FAMILY FIRST FOR RETIRING BENJI
BENJI Marshall knocked back a 2022 contract with the Gold Coast Titans because he knew the time was right to call curtains on one of the NRL’S great careers.
Marshall announced his retirement on Wednesday following a glittering 346game NRL career which has seen him enter the debate to become New Zealand’s first rugby league Immortal.
Marshall, 36, played a remarkable 19 seasons in the NRL with the Wests Tigers, St George Illawarra Dragons, Brisbane Broncos and South Sydney Rabbitohs.
He starred in the Tigers’ 2005 NRL premiership season and played 31 Tests for New Zealand, including the Kiwis’ 2008 World Cup triumph.
Marshall’s final season ended in heartbreak as the Rabbitohs lost last Sunday’s grand final 14-12 to Penrith. He had a one-year deal on the table from the Titans, but he knew the time was right to go out on his terms.
“If I didn’t make this decision now I would have played until I was 40. I just love the game so much,” he said.
“It feels like the right time. There was a lot of good stuff being said about me and I’d hate … to go on for one season too long.
“I did consider playing on, but the more I thought about it, the more I felt it was time to move on.
“My family’s put a lot of sacrifice into moving around and doing things for me. It’s time for me to change that and put my family first.” A one-season cameo at Souths ended with the Rabbitohs Rabbit falling agonisingly short. s
Coach Wayne Bennett, who also brought him to the Broncos in 2017, said Marshall should be remembered among the game’s greatest players. “The influence he’s had on the game and the way he’s played … the players that wanted to be like him are many,” Bennett said.
“I’ve always gravitated towards him. I would be over football but I loved watching him play.”