Border woes for Benji and Rabbitohs
SOUTH Sydney superstar Benji Marshall is stranded in Sydney and faces the prospect of being locked out of Queensland long-term.
Marshall was due to fly out of Sydney on Saturday, but the ongoing border uncertainty now places the 36-year-old’s immediate playing future in doubt.
He was granted permission to extend his stay in Sydney before rejoining the rest of his Rabbitohs teammates in Brisbane. Marshall’s wife Zoe gave birth to the couple’s second child, a baby girl, last month.
Sydney officials were scrambling to work out a way for Marshall to rejoin his teammates and not be impacted by quarantine restrictions.
The NRL is hoping family members who live in Newcastle and Canberra will still be able to fly on Saturday.
Marshall may be part of that flight, but even if he does fly out, he may be forced to quarantine for 14 days.
He was named to play in the Rabbitohs’ team to meet the Bulldogs on Sunday.
Marshall could be in the final season of his glittering NRL career, after being thrown a lifeline by the Rabbitohs this year on a one-year deal.
Cronulla’s Will Chambers is facing similar uncertainty, with the veteran centre stuck in Melbourne.