Marshall: I’m not the retiring type
Benji Marshall says he’ll wait until later in the year before deciding whether this will be his last season as a rugby league player.
The 33-year-old has been in outstanding form for the Wests Tigers and new Kiwis coach Michael Maguire said on Thursday that Marshall was on the radar for next month’s test in Denver.
In an interview for Australian media organisation 20FOUR, Marshall admitted that his form wasn’t where he wanted it to be over the past few years, when he was with the Dragons and Broncos. But being back at the Tigers has rejuvenated him.
‘‘I wasn’t playing good enough. I probably had a confidence loss and a few doubts where I was unsure whether I could get that back,’’ Marshall said.
‘‘I don’t want to say I want to play next year and not enjoy now for what it is.
‘‘That question is going to keep coming up, but I don’t think I’ll be answering it until somewhere nearer to the end of the season.’’
Marshall says his legacy when he retires isn’t something that concerns him, but he wants to get his departure from the game right, rather than hang around a season too long.
‘‘I definitely don’t want to play an extra year and regret it,’’ he said.
‘‘The moment is good now and I want to enjoy it while it’s there. I’ll address that question at the back end of the season, I’m just enjoying life while it’s good.’’
Marshall says one of the key factors in determining whether to continue playing in 2019 is how his body is holding up.
‘‘I feel fitter than I have for a long time, but the recovery hurts,’’ he said. ‘‘The pre-season hurts a bit and it’s getting harder and harder.
‘‘There are a lot of things to throw in, obviously family life, if I can keep putting Zoe [his wife] and my son through those things, of being away constantly.
‘‘When you play footy, the routine is so set for you, that you don’t have a say in when you can or can’t have [time] off.’’
When Marshall does finally hang the boots up, he intends to remain living in Sydney and says he feels he has a number of options on what to
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do next, with coaching or working in the media the two most likely possibilities.
‘‘I think the pressure of being a head coach is more than it is to be a player,’’ he said. ‘‘ An assistant coach is a lot easier, where you don’t have to cop the brunt of how a team goes.
‘‘I don’t know if I’d be up to that, I haven’t experienced what that would be like.
‘‘I definitely feel I have a lot to offer.’’
In March, Marshall became a father for the first time, when Zoe gave birth their son, Fox.
‘‘I didn’t imagine it was going to be like it is,’’ he said.
‘‘I always wanted to be a dad. Now that the opportunity has come, it’s probably the best thing that’s ever happened to me.
‘‘More than winning premierships or any of that stuff, it’s really put things into perspective.
‘‘I had a period where I focused on footy so hard and thought footy was everything, but having a baby throws that out the door.’’