NRL in damage control as Marshall charged

Benji Marshall. Photo / Getty Images

The NRL is facing the prospect of suspending its pin-up boy for the season opener for the second time in three years after Wests Tigers superstar Benji Marshall was charged with assault.

Marshall will face Downing Centre local court on April 20 to answer a charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm following an altercation outside a McDonald's outlet on George Street in Sydney's CBD in the early hours of Saturday morning.

A 24-year-old male is alleged to have suffered a split lip as a result of the attack, with Marshall believed to have retaliated to a series of racial taunts just after 3am (AEDT) on Saturday.

Marshall, 26, was questioned and charged after he fronted North Sydney Police Station on Sunday afternoon, accompanied by Tigers chief executive Stephen Humphreys and chairman David Trodden.

The incident left the NRL in damage control just days out from the season kick-off, with chief executive David Gallop ordering the Tigers to deliver a full report to his desk by midday Monday.

Marshall was last week given the honour of launching the NRL season at a gala event in Sydney's west but, much like Brett Stewart in 2009, the `face of the game' is in danger of starting the season on the sideline.

Stewart was suspended for four weeks for breaching the NRL's code of conduct as a result of his drunkenness at Manly's season launch two years ago, that incident coming just days after the Sea Eagles custodian had launched the NRL season.

A similar fate could now await Marshall with Gallop admitting the New Zealand captain's responsibilities were greater due to his standing in the game, with Marshall's clean record unlikely to help his cause.

"We can't escape the fact that the game does not need to be dealing with an issue such as this at such an important time of year," Gallop said.

"The responsibility all players face at this time of year is clear and to some extent the level of responsibility rises with a player's profile, irrespective of his record.

"Players are not always in the wrong but incidents such as these will always demand close scrutiny by the game and the public.

"We cannot and should not attempt to replace the court system but we also need to be confident that we are doing all we can to assess the matter.

"Clearly if there are matters that are in dispute then the correct place for this to take part is the court system."

Humphreys said it was still too early to determine whether Marshall would fight the charge.

"It's (the charge) only just happened, we need to take stock of that and Benji needs to consult with his legal representatives," Humphreys told the Nine Network.

Marshall's manager Martin Tauber claimed his client was racially abused a number of times before finally reacting.

"When you're baited and racially abused like that, no once, not twice, but three times, what else would you do?" Tauber told reporters.
With the Tigers due to open their season against Canterbury on Monday March 14, there was no indication from the club when their star playmaker would return to training.

- AAP