Which NRL Clubs Could Make The Most Of A Benji Marshall Return?

[TITAN PETE]

Apr 06, 2014 League Freak National Rugby League 0


News that Benji Marshall isn’t happy with his playing time in Rugby Union got me thinking. Could Benji Marshall be a good buy for certain NRL clubs if they could get him for the right price?

If Marshall was return to the NRL he may need to get the blessing of the Wests Tigers after they released him from the remainder of his contract last year. If that were to happen Marshall would need to understand that most clubs would only consider signing him for a reasonable price.

If that were to happen though and Marshall decided to wanted one last shot at the NRL, what teams could use him, even if it was just a gamble that he came back and found some form?

Brisbane Broncos
I’m not really sure what all the hype is about surrounding the Brisbane Broncos. Sure they came out of the gates fast but they still have issues as shown by their heavy loss to the Parramatta Eels. I don’t rate their halves at all so throwing in Benji Marshall alongside Ben Hunt wouldn’t be the worst move in the world.

Melbourne Storm
You reckon Craig Bellamy wouldn’t get the most out of Marshall? If they were willing to bring Brett Finch back from England I’d have no doubt they’d look at bringing Benji Marshall in for a run at the club. You would think that it would be unlikely though that Marshall would go to the Storm unless he was heading there to be a starter for the rest of the season. That is something I’m not sure the Storm would be willing to do to considering how well Ben Hampton has been playing for them at five-eight.

North Queensland Cowboys
Its not really working for the Cowboys at the moment and you have to think that a Thurston/Marshall halves combination would worry a lot of opposition teams. Both being experienced playmakers would see them work well together in my opinion. It would also help the Cowboys during the State Of Origin period when Thurston it missing.

Newcastle Knights
While he is a bit young for a Knights recruit you have to think they could use him better than most other clubs in the competition. With Jarrod Mullen terribly injury prone having Marshall would be very handy. Throw in the Wayne Bennett factor and this may just work.

Other clubs I tend to think either have committed to players or they just have too much depth to bring in yet another half to the club.

I tend to think Marshall wouldn’t take the pay cut required to return to the NRL at the level of pay that clubs would take interest in him at. Still, its interesting to think about.

[TITAN PETE]

Benji Marshall On His Way To The Salford Red Devils?
Apr 05, 2014 League Freak European Super League News 0


They have a new coach, and now the Salford Red Devils want a new star playmaker.

News Limited in Australia is reporting that the Salford Red Devils are set to launch a $3 million bid for former Wests Tigers star Benii Marshall.

Marshall has been playing Rugby Union this season and by all accounts he hasn’t exactly set the world on fire with the limited opportunities he has had.

While I wouldn’t be shocked to see this move come off, I’d suggest Marshall would not cost the Salford Red Devils that much money. If he comes back to Rugby League it would be at a bargain price that matched the form he showed last year, which quite honestly went from bad to terrible.

Still, on his day Benji Marshall would still be the best playmaker in Super League and easily the most accomplished player in the competition.

Whether he can go from living in Sydney, then Auckland, and then northern England in the space of about six months however is another story.

I think if an NRL club got desperate enough they would take a shot at luring Marshall back. He has said he wouldn’t play against the Wests Tigers again but I’m sure he has probably changed his mind by now.

When you consider that Rugby Union players do not count against the Super League salary cap, and that the Red Devils can pay what they want for him, why not go for it!