Former Kiwis captain Benji Marshall has made a passionate call to his social media followers to sign an online petition to try and prevent teammate Russell Packer from being deported from Australia.
Marshall will begin preseason training with the St George-Illawarra Dragons this week and hopes Packer will be allowedto remain in Australia to resume his NRL career next year.
The 26-year-old former Kiwis and Warriors forward is facing an uncertain future after reports last week suggested he would be sent home to New Zealand as the Australian Government toughens its stance against non-citizens with recorded violent convictions.
Packer was sentenced to two years in prison in January 2014 after being found guilty of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
He was released in January this year and thrown a career lifeline by the Dragons, and has worked hard to get his life back on the straight and narrow.
After spending last season playing in the second-tier New South Wales Cup competition with the Dragons' feeder side the Illawarra Cutters, Packer was recently given the green light to make his NRL return in 2016.
That comeback is now under question, after Australian Immigration Minister Peter Dutton's office said on Friday that Packer's application for a working visa was still to be determined.
Earlier this week, Marshall took to Instagram to alert his 73,000 followers to how they can help prevent Packer's deportation by signing the petition at Change.org.
"Everybody deserves a second chance," Marshall wrote.
"I have seen this man turn his life around and become a better friend, father, husband and all round person. I don't condone crime but he did his time. Please sign the petition of support."
The petition was started over the weekend and has attracted more than 2200 signatures, with numerous NRL players adding their support, including Packer's former Warriors teammates Manu Vatuvei, Jacob Lillyman, Konrad Hurrell, and Jeremy Latimore.
Reports suggest a decision on his future could be reached in the coming weeks, however Sydney's Seven News reported on Friday that Packer's fate might not be determined until his parole ends on January 5.
