Born for the jersey

FROM an early age Benji Marshall was earmarked for greatness, although it wasn't for a Kiwis jersey - but an All Blacks one.
As a 12-year-old, he was selected to play flanker for Whakatane in Bay of Plenty's Tai Mitchell schoolboy rugby tournament. The team manager at the time, and current principal of Taneatua School, Rob Shaw, remembers the little Maori boy with the dazzling sidestep.
"He had a huge talent. He was a standout player in the team. Even then, I thought he was an All Black in the making. I was gobsmacked when he wasn't selected that year for the [Bay of Plenty] Roller Mills team."
Shaw says it has been great to see the youngster become one of league's best players.
"I knew if he got the opportunity, he would go all the way. It's harder for a boy from a small town to make it but Benji has done it and now he's inspiring youngsters from [around the district] to aim high and work hard. It's because of him these kids can dream that dream."
When you ask Marshall how he feels about being an inspiration to kids back home, he shuffles awkwardly in his seat.
"Yeah, it obviously feels good. I reckon if you can give kids a bit of hope and let them see that my dream has come true. It makes it living proof that anything is possible. It's a privilege to be in the position I'm in and humbling to have that effect on kids."
AS A 15-year-old, Marshall, like most teenagers, had his own dreams of representing his country.
"When I was younger, I always wanted to be an All Black. When I first started playing league, that dream changed to becoming a Kiwi."
With the seed planted in the rich soil of talent, it was only a matter of time before the dream started to become reality. In 2001, aged 16, Marshall moved to the Gold Coast to take up a scholarship at Keebra Park Secondary High School.
Two years later, he was playing for the Australian schoolboys rugby team and the Australian touch team and was given a contract to play for the Wests Tigers NRL club.
From there, it has been a meteoric, seven-year rise for Marshall - winning a premiership in 2005, making the Kiwis squad that same year, being part of the successful 2008 World Cup squad, then becoming Kiwis captain last year.
"For that dream [representing New Zealand] to come true was unbelievable and to be made captain so early made it even more special."
But it was not without its hardships which included dislocations to both shoulders, a torn knee ligament and a broken cheekbone.
THROUGHOUT this time Marshall hasn't forgotten his roots, his family, or what it takes to get to the top.
"Yeah, it's always good to be home. I don't get the chance really that often during the year to get home. So I always try and make the most of it when I can. It's always good to see the family. They don't get to watch me play that often in home territory," Marshall says.
"Growing up, I was pretty lucky, I had a pretty disciplined upbringing. I never really missed school at all. When you are disciplined to do the hard work and you can prove you can work hard at school, you can work hard anywhere. I know [for kids] it can be boring but that was the main thing for me, proving I had the discipline."
The 24-year-old, who has played 130 NRL games and 17 tests for his country says when his time is up, he won't be looking to get into coaching.
"You can never say never - but I enjoy the TV side of things, so I'll probably get into a bit of TV. Hopefully if that all goes well, I'll get into a bit of presenting.
"I've thought about [coaching] but I've seen how many grey hairs most of the coaches have got and I don't know if I want to go through that."
Although Kiwis coach Stephen Kearney has dark locks, Marshall has a theory. "He puts a rinse through it, he puts some dye through that. It's well known," he says with a grin.
Kearney says it's not just Marshall's sense of humour or his on-field displays which make him a great captain.
"He brings a number of different qualities. We're well aware of what he is capable of from a talent point of view. He can do some things which a lot of players can't on a footy field. But for me, there are a number of factors that make him a good captain. Certainly what he does off the field, how he is seen in the public as a very generous young man, always giving of his time ... I know Benji is very generous in that sense."
SO are there any regrets for the captain who once longed for that other black New Zealand jersey?
"Nah, not at all. I had that opportunity," says Marshall. "If I was ever going to do it, it would have been before I re-signed with the [Tigers]. I'm signed to them until 2015. So I won't be going anywhere in a hurry."
And what's left for the man who appears to have achieved everything?
"I want to be remembered as one of the best players in my position and one of the best players in the world. I've still got a lot to work on and achieve. Hopefully I've go another five to eight years-plus left in me to do those things."