Benji - via @NothingButWT

Via @NothingButWT

Let me start by congratulating Benji Marshall on a great career. He will (hopefully) finish with 200 NRL games for the club, our leading tryscorer, pointscorer and will always be remembered for "that" pass. What happened behind closed doors is for Benji, Tauber, the club and the NRL to know. Rugby League is a business, and at this time Mayer and Wests Tigers management is working overtime to ensure a dominant future past 2013. Both Benji and the club need to do whats best for them moving forward. Not all Rugby League players get the fairytale goodbye.

As Robbie Farah said yesterday, "No one player is bigger than a footy club." Benji's legacy will always live on at Wests Tigers.

Moving Forward

In 2014, we will have depth through the club that we have not seen before. We will have a good mix of youth and experience. For fans asking why the club needs to make players who are 'untested' in the NRL a priority it is as simple as this. Guys like Brooks, Moses and Nofoaluma have fielded offers from rival clubs over the past two years and some of the offers are downright ridiculous. Players like Brooks, Moses, Lovett and Santi, although still to play first grade, are players which the club have to keep. Our under 20's have been the brunt of a lot of criticism this year about 'underperforming' but it is overlooked that Tedesco, Sironen and Nofoaluma are still eligible. Injuries have enabled the club to test players like Luke Brooks in the NSW Cup which will only help his development.

Whether it is Benji Marshall, Luke Brooks or Mitchell Moses, it is important to remember what occurred to Taniela Tuiaki and Simon Dwyer. Nothing in life (or rugby league) is a given. 

Fans are understandably nervous about 2014 and beyond, but remember this, players from the graduation class of Farah, Fulton, Halatau and co have said the talent we will see in 2014 at Wests Tigers is unparalleled. Robbie Farah made no secret that a major reason he re-signed was due to the talent at the club. I am not going to sit here and tell you that all of the 20+ players we have in NRL and NSW Cup who are 22 years of age or younger are going to play 200 NRL games, win premierships and represent their country, but we have the base to work with, as we have the most talented group in Rugby League.

It is time to have faith in our junior system. Since the start of the National Youth Competition we have seen 30 players who have graduated from the Wests Tigers U20's and play NRL. Before a ball was kicked in 2013 the thought of having 7 debutants and playing games with 8 players who had less than 10 games NRL experience was 'far-fetched'. The injury crisis the club battled this year, in my opinion, has helped the club for next season. 

To the believers that 'only Benji can guide the new talent around the NRL', i say this. Within our current squad, Robbie Farah, Braith Anasta, Aaron Woods, Liam Fulton, Adam Blair, Chris Lawrence and co all made their debuts as teenagers or as 20 year olds. They know the expectation, they know the feeling. 

Because of these points, i believe we will enter season 2014 in the strongest position the club has been in. Support the jersey, Support the badge. Yes we have lost a superstar, but another is about to take the NRL by storm.

Management

For too long, retention, recruitment and fan interaction has been a huge blight on the club. Point the finger at whoever you like over this, but 6 weeks ago Grant Mayer became COO of the Wests Tigers. In that time we have seen Marty Taupau join the club, Keith Galloway re-sign for 3 years and extensions for 2014 provided to James Gavet and Ava Seumanufagai. I have no doubt that Mick Potter and Grant Mayer are the best people for the job to help the club move forward.

Fans

So we have two months of guaranteed footy left in 2013, I was disgusted to see fans threaten to boycott games 'in honour of Benji'. If you are considering boycotting games just remember this, Benji has his last game at Leichhardt, his last game at Campbelltown and his 200th game coming up. Who are you trying to punish?

Finally, to the fans who say they will burn their Wests Tigers jerseys, all i can say is, please do it. All it means is that you will have nothing to wear when you feel like jumping back on the bandwagon.

The Benji conundrum!

I sit here this morning still finding it pretty hard to believe what has transpired in the past 12-13 hours. Yes, a check of the papers this morning confirms the black cloud that hovers over all Wests Tigers fans this morning is indeed still there:
            BENJI MARSHALL IS LEAVING WESTS TIGERS!

Currently there is divided opinion on Benji's decision from fans of the Wests Tigers and and those of the game in general. Some feel that a player of Benji's value and service to the club should've been looked after - end of story! Others believe the guy is now past his best and should probably have accepted the offer as the best he can now command. Whilst others, myself included, believe the truth is probably somewhere in between.  For those of us out of the know, well we'll just have to accept the facts that we do know. That Benji was presented an upgraded contract for the next 2 seasons and he rejected the terms, then seeking a release.

One thing i do know though is that this situation is far from ideal. It's not ideal for Benji, it's not ideal for Wests Tigers and it's not ideal for Rugby League. We're talking about one of the games most marketable players. He may have polarized some opinions but i think there's little doubt he is one of the game's modern day greats. From an attacking perspective i believe Benji pioneered a new breed of footballer. His skills are so silky, his ability to chance his arm, whilst always debatable, thrilled most people. Everyone remembers his flick pass for Pat Richards in the 2005 grand final win. What was he thinking? Is this guy nuts??? To this day he remains one of the games best attacking players. Statistically always up there for try assists, line break assists, line breaks and tackle busts.

2013 has not been a good year for Benji. In fact it's fair to say it's been his most challenging yet. After already having to deal with the departure of close friend and long time Wests Tigers coach Tim Sheens, he then suffered the pain of losing the job as New Zealand Captain. That must have been shattering. Rumours were he would not even be selected in the squad. A turf toe injury put to rest that question though. His on field form for Wests Tigers had been insipid at best. The effort was always there but the execution and his confidence seemed to both fall away. He was dropped to the bench by coach Mick Potter in a game v Souths in a move i feel seemed to work because it bought with it a reaction.  His form has slowly improved since that game. Though it's fair to say he's still not at his best weeks later.

These recent contract negotiations have clearly been tough. Tough for Wests Tigers, it's fans and most of all Benji. Benji has come out and said that after discussions with the then CEO Stephen Humphreys, that  they had discussed a further 2 year extension to his current contract which would've tied him till 2017. This talk was only ever on a hand shake agreement and one that still had to be ratified with the board. However Humphreys since that time has resigned. Stepping in to the negotiations has been COO Grant Mayer. He and his board met and approved only an upgrade to his current deal. This was a clause in the current deal that allowed the deal to be restructured under a new salary cap. Wests Tigers honored this.

As we now know though, Benji has declined the offer. Reportedly on the grounds that he was first offered a further 2 years to his current deal.  This is now where the situation becomes murky. There's not many people out there who will know the truth to how this played out. Plenty will say they will, but few will seriously know. This is how i look at it. Weather or not Benji was offered a further 2 years under a "hand shake" agreement with Humphreys is of little significance. This was never approved by the board and ultimately all deals need board approval.

Okay, morally Benji probably does have a point if this is indeed how it played out. Wests Tigers though cannot simply move heaven and earth to satisfy Benji. The board and Grant Mayer agreed to honor the clause in his contract and rightly so. They offered a deal which was fair for Benji and his status in the game. Also, remember this. It is an upgrade. Meaning he would now be paid more than previously. Which given current form is probably a little fortunate from Benji's perspective.

Ultimately, Wests Tigers needed to be mindful and responsible in their dealings. There is a wealth of young talent coming through the club these days. The youth plan has been developing nicely over the past 3-4 years and only now are we beginning to see the fruits of this. The Tigers decided to make this priority number one. To nurture and retain their talented young players. Therefore it sits comfortably with me that the club would only raise the bar so high with Benji. They had to act responsibly for the sake of the club and it's future. Guys like James Tedesco, David Nofoaluma, Tim Simona, Marika Koroibete, Curtis Sironen, Sauaso Sue, Luke Brooks, Mitchell Moses, Brendan Santi, Kyle Lovett and Nathan Brown amongst others are our future, and significant time has been invested in them. Would it be right to sacrfice a long term investment for one player who's form has not been top shelf for quite some time now?? I don't believe so. This is why the club i feel was right to only raise the bar on Benji to a certain point. It needed to think long term and NOT short term.

All this aside though it's still a sad time for Wests Tigers. Benji will forever be one of this club's greatest ever players. And having him leave prematurely does hurt. In an ideal world he would've agreed to his upgrade. He has bought so many fans to the game. I feel terrible for all the young Tigers fans who have to face up to the reality that their hero is leaving. I'm sure there are tears, i know there are tears. I will miss his ability to conjure a play that simply wasn't there. His instinct. It was his greatest strength. I often thought that a lot of his errors occurred because he often thought a level ahead of his team mates. He could see what his team mates couldn't process at the same time.

Benji though is an institution at Wests Tigers. Some will call him Wests Tigers. That when people think Wests Tigers they think Benji Marshall. His 11 years of service have been incredible. From the lows of recurring shoulder injuries to the highs of a grand final win in 2005. I was overseas when he was exceptional in the 2008 World Cup. He was tremendous in periods of 2010-11. These are the things i will remember him for. He made going to the football just that little bit more fun. He always had you anticipating something brilliant. He was more than capable of it.

If i saw Benji now, i would thank him for his service. For he has provided us Wests Tigers fans with so many moments of joy. He gave this club it's hope. Help turned us from a basket case into a contender. I got no doubt that Rugby League thrives these days because of the impact stars like Benji have had over the his past 11 years. It doesn't seem right for Rugby League to lose him. Benji's loyalty to this club though means we will lose him though.

 The reality though for our club is that star players will always move on at some point. The club though will always be here. It will remain here to provide opportunities to other players. The good news is there will be other star players to throw on a Wests Tigers jersey. We will recover. We will survive. Benji though will ALWAYS be remembered.

The curious case of Benji Marshall

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.