Marshall earns opportunity for appropriate Kiwis swansong

Let’s hope Benji Marshall gets the Kiwis farewell he deserves.

It probably won’t happen next week against Tonga, even though Marshall has been named in the wider New Zealand squad for that game.

Incumbent halves Shaun Johnson and Kodi Nikorima will be the first option for coach Michael Maguire, and the likes of Jahrome Hughes appeals as spine cover off the bench if Maguire decides to go that way.

It also depends on the fitness of Johnson, as Thursday’s night’s match against the Raiders was his first NRL outing since a hamstring injury in round seven.

But it would be great to see Marshall in the Kiwis jersey once more, and there are three more tests after the Tonga match this year.

With 296 NRL games behind him, Marshall offers experience and leadership, an expert kicking game and the flair for the unexpected.

He’s certainly good enough to play a role, and it would be a nice way to round out his international career, though there is no room for sentiment with such decisions.

It’s hard to believe that Marshall hasn’t played for the Kiwis since October 2012, through a combination of poor form, circumstances and bad luck.

It was a seismic shock when Marshall was dropped for the 2013 Anzac test by then Kiwis coach Stephen Kearney.

Kearney was determined to drive a culture change, and felt the presence of Marshall, whose stardom could

often overshadow the team, would inhibit building that. He was the face of the team, especially in the eyes of the Sydney media, but could be difficult in his latter years as captain.

That was shown at the 2012 Anzac test at Eden Park, when Marshall didn’t front at the joint captains’ press

conference, instead sending Simon Mannering.

Marshall’s ill fated switch to the Blues and rugby took him out of the equation, and by the time he had returned, Kearney had moved on.

That was most obvious on the 2015 Kiwis tour, when, in the absence of Johnson and Kieran Foran, the coach turned to Peta Hiku and Tui Lolohea as his halves combination, instead of recalling Marshall.

His form hasn’t always been compelling in the intervening years, but he has enjoyed a renaissance over the last 18 months. He was close to being picked for the tour of England last year, but pulled out with a calf injury. But the fire remains strong.

“The one thing I will never say is no to a Kiwis jumper,” Marshall told the Herald last month.

“I’ll always be available, no matter what. At the same time I’m aware there is a World Cup coming up and a lot of combinations we need to get right and decide who is going to lead us into that World Cup. I don’t expect Madge [Michael Maguire] to pick me, but if he needs me to play, I’ve course I will.”