copyright (49)
- An open letter to Channel Nine (108)
- The NRL’s scariest players (56)
- Is the All Stars match increasing the divide? (25)
- Channel Nine needs NRL-cricket ODI compromise (36)
- The NRL needs a vision (52)
- Explore:
- Benji Marshall, Jarryd Hayne, Josh Morris, NRL, Parramatta Eels, Rugby League, West Tigers
The Link said | March 29th 2010 @ 8:12am | Report comment
Great article Steve, the quality of football on Friday night was of the highest standard.
Benji was outstanding and I agree with Sheens that he’s at his best when understated and then injecting himself at the right times.
Even after a very quiet game Jarrod came up with some magic in the last 20.
The Dragons machine rolls on.
AGO74 said | March 29th 2010 @ 8:36am | Report comment
Dragons played a terrible Bulldogs outfit last week and the Cows weren’t much better. This friday is their real barometer. Storm haven’t been going well, but you don’t get much tougher than Melbourne in Melbourne. Hope Storm get a decent crowd.
AGO74 said | March 29th 2010 @ 8:35am | Report comment
Benji is brilliant and how good is Lote going? Extremely pleased to see his transition going so well. Still very fast for a 30 y.o.. You make some salient points in particular the “plenty more where they come from”. I’ve never subscribed to that because there are very few Tuqiri’s or Gasnier’s (leaving aside the SBW debacle). The next TV deal is huge in terms of this subject because they need to get as much $$$ as they can so as to stem the flow – which to a certain degree has been stemmed. This is as much to the strengthening $AUD against the pound and Euro as well as ARU’s realisation that paying overs for a league player isn’t going down well with there constituents.
Andy said | March 29th 2010 @ 8:58am | Report comment
Cliff Lyons had a very good passing game for a 5/8 and he set up alot of try assists, i recon he was better than Marshall.
Tinnie said | March 29th 2010 @ 10:35am | Report comment
The author did make a point that these players would go down in history behind some of the greats, but despite that they can do things on the field that no others can thus far equal. They do these things with such freakish regularity that they have proven themselves to be genuine articles and no fluke.
At this moment of time in every game of backyard footy there will be a Marshell and a Hayne on the field and the kids will be attempting the Marshell step and fick pass, the Hayne chip over the top and regather, the mircale plays that kids dream they pull off when they’re big day comes. Specifically these two atm have bridged a certain gap between backyard and professional RL.
The Tigers/Eels match last year was possible the best game of footy i’ve ever seen, it was explosive and exciting. I feel priviliged to witness some of the footy these two teams have produced over the last few years.
The Link said | March 29th 2010 @ 11:00am | Report comment
Andy, Cliffy was in my view the greatest passer the game has known, but old Napper would be the first to admit he doesn’t have the speed or explosiveness of Marshall.
The Answer said | March 29th 2010 @ 5:02pm | Report comment
I know some people who watched Benji Marshall at the State Cup in touch footy and unlike Cliffy he never went straight for a ciggy when reaching for the sidelines…nor does he the taste for tinnies and a punt (which was one of the reasons Cliffy was so adored…ah the good old days).
Dogz R Barkn said | March 29th 2010 @ 9:48am | Report comment
The elite players of today are streets ahead of those from even 20 years ago.
oikee said | March 29th 2010 @ 10:09am | Report comment
Agree with you , i did happen to see a under 20′s kid the other day who just happened to put on a Benji step and goose foot, that was straight out of the Benji Marshal Manual. So our production line of talent , along with Ben Barba, who i think is just finding his feet, happens to be looking very good.
The game that really has me worried is Storm in Melbourne, the Broncos might get 80 put on them. 
The thing i like about our future stars is the fact Jarrod, and Benji are the benchmark, so the next genaration is going to use them as a sounding board, which in itself, makes for exciting times indeed for rugby league fans.
And yes, the salary cap needs to be increased. We just are not paying these guys enough for the excitement and skill on show.
As for the Broncos, it will be along year, but we have a nice building block of youth coming through. Looks like i might be at a few broncos games this year, the lads need all the encouragement they can get. Might be a cracker this Friday nite, (roosters,bronc’s) the battle of the wooden spoon.
Corey said | March 29th 2010 @ 10:10am | Report comment
Amen mate, we need some of our players to stay- the tribalism is what keeps our fans passionate but it is our superstars that attract people to the stadiums and new people to the game. Let’s just hope we can get more people to the game by advertisng the battle between 2 superstars, like Benji v Hayne or something like that.
Steve Kaless said | March 29th 2010 @ 10:25am | Report comment
The point about junior development is too often we ask players to be superstars too early. This was probably the case of guys like Marshall himself and Soward early in their career. It takes a few years in the NRL to develop into a real talent, only a handful of players are guns from day one, most are usually written off.
Take the Bulldogs’ Ben Barba, people wanted him thrown in years ago straight off the back of is Under 20 debut year, only now is he really starting to fire and that is coming off the bench.
Should we lose a gun player people would automatically start anointing some young bloke to replace a bloke in his prime. Its very unfair on the kid. I simply say we need to look at ways to keep both in the game.
chris g said | March 29th 2010 @ 10:49am | Report comment
I have been watching league live and on TV since 1963 and continue love the game with a passion that increases with time. I have seen some great players; Reg Gasnier, Fulton, Wally Lewis, Andrew Johns come to mind; and others who briefly touched on greatness (Johnny Gibbs was one, injury ruined what could have a been a great career). These days i am amazed by Hayne, Falau, Slater etc but i honestly believe Marshall is the most talented league player (and maybe sports player in general, i possibly defer to McInroe) i have ever seen. At his peak his capacity to anticipate what is happening on the field and his use of every body movement to deceive and mislead his oppoents, combined with an inherent pure athleticism, really is breathtaking. I have shown OS friends his YouTube clips and they all agree – ‘who is that masked man?”
There is a recent YouTube 10 minute highlight clip that is well-produced and goes back to 05. Worth a watch (I can’t incude a link – work server won’t allow); the only problem is that it needs to be updated on a weekly basis! That flick pass to Tuquiri just before half-time 10 metres out from his own line was breathtaking.
Corey said | March 29th 2010 @ 11:48am | Report comment
Just a quick comment, just watched the channel 9 sports review- they showed AFL highlights, but NRL come on channel 9 bloody ridiculous.
M1tch said | March 29th 2010 @ 3:27pm | Report comment
IC — new tv rights — more money for players
its going to happen soon