Wests Tigers fans thought they’ve seen it all with Benji Marshall.
Over the past 16 years they have marvelled at the hops and jumps, the flick passes, the chip kicks, the show and go and the general sleight of hand.
Now they have also seen the Benji Marshall resilience for the very first time.
Dropped from first grade a few weeks ago, the legendary half also had to endure talk that he was being shopped to other clubs because that was it for him as far as the Wests Tigers were concerned.
Unfazed, Benji not only went before the TV cameras to dismiss such talk as rubbish, he also continued to work extremely hard to win his spot back.
He showed enough in the last 30 minutes in the loss to Souths a week earlier for the coach to put him in the starting line up against the Broncos last Friday night.
That game is now history because Wests Tigers pulverised the hapless Broncos in winning 48-0, but man of the match Benji Marshall was the talk of the town afterwards.
A good bit of the praise came from Michael Maguire, the man who dared to drop him.
“I got the Benji Marshall that I know and the way he can play and perform; I thought he was excellent tonight,’’ said the coach after the massacre of the Broncos at Leichhardt Oval.
“The forwards laid a really good platform for that, but it’s a good lesson for any young kid or senior player in the game to put your head down and work.
“That’s what Benji did and he came back with a good performance, and I can see Brooksy doing the same thing when the time is right,’’ said Maguire, alluding to another dropped star, Luke Brooks.
There’s no doubt that the young halfback, pictured below, could do worse than imitate the resilience shown by Benji Marshall after he was dropped.
Brooks has been named on the bench for Thursday’s grudge match against the Parramatta Eels at Bankwest Stadium, so he will have another opportunity to redeem himself.
The only change to the team is that of Luke Garner, who has been ruled out of the match after failing concussion protocols for this week’s six-day turnaround.
Garner is replaced in the run-on side by Michael Chee Kam, with rookie forward Alex Seyfarth coming in to the squad as a reserve.
WESTS TIGERS:
1. Adam Doueihi
2. David Nofoaluma
3. Chris Lawrence
4. Moses Mbye (captain)
5. Tommy Talau
6. Billy Walters
7. Benji Marshall (captain)
8. Josh Aloiai
9. Harry Grant
10. Russell Packer
11. Michael Chee Kam
12. Luciano Leilua
13. Matt Eisenhuth
INTERCHANGE:
14. Sam McIntyre
15. Thomas Mikaele
16. Luke Brooks
17. Chris McQueen
RESERVES:
18. Oliver Clark
19. Elijah Taylor
20. Shawn Blore
21. Alex Seyfarth
