First of all, a confession. I was positive about Benji Marshall’s chances of making a good late career in rugby. There was a possibility, I believed, that he could be an interesting inside centre or fullback.
I was doubtful about him in the number 10 position. There was a possibility, too, that he could get a position in the All Blacks sevens team to play in Rio.
But to be frank, I was surprised and alarmed for his future when he made a cameo appearance for the Auckland Blues in a trial match in Sydney. He looked somewhat pudgy rather than the lean, trim Benji of his glory days.
The most alarming aspect of his play, though, was the lack of fluidity, with none of those electric, long-striding break-outs finished off with the improvised brilliance of a round-the-back pass to a runner bursting towards the try line. The thing that struck me was how static his play was. He took the ball standing still and, without moving forward, tended to jerk a pass to a runner.
That was before the Super Rugby season started. In his last cameo appearance for the Blues against the Hurricanes nothing had changed. His game was still flat-footed and stilted.
It was clear he was in deep water and going under. It was no surprise that Sir John Kirwan decided that his star recruit needed time, and plenty of it, actually playing rugby rather than practicing it.
So down to the development team for the rest of the Super Rugby season and then the ITM provincial tournament was Kirwan’s answer to Benji’s problem.
You have to congratulate Benji for refusing to accept this panacea. He knew that at the age of 28 it was too late to serve an apprenticeship in a new code. It took courage to walk away from a lucrative contract, and the ancillary lucrative radio contract his wife had signed onto.
There was a sad truth to his statement: “I’m an average rugby player.”
He can also expect the barbs from many journalists who cover rugby league. They tend to be personally affronted when someone suggests that the ‘greatest game of all’ might not be the code of choice for all talented players or sports lovers.
Rugby players who crossed to league were called ‘converts.’ They were invariably pestered to concede that the code they had changed to was a much better game than the one they had left.
League players who went to rugby were called ‘traitors.’ They were continually pestered to concede that the code now paying their wages was nowhere near as good or open or exciting or generous (take your choice) as the one they had left behind.
Who knows what is going to happen for Benji now. Some weeks ago I reported in The Roar that Benji was not making the cut at the Blues and was looking at playing rugby league in the UK. If he does not get a gig in the NRL, with June 30 the closing date, then the UK could still be on the cards.
His poor form as a rugby player has closed off the European rugby market, but there is still Japan. There was talk several years ago of Benji playing rugby in Japan while he was still with the Wests Tigers.
I think it would have been a smart move if Benji had played in Japan last year before moving across to the Blues. He needed time on the field to get a feel for rugby in matches rather than endless hours working on drills on the practice field.
I also believe that he might have done better if he’d somehow signed with the Crusaders rather than the Blues. The Crusaders turned Sonny Bill Williams into a viable and potentially great rugby player.
Alternatively, Sir John Kirwan could have handed Benji over to Graham Henry, a member of the Blues coaching staff, to make Benji’s development as a rugby player of stature into a special project. You have to say that Michael Cheika did a much better job turning Israel Folau’s playing skills into the finished rugby product.
There are no winners from this story. The Blues have been distracted in Super Rugby 2014 by investing a huge amount of time in a player who, for reasons that are obvious now but not so obvious in the early days, has not delivered the attacking panache expected of him.
The player himself is virtually unemployable in the NRL, unless he takes a massive pay cut.
What are the lessons for the fiasco? There is the hubris on the part of the player and the franchise that embraced him so extravagantly. But the main lesson is this. Rugby and league are very different games. Just because you are a star in one, you cannot expect to be a star in the other.
This works both ways. As the Bible says: Many are called and few are chosen. Benjamin Quentin Marshall was a chosen one for a long time in league, but not even for a short time in rugby.
Buk
Guest
1. Without Spiro their would be no "The Roar"; his sons started it 2. He has copped a heap of "honest opinion" critical comments over the past couple of years I have been reading "The Roar" 3. The books of his I have read are excellent, very well researched and even enlightening 4. I totally disagree with a number of his opinions, especially regarding NSW, but I enjoy reading them I am not quite "Spiro for Prime Minister", but his contribution to sports journalism over many years deserves credit
stillmatic1
Guest
but he didn't really have a go, did he? by his own admission he didn't want to put in the hard yards (club rugby) and build his way up like he should have in order to be successful. his ego simply wouldn't allow it, and now he might learn that hard work still needs to be done in order to be successful. I have a hunch that he wont learn at all. brilliant player when he wants to be, but lacking the base to be consistently great.
One Born Every Minute
Guest
"Spiro’s comments about league’s attitude to code switchers are spot on" No, its just his inferiority complex concerning Union in Australia shining through. Which is funny considering how we keep getting told its a bigger world game. "Most league fans and journalists don’t have the rugby union education to understand and appreciate the game, they are confused by it and don’t understand it." Considering the exposure Australians get to Union and that a lot of fans of League also played/watched both codes in their life, this statement is just plain wrong. And if you believe the tripe coming out of newspapers such as the DT represent League fans, no wonder you believe Spiro's comments. "So they act like children protecting their favorite toy. “Mine is better than yours” they proclaim, although deep down they just don’t really know why we love rugby and they never will." No, we've seen it, played it, understand it. But guess what and to your shock and horror, we just prefer League more. And I guess you like Union more, which is no crime. Just don't act like Spiro is a repository of wisdom concerning League, of even Union for that matter, because he's not.
One Born Every Minute
Guest
In Brief logic. If its negative about Rugby League, its true. If its positive about Rugby League, Its false. At least he's not pretending to care about someone getting a broken neck this time.
One Born Every Minute
Guest
Just try and mention his pitiful book sales and see how far you get.
FRANK
Guest
What not allowed to express an honest oopinion of Zavos?
FRANK
Guest
Benji so much more a straight shooter than self appointed "expert" Zavos with his continual carping criticism of Rugby league He could learn a lot from Benji
Tricky Dick
Roar Rookie
Agreed on your final point, the Bulls almost certainly would have won the league both years he was gone. But I have to argue that Jordan was properly terrible at baseball. The only thing he was remotely proficient in was drawing a walk. But then again, against AA pitching, if you don't swing for 5 or 6 pitches, there's a pretty decent chance you'll be taking first on balls. http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=jordan001mic
kingplaymaker
Roar Guru
I agree with all that! Let's hope someone wise is watching and taking note :-)
One Born Every Minute
Guest
Actually, on second thought, Spiro was never that good.
Blinky Bill of Bellingen NSW
Guest
The Benji Marshall interview on Fox Sport - I found myself listening to what Benji was saying about his time in Rugby and admiring the bloke for his honesty. He comes across as a decent bloke & a straight shooter. And by his own admission it was probably age that caught him out in the end. His time at NRL and the instincts it develops at his level, were simply too hard to unlearn at his age. IMHO it's hats off to the bloke for at least having a go and admitting failure on his part. I wish him well. Maybe he'll trot back to the NRL but no doubt there will be other options available to him. I'm wondering if he'd consider a stint in Rugby in Europe or Japan. He could make some good money, have fun and see the world. ;)
Mike
Guest
"Robinson had played a year in rugby when 22" A four-month contract, in which he didn't play all games, created to fill in a gap in the season due to league in England switching to summer play, and with no expectation of playing rugby again. I will note that as exception No 1 to your unbendable rule... ;) "Gower although he did ok was not playing for the strongest team" Okay, inserting another exception: "2. Players who go to Bayonne may be accepted over the age of 25, but not if they go to Stade Francais. In Australia, that means Rebels can have them, but Brumbies may not" [ducks for cover from Rebs fans]. Oh, and another exception: "3: Even if a geriatric player is allowed to go to a lower ranked provincial side, he may not press for selection in a top 10 international side, even if he is eligible to play for them and they want him". "Brian Carney wouldn’t have found it too much harder to make the Irish backline than Gower the Italian" Okay, Munster as another "lower ranked side", I can live with that [ducks even lower to avoid outraged Munster fans]. And Ireland also counts as a lower ranked test side [calculating my life expectancy after offending Irish rugby fans...]. So Carney fits into Exception No 2, but Exception No 3 will have to be modified to permit geriatric players to switch if they press for selection in an international side outside the top 6. . "Thorn seems to be the exception, but is exceptionally, a forward" Adding another exception to the draft rule as we speak: "4. Players who are forwards may join after the age of 25, even if they have never played rugby in their life, as long as someone important certifies that they will be "unusually long lasting as a player compared to anyone"." Got it!
peeeko
Roar Guru
here you go again, JWH was a junior wallaby that converted at 19, hardly a park rugby player. Waqa was an INTERNATIONAL rugby player for FIji who played a few games for Gordon because he was disallowed from playing for the Brumbies. ANd for the recordPicketts observation is wrong as well
nerval
Guest
I've spoken to plenty of rugby league supporters in England and not one has ever had a "hatred" of football - the vast majority love football and are surrounded by some of the most famous football clubs in the world. The NFL has never been mentioned vis-a-vis rugby league. Ever. A "hatred" of the NFL? Dear, oh dear. A "christian" level of zeal? This is bizarre, bordering on the perverse. Again, the "zeal" came from one direction only. And directed at one sport only. The boot, In Brief, was NOT on the other foot and the RFL did not grind the RFU "into the ground, and spit on its grave." "Amateur" players going to rugby league were indeed not "welcomed back" - other than as "traitors" of course - but "amateur" players playing other professional sports such as cricket and football were. As for other amateur rugby league players, including at schools and universities, what pray was the RFU's problem with them? Were you banned from playing rugby league for the rest of your life, In Brief? Banished from the club house? Forbidden from fraternising with anyone associated with the game in any capacity? No, Spiro is 100% wrong. As are you.
One Born Every Minute
Guest
Its a wonder you didn't pull out your Reds crowd stat as usual (from 3 years ago). Poor old In Brief, never could handle RL's popularity in Australia. There there, there there. All is well.
Chopper
Guest
Why did you switch to Union ?
Chopper
Guest
The Union administration likes to think it deserves some credit for any Union-League convert, ie Michael O'Conner, Ray Price, Wally Lewis etc. Would these guys have been just as good at League if they hadn't played Union beforehand - YES. Did the Union coaches make them better players - NO.
In Brief
Guest
Back to the article, I like Benji Marshall and think he could have been a success in rugby. The little of game time I saw he seemd to player ok, in a team which looked pretty disjointed. It's a real shame he didn't move to a more settled franchise and get more game time. Result may have been the same, but it does feel like he was never given a fair chance.
Chopper
Guest
What rubbish - League is not jealous of Union in any way shape or form. League is a game for players born with natural ability that cannot be taught - ie players like Benji Marshall. Union is a game steeped in tradition but often unwilling to embrace change in order to maintain its international appeal.
In Brief
Guest
Call is shamateurism if you want, but Britain has a long history of 'amateur ideals' which went way beyond the Olympics and Rugby and into the very fabric of the romantic ideal. It the reason why so many Everest attempts ended in heroic failure. The mountaineers considered any form of preparation as being 'unsporting'. They didn't train, didn't acclimatise and didn't carry oxygen. It took a massive fight by scientific minded men like Griffith Pugh to change this mindset, and at great personal cost. So the fact that amateur rugby players going to professional rugby league were not welcomed back should come as no suprise. Furthermore, you have a breakaway sport which is in direct competition with the sport from which it came. Rugby league kept the name 'rugby' and took on a born again christian level of zeal against the union code. Talk to any league supporters in Britain and you soon realise they have a massive hatred of rugby union (and soccer, NFL etc). It is this megalomania which has added to the schism between the two rugbys. It is obvious to me that if the boot was on the other foot in the UK, English league would grind the RFU into the ground, and spit on its grave. Final point - Spiro is 100% correct. Even as a junior rugby league player I was called a traitor when I switched to rugby union.