Thank you Benji

[St Georgio]

Brian Smith always referred Jason Taylor as high end sports car running on slicks, Benji still has engine but he needs to get that power to the ground, someone like Bellamy can do that!

 

[Uplifting]

He will play again, just wait and see...

 

[Old Timer]

He will play again, just wait and see...

If that is the case then why do people want to give him a send off?
Unless he he categorically states he is retiring he deserves nothing from us ( 3 year player big deal) or the NRL which is a different scenario.
If he turns up at another NRL club he will be the enemy and we will all be yelling "rip his head off" and giving him the big raspberry when he makes a mistake.
Should be a bumper crop suggest everyone buys raspberry futures.

 

[grouch]

If that is the case then why do people want to give him a send off?
Unless he he categorically states he is retiring he deserves nothing from us ( 3 year player big deal) or the NRL which is a different scenario.
If he turns up at another NRL club he will be the enemy and we will all be yelling "rip his head off" and giving him the big raspberry when he makes a mistake.
Should be a bumper crop suggest everyone buys raspberry futures.

Yep, it's yet another pointless article from Mitch jennings and The Mercury

As others have mentioned, I'd be much more inclined to see the club give an opposition player a lap of honour alongside Benny Creagh after round 26 - Jeremy Smith

 

[Dragonslayer]

If that is the case then why do people want to give him a send off?
Unless he he categorically states he is retiring he deserves nothing from us ( 3 year player big deal) or the NRL which is a different scenario.
If he turns up at another NRL club he will be the enemy and we will all be yelling "rip his head off" and giving him the big raspberry when he makes a mistake.
Should be a bumper crop suggest everyone buys raspberry futures.

A send off - no
A cursory thank you - yes

Benji has not given 1 mention of retirement, still wants to play on next season, still looking for a club. He has been a great ambassador for the game, kids adore him and fans still talk about those golden years when he was at his peak, but now there are more troughs than peaks.

Thank you Benji for your time at the Dragons, and best of luck in whatever your endeavors are going forward.

The only disappointment for me is that the forum/s will have to find another fall guy to write about. At least the posts on Benji sparked debate wether that be for or against.

 

[St Georgio]

If that is the case then why do people want to give him a send off?
Unless he he categorically states he is retiring he deserves nothing from us ( 3 year player big deal) or the NRL which is a different scenario.
If he turns up at another NRL club he will be the enemy and we will all be yelling "rip his head off" and giving him the big raspberry when he makes a mistake.
Should be a bumper crop suggest everyone buys raspberry futures.

Your wrong the enemy was within, treated poorly, always ready to stick by him, if he plays against us We win 31-30 , Benji has a blinder.

 

[Old Timer]

Your wrong the enemy was within, treated poorly, always ready to stick by him, if he plays against us We win 31-30 , Benji has a blinder.

Always love this treated poorly shit.
He left the NRL for rugby and if it had of worked out he would still be there.
We gave him a lifeline which IMHO was a huge mistake but all said and done he came to the Dragons and took up a spot in 1st grade in a position foreign to him which he never mastered.
He has had some good games and been applauded and some bad games and abused just like many before him and no doubt many to come after him.
People seem to think he has been singled out which is incorrect nobody in the game is immune from criticism in this place .
He is not a long term player of our club and has done nothing ultra special in his 3 years with us albeit that he has had some very good moments.
The NRL certainly owe him a lot there is no arguement about that but the Dragons owe him nothing and he has said that in his own words.
So let the NRL look after him in respect of a celebration if in fact he is retiring.
IMO watching Benji over the last 3 years was sadly similar watching the great ALI's decline I just wish they had got out when they were right on top but IMO their own ego's got in the road.

 

[SBD82]

No, f**k that. Paul Comber is right. I never thought of it before but it must have been so hard for Marshall given his bumbling "playmaking" partner who seems to prefer hiding than running the risk of making mistakes comfortable in the knowledge a lot of fans will give him all the credit if the team wins and blame everyone but him if the Dragons lose. Bellamy must be having fits of laughter at our expense. I f**king hate that guy but not less than our bumbling idiots who justify Bellamy's contempt of us.

Struggling to keep that lid on?

 

[Sigurd]

Your wrong the enemy was within, treated poorly, always ready to stick by him, if he plays against us We win 31-30 , Benji has a blinder.

Marshall will go to another club and do very well. Remember he almost won the Dally M only one year ago despite playing in a poor team which lost more games than it won.
Dragons will be stuck with Widdop and be rubbish. Simple as that. But it will be Hutchinsons fault.

 

[Sigurd]

Struggling to keep that lid on?

Keep a lid on what?

 

[St Georgio]

A
IMO watching Benji over the last 3 years was sadly similar watching the great ALI's decline I just wish they had got out when they were right on top but IMO their own ego's got in the road.

Muhammad Ali

• 3-time Lineal Heavyweight Champion (1964, 1974, 1978)
• 3-time Ring Heavyweight Champion (1964, 1974, 1978)

1978 was probably the year Ali should have retired, boxing is a tougher sport than league, you don't have team mates to help you out, it's one on one, in Benji's case he has no real support anyway, Benji is still younger than when Ali became heavy champion of the world for the third time.

 

[Old Timer]

Muhammad Ali

• 3-time Lineal Heavyweight Champion (1964, 1974, 1978)
• 3-time Ring Heavyweight Champion (1964, 1974, 1978)

1978 was probably the year Ali should have retired, boxing is a tougher sport than league, you don't have team mates to help you out, it's one on one, in Benji's case he has no real support anyway, Benji is still younger than when Ali became heavy champion of the world for the third time.

Thanks for the stats on ALI I have probably forgotten more than you will ever know about his career.
The point was a simple one about getting out while on top and not going into a decline.
No Benji supporter is going to say he was great because of Prince or whoever they are simply going to say he was great so in fact it is about the individual.

 

[St Georgio]

Thanks for the stats on ALI I have probably forgotten more than you will ever know about him

Bzzzz wrong again, I know my boxing, in actual fact @ 42 I was sparring guys half my age, frustrating them, saying this old fella hard to hit, so that is why, I believe Benji has at least another good year left in him under the right coach , under the right structures, none of this Strong D spew I hear from a delusional coach.

 

[twinkletoes]

Interesting that Benji has stated recently he is a five eight predominantly and yet we never tried him at 5/8 even just to experiment and see if that combo would have worked better...too late now

 

[Old Timer]

So I said I believe they both should have got out on top.
You say Benji has at least 1 more good year in him then.
Should I assume that you believe he is not on top yet and his best is yet to come?

 

[St Georgio]

So I said I believe they both should have got out on top.
You say Benji has at least 1 more good year in him then.
Should I assume that you believe he is not on top yet and his best is yet to come?

We have thrashed out over and over, lets just leave it at that..I really don't understand why you are so touchy over Benji.

 

[Sigurd]

Your wrong the enemy was within, treated poorly, always ready to stick by him, if he plays against us We win 31-30 , Benji has a blinder.

I fear wins are going to be few and far between next season. At about the 1/3 mark of the season there is going to a massive overhaul of the team, coach and admin if it doesn't happen at the end of this season. A spine consisting of Marshall, Farah, Dugan and Hutchinson would have had promise. And it was highly realistic. Unlikely to have delivered a premiership in the next 2 years but certainly keep the team competitive and allow the club time to fine a long-term 5/8 and hooker. Dugan, Widdop, Hutchinson and a Souffs reject at best are going to be a disaster.

I wonder if Marshall is offside with several other players? I have only heard them speak well of Marshall and not say a peep about Widdop but I can't make any sense of getting rid of Marshall but keeping Widdop. There must be more going on behind the scenes that has nothing to do with rugby league ability. It's beyond stupidity and incompetence. Whatever it is, it has left the Dragons with no chance of a premiership next season and a far greater chance of the spoon than the finals.

If the club is secretly organizing Elgey, Lolohea and Jazz Tavanga to take the place of Marshall, Widdop and Rein, all will be forgiven.

 

[Old Timer]

I fear wins are going to be few and far between next season. At about the 1/3 mark of the season there is going to a massive overhaul of the team, coach and admin if it doesn't happen at the end of this season. A spine consisting of Marshall, Farah, Dugan and Hutchinson would have had promise. And it was highly realistic. Unlikely to have delivered a premiership in the next 2 years but certainly keep the team competitive and allow the club time to fine a long-term 5/8 and hooker. Dugan, Widdop, Hutchinson and a Souffs reject at best are going to be a disaster.

I wonder if Marshall is offside with several other players? I have only heard them speak well of Marshall and not say a peep about Widdop but I can't make any sense of getting rid of Marshall but keeping Widdop. There must be more going on behind the scenes that has nothing to do with rugby league ability. It's beyond stupidity and incompetence. Whatever it is, it has left the Dragons with no chance of a premiership next season and a far greater chance of the spoon than the finals.

If the club is secretly organizing Elgey, Lolohea and Jazz Tavanga to take the place of Marshall, Widdop and Rein, all will be forgiven.

The old Farrah & Marshall combo and the let's flog Widdop argument comes to the fore yet again.
FFS sing his praises by all means but stop trying to hide his inabilities behind others inabilities.
Benji can either talk the talk and walk the walk or he can't and according to all NRL coaches at the moment he might be talking but the only walking he is doing is out the door.

 

[Sigurd]

The old Farrah & Marshall combo and the let's flog Widdop argument comes to the fore yet again.
FFS sing his praises by all means but stop trying to hide his inabilities behind others inabilities.
Benji can either talk the talk and walk the walk or he can't and according to all NRL coaches at the moment he might be talking but the only walking he is doing is out the door.

Whoa, that was quite an outburst.

It's not surprising Marshall hasn't found a new club...yet. He has been bad this year and injured for half of it. The point is that as bad as Marshall has been, Widdop has been absolutely diabolical. Jumping out of the way of opposition ball carriers is actually the least of his worries. That's how bad he is. Yet as far as we all know, it's Marshall being shown the door and not Widdop. That's why I say there must be something going on behind the scenes we aren't privy to.

 

[Maximus]

Last time I looked up the stats re missed tackles, I found this:
- Benji misses an average of 2.7 tackles per game played.
- Widdop misses an average of 3.6 tackles per game played.
So prima facie evidence is that yes, Benji has superior defence to Widdop.

I for one would have been interested to see how Benji went at 5/8 in place of Widdop. Trouble is Widdop never gets injured.

By that logic, you would also say that Benji is a superior defender to JWH, Napa, Greg Bird, Taia, Latu, Mcqueen, Elijah Taylor and Hodgson, and equal to Josh Jackson and Ennis.

See how using stats without context makes you look like a moron?