Benji going back to the NRL

Absent from training today Benji Marshall is reported to be seeking an immediate release from his Blues Super XV contract so shame we did'nt get to see him play a full game..

 

Way to manage your talent JK...

 

Benji Marshall is set to return to the NRL this season after he and Blues coach John Kirwan agreed his switch to rugby union was not working out as they had both hoped.

Marshall, who has been given just 212 minutes of game time in eight Super Rugby matches this season, had been prepared to bide his time in the new code but negotiations are now underway to finalise the terms of a release that needs to be sanctioned by the board of New Zealand Rugby Union.

 

Marshall, 29, has instructed his manager Martin Tauber to open talks with NRL clubs.

While his lack of game time had sparked speculation that he was frustrated at the Blues, Marshall was determined to succeed in rugby union and accepted that it would take time to learn the new code.

 

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But he decided to seek a release after a weekend meeting with Kirwan in which it was suggested he either play the rest of the season in the lower tiers to help prepare him for the 2015 Super Rugby competition or return to rugby league.

While he and wife Zoe enjoy living in Auckland, Marshall is aware that if he does not make a decision now he may miss the opportunity to find an NRL club before the June 30 deadline for registering players.

 

Cronulla, St George Illawarra, Parramatta, Melbourne and Brisbane are among the NRL clubs most likely to interested in a star playmaker of Marshall's calibre and experience.

 

The rule changes introduced in the NRL this season to speed up the game are likely to suit Marshall, who became disillusioned and decided to change codes after a dispute over a new five-year contract he believed the club had agreed to.

In the 11 seasons after joining the Tigers as a schoolboy in 2003, Marshall played 201 NRL matches and was considered the face of the joint venture after leading the club to the 2005 premiership.

 

He also played 25 Tests for New Zealand and spearheaded the Kiwis to victory in the 2008 World Cup before taking over the captaincy the following season.

 

Marshall's decision to seek a release from the Tigers and switch codes was hailed as a coup for New Zealand rugby union but he has had little chance to develop as he has started just one game for the Blues and been shifted between fullback and five-eighth in his limited appearances off the bench.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-union/union-news/benji-marshall-seeks-return-to-nrl-20140421-zqxdz.html#ixzz2zUxokjtA

 Sbw played from Club to Super lvl, so understood the fundamentals better. It makes no sense to buy a marquee player, and dont play him, blues cld use his xfactor, sure he may be out of depth in some fundamentals of the game, but the only way hes gonna improove is gametime. Sitting on the bench acheives nothing, nor does cameos off the bench, he would be better off playing in a lower tier comp, at least he would of got gametime, dont see the point other wise.

 hey the warriors could use him.

 Well at least the decision is made & he can get on with his professional life. 
I always thought it was too much to ask. He did not have any lower level preparation before s15 & then people expect miracles. He was not ready to play for the Blues so he was given no chances really. 
Once the decision was made to recruit  him there should have been a plan based on his level of ability at that time & how to develop him. But if they got the decision wrong from the beginning & his level of ability was not good enough to play him then the whole thing was an accident waiting to happen - Bad decision for Benji & the Blues, it was bad management. This is the type of decision-making you would expect from an amateur.

 yea heard about this. JK didn't give him much of a chance to prove himself. Guess at this level JK expected him to just slot in and take the reins. Benji properly better off. Warriors is a good idea. 

Cloudy
After much fanfare at the start of the season, Marshall got little playing time - maybe too little to allow for an objective assessment.   However, from what I have seen of him he did not impress me as a player that could confidently be selected to be in the starting line up of the Blues. 
I do not entirely blame Kirwen in this case - he must select the best players and Marshall did nothing to prove that he is the best available.    

 Funny JK said Benji keeps him in the loop, and said reports Benjis unhappy are incorrect haha, know your players Sir.

The Blues are looking like their season is going to be an abject failure. Not a great environment to make this transition. 
I think his best performance was a game I watched him play fullback, and perhaps he should have got more runs at 15. 
The 10 position seemed like musical chairs at the start of the season and no one was secure.

 ...I see the Tigers have ruled out resigning Benji ...in fact last night, 14 of the 16 NRL clubs ruled out an approach for Marshall... so maybe he'll go abroad...

 ...less than a year ago Benji pledged he would never play against the Tigers.

 

"I will honour my words about not playing for another (NRL) club," he said in July last year, announcing his intention to leave the code.

"There is no other NRL club for me to play for. The Tigers are my home and will always be my home..

 

...lot of people spewing at JK for the amateurish way he's handled things...Benji did say he was here to win though and not just to make up the numbers so if that's the case it makes you wonder why he did'nt just sign for the Mighty Chiefs...

With a wife that looks that good, no worries Benji.But seriously their are articles in the press saying he will have a hard time finding a job in the NRL. We will see but I wish him well.
 

 JK and the blues' management staff are making big mistakes selecting and managing players.
Last year they refused to sign Anscombe (so he left and proved they were wrong) and preferred Noakes and Kerr?????
For this season they didn't want to sign Feikitoa so he left and is proving they were wrong. And now all this affaire with Marshall....

No loss. Was nothing special on the field when he did get on and I am sure if he had showed brilliance on the training ground JK's hand would have been forced to play him more than he did given what they paid for him.

 He said he and his wife enjoy living in Auckland, so if he signed with the Warriors (unlikely as theirs rumours he wants to reside in Sydney), but he well still be resided in Auckland.

...narrowed down to the Storm, Sharks or the Dragons clubs to sign Benji from what i've heard...  and former club Tigers demanding compensation as well