Benji Marshall Ready to Return to NRL
New Zealand rugby league captain Benji Marshall is all set to return to NRL after Blues confirmed his early release from the team.
The news came into light after Marshall met with the Blues coach Sir John Kirwan following the loss to Hurricane on Friday at Wellington.
Marshall further attended the media in Auckland on Wednesday to clarify the detailed discussion he had with coach Kirwan.
"It was a pretty tough meeting (with Kirwan) but we both agreed that it wasn't working the way we wanted it to ... I think it was pretty courageous to stand up and say this isn't working out," Marshall said.
Marshall did not clarify which NRL club he was going to join. He also told his manager that he did not want to approach any new negotiations until the formalities with Blues are met. Media reports, however, suggest that Marshall may join Cronulla.
"It's pretty funny, it's hard to join the Sharks without talking to them," Marshall added.
Marshall also ruled out any possibility to join his former team Wests Tigers after he walked out at the end of last season.
"I've still got a massive soft spot for the Tigers but it would be rude of me to think I can just go back there with how good they're going and the young guys they've got," Marshall added.
Meanwhile, the chief executive officer of Tigers, Grant Mayer, spoke about the loss of Marshall from the team.
"Benji has been an amazing servant of the Wests Tigers for a number of years and whilst it was difficult to see him leave the club, we have absolutely no ambition to stop him from coming back to the game of rugby league," Mayer added.
Marshall also admitted his struggle with the 15-man code mainly because of his experience playing rugby with a 14-man team.
"I was playing like I was a rugby league player playing with 14 rugby players ... Those habits that I have have just become second nature ... that's probably why I haven't played a lot ... There's a lot more better players than what I am," Marshall concluded