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Benji Marshall must go the Melbourne Storm. If there was any light shining for Marshall at the moment, it’s coming from the southern state.
Sure, there are a few other beacons around the NRL waters at the moment – the Cronulla Sharks, St George Dragons and even the North Queensland Cowboys are apparently interested in signing the former Wests Tigers player maker. But surely his best fortunes lie with the Storm.
First of all, there has been talk of Marshall returning to the NRL and possibly playing fullback. This would be a bad move by both Marshall and the club who chooses to employ his services. The fullback role is far too important to a side these days, requiring custodians to be well-versed in the role.
Desperation in defence and courage under the high ball are essential skills required in any applicant’s CV. I don’t recall the words desperation or courage often associated with Marshall while he was running around with the Tigers.
His legs are older and he’s not as quick as he once was. So fullback should be considered a no-go for Marshall and should cancel out any club wishing to offer him that role.
So, why is the mercurial number six best suited to joining the Purple Pride? Well, before we get to that, let’s continue to outline why he’s no good anywhere else.
The Sharks have so far been touted as early favourites to sign Marshall, but in what position? The number six?
The Sharks already have a decent halves combination in Jeff Robson and Todd Carney. They seem to complement one another. A Robson/Marshall combination would work, but Carney/Marshall? I don’t think so. Who would run the side? It’s been proven that Carney plays better in the five-eighth role and for that matter, so does Marshall.
Furthermore, a move to the Shire would be detrimental to Marshall, as his inclusion would likely involve the coach to look at a myriad of other positional changes. This wouldn’t be good for the team. And let’s not forget the separate issues that his affiliation with a host of former comrades in the side could have – that, in itself, could prove tricky.
So what about the Cowboys or the Dragons? Well, both of those teams have their dominate playmakers wearing the number six.
Both sides could definitely do with some extra spark in attack but, let’s face it, both teams have rookie coaches and have failed in recent years to offer consistency in terms of wins or attacking structure. Marshall needs structure to play around, he can’t be asked to provide the structure nor build on it.
So that cancels out those two clubs.
Which now brings us to the Melbourne Storm:
Strong coach – check
Well-established players wearing the numbers one, seven and nine – check
Highly professional and structured club – check
No established five-eighth – check
With the number six jersey up for grabs this year, after the departure of Gareth Widdop to the Dragons, combined with the Storm’s indifferent start to the season, Melbourne are craving a number six who can add something to their attack. Marshall will do this.
He can provide an unpredictability to an offence which has revolved – reasonably successfully mind you – around the “Big Three” for a number of seasons. The fact that the Storm haven’t found themselves on the bottom rungs of the ladder this early in the season since 2001 backs this up. But it also says that their defence is struggling and their attack isn’t what it was.
Enter Benji Marshall.
This why the Storm and Marshall are made for each other. For Marshall to be successful in the NRL again, he needs a club and a team which can utilise his talents without being dictated by them. This is what happened at the Tigers.
Wests were left playing around him and it proved to be detrimental to the team’s performance on the field, as well as the culture off it. Going to the Storm will provide Marshall with the structures and culture required to succeed.
He won’t be the biggest pooch in the kennel, he won’t be able to dictate terms, he’ll have to buy into a culture, he’ll have to listen to the coach and he’ll have to work his back-side off! All of these ingredients combined ought to deliver Marshall and the Melbourne Storm the benefits each party desire.
The stars have aligned for Marshall – a Storm and Marshall partnership is meant be.
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