Marshall: Thorley will be a star, he carries like a Tongan
ENGLAND prospect Ollie Thorley carries as hard as any Pacific islander and is destined to become a worldclass wing, says Gloucester teammate Tom Marshall.
Thorley, 22, was a shock pick for England’s Six Nations squad and has yet to win a cap.
However, New Zealander Marshall said: “I’ve played with and against a few good wingers and there’s no doubt in mind that Ollie will be world-class.
“He’s a one-in-a-kind winger who’s unpredictable and carries hard. In fact, you usually only see guys with Tongan heritage playing with the abrasive physicality he does.
“He’s a quality player and the scary thing is he’s not even close to his potential; he’s still got so much growth left in him which is exciting for Gloucester and England.”
Jonny May’s departure in 2017 left a king-sized hole that Gloucester fans feared might not be filled.
But Marshall believes Thorley could turn out better than the in-form England flyer, adding: “Ollie has the strength game which is a bit different to Jonny May – he’s got that sheer size and power but he’s just as quick as Jonny, which tells you where he could get to.
“Physically, he’s got it all, it’s just about developing his skill-set now. He’s always been able to run through everyone, it’s just the passing side of his game he’s had a lot to work on, but his best attribute is he’s coachable. That’s why you’ve seen such a dramatic improvement this season and an England cap is not far off.”
Meanwhile, utility back Marshall hopes to drive Gloucester to the title after recovering from a series of hamstring issues which threatened to wreck his campaign.
After completing his first 80 minutes since October in last week’s victory over Exeter, he said: “I had a hamstring problem which made me miss the start of the season and a couple of games into my comeback, I ruptured it completely against Munster. I had surgery and it’s been hard getting back into the contact side of things. You forget how physical the game is so it was great to be involved in such a good win.”
Marshall added: “We had a disappointing period losing five in a row but we’ve got guys returning from injury now and we’re looking to cement a topfour place and make the play-offs.”