West Tigers 2011 face of the game, Benji Marshall has been cleared to play and will be named at the opening rounds of the NRL season amidst assault charges hurled against him following an altercation with a 24-year-old guy over the weekend.

After receiving the Tigers reports mid-day on Monday, the NRL officials have agreed to allow Marshall to play and decided against any immediate penalty to be imposed against the five-eighth.

The officials explained that the facts of the case have been disputed and therefore there is no solid evidence against the Tigers’ 26-year-old captain.

Marshall’s manager has claimed that a racial slur thrown by the unidentified victim at the Kiwi international had prompted Marshall to fight the victim, whom he described as aggressive during the verbal banter.

The victim denied the racial allegations and maintained that he had only said: Darren Lockyer is a better player”.

The Tigers said has urged the NRL officials in its report submitted Monday to let the judicial system to take its course.

His team has clearly stood by Marshall as they asserted in the report that Marshall was not in any way heavily intoxicated at the time the incident occurred. The team had also supported Marshall when it claimed that their player had just thrown and hosted a fund-raiser for the Children’s Cancer Institute of Australia.

“Benji Marshall has been charged with assault but there is no evidence of any other misconduct on that night which would lead us to look at misconduct other than the assault charge,” NRL chief executive, David Gallop was quoted as saying by The Age.

One strong point for Marshall.

Gallop added, “The only issue that would seem capable of attracting any penalty from the NRL in this matter is the one that will be determined in court”.

Gallop has insisted that like any other individual, the Tigers captain has the right to defend himself in court.

He said, “It may well be that Benji can successfully defend the allegation and he is entitled to that opportunity”.

Marshall is scheduled to appear in Downing Local court on April 20.

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