Doctors tell Benji 'don't go'
By Dean Ritchie | February 20, 2009 12:00am
PROMINENT Sydney doctors have warned injury-prone Wests Tigers star Benji Marshall that taking the quick cash in Japan could significantly cut short his glittering career.
Their stance underlines NRL chief executive David Gallop's contentious decision to ban Marshall from an off-season stint in Japanese rugby union.
The Daily Telegraph has obtained statistics showing Marshall's body can't stand up to back-to-back NRL seasons - let alone an off-season overseas. Marshall, a New Zealand World Cup hero, has missed 51 games out of a possible 131 matches since 2003.
He has regularly sustained injuries, particularly to his shoulders, and has earned close to $30,000 for each of his 80 first grade matches in that period.
Martin Raftery, St George's doctor for 19 years and now ARU medical director, said Marshall must be extremely cautious about playing non-stop for 20 months. "No doubt a lot of injuries are related to fatigue,'' Raftery said.
"Extending your training and playing without an appropriate break puts a player at high risk of injury. We have a player here who has a history of injury. Sometimes players look at the short term rather than the long term. It is difficult to avoid fatigue if you continue to play.''
Leading sports doctor and ex-Souths forward Nathan Gibbs said all rugby league players need off-season rest. "Every athlete in high intensity and high physical activity sports need time to recover,'' Gibbs said.
"That should be built into their program. While financial security is important, my advice to younger players would be that if they want to prolong their career, they have to be careful of not overloading themselves or they won't have a long career.
"Maybe at the end of their career they could go for the money. And it's not just physical. There is also the psychological recovery. Every player needs to get away.''
Marshall said he would continue to pursue a deal in Japan despite Gallop saying he may not register the player if he returns to the NRL in early 2010.
Gallop last night reiterated his thoughts on star players sustaining injury overseas in a rival sport.
"Clearly the risk of injury is high in our sport and rugby union, which would be unfamiliar to Benji,'' Gallop said.
"We don't want to see our stars injured in our game let alone that of our competitors. Wests Tigers and New Zealand fans would be entitled to feel shattered if he was injured in Japan.''
Former Bulldogs and Australian doctor Hugh Hazard had mixed thoughts on the issue. "I think a six week break is reasonable. I know some players back from a Kangaroo tour have struggled to get back if they don't have a period of rest and rehab,'' Hazard said.
"But playing union would be a little easier than league. It depends on whether the player has injuries and needs rehab. If he is young and fit and hasn't had a lot of surgery he could probably get away with it.''
