A lot of people have had their say on Benji Marshall in 2013. Assessments such as "he's an overrated hack!" and the now infamous "Benchy Marshall" have all been verbalised by opposing fans and even some of Wests Tigers own supporters. The truth though is that Marshall HAS struggled. Some have called him overweight. Others have said he looks disinterested.
I don't really believe either is an issue for his disappointing form. Put simply Benji has simply reached that time in his career where an experienced player hits a little bit of a brick wall. It's come time for him to reassess his game. Phil Gould stated something similar in a column written a few months back. Benji has always been the footballer who possesses a carefree style of play. A style of play which is about his strength - running the football. He's never been the organiser so many have wished he'd become. He's shown the ability to do so, however it's not a strength of his. He's less about structure and more about flair and the spontaneous.
Wests Tigers in recent weeks have found themselves with a dilemma. See under the agreement of Benji's current contract is a clause in which when the salary cap rises Benji is able to seek an upgrade to his current deal. It seems a given that this will be agreed. However Benji is also looking for a contract extension. This is something Wests Tigers earlier this season were happy to do. The problem is Benji's form has been well down. He's been pillaged by the media and even pockets of his own supporters. In fact, Tigers coach Mick Potter relegated his star to the bench versus South Sydney just to try and get a reaction out of him. It certainly worked in one sense.
That was round 10. Now as we enter round 16 Benji's form is still a hot topic. Recent weeks have hinted ever so slightly that Benji is improving. First he admitted his form was an issue. No denial - that's the first step in admitting any problem. Next came the all too familiar continual struggles, despite the previous admission. The end result was simply that he was trying too hard. From here Potter and Benji knew he had to return to the basics and the things that made him what he is today. Running the football. However a rare injury - Turf toe, has held him back even longer.
Despite all these issues in recent months, I sensed a change for the better In the build up to last weekend's clash with the Raiders. Benji got talking about his form once more and his contract issues. Rightly so, he put them to bed and said "let's just concentrate on my football". Sure, that's a clichéd thing to say but if you listened further. You would also have heard the passion and desire to remain at Wests Tigers. His words were humble. On field on Saturday night versus the Raiders I thought Benji played his most effective game of the season. He tore no one to shreds but his leadership, decision making and play making ability were on song that night. Had he finally found the path forward once more???
The answer to that remains to be seen but for the first time all season his form appears on an upwards trajectory. It was a small step in a journey that still needs to travel a fair way before we say Benji is back to his best. This performance though is a massive shot of confidence for Benji. As we think back to earlier about Benji hitting a brick wall and trying to rediscover himself as he plays out the final years of his career, there's now genuine hope that he's found it. I listened to him yesterday talk about how he's excited about the young crop of players coming through and how in particular he can be a real mentor in the development of young halves Curtis Sironen, Luke Brooks and Mitchell Moses. Was this Benji finally finding his new identity as a player? That question remains unanswered.
The timing of an improved performance v the Raiders, coupled with these comments about mentoring younger player leads me to believe Benji is all the more closer to regaining his mojo and i'm looking forward to seeing how he fares over the home stretch of this season. One wonders now whether 2014 is about to look a whole lot better than 2013.
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