NRL: Halfbacks go head to head

Benji Marshall doesn't underestimate his opposite Stacey Jones. Photo / Getty Images

New Zealand's most famous halfback Stacey Jones and his replacement in the Kiwis Benji Marshall go head-to-head for the first time in four years at Mt Smart tomorrow and the one that wins that match will likely be the man who engineers victory.

Jones' sojourn in France and his year on the sidelines in 2008 means they last played against each other in 2005 when the Warriors won 21-4 in Auckland after conceding 24-6 at Jade Stadium in Christchurch in their first meeting that season.

That was the year the Tigers won the title, Marshall deciding the grand final with a break from his own red zone that ended with a back-flip pass that put wing Pat Richards away for the winner.

With Robbie Farah on Origin duties, Marshall takes over the captaincy, is playmaker and goal-kicker. "I have to step up and show a bit more leadership."

Marshall, just 24 and with nearly 90 NRL games under his belt despite persistent injury interruptions, says he enjoys the leadership role but after a sin-binning against Souths last weekend he is learning not to let the rulings of officials impact on his game.

The Tigers come to Mt Smart after three losses with just five points the total difference. They see the opportunity to extend the Warriors' misery, given the Auckland side have conceded 72 points in their last two.

"We don't want to be the team to play them back into form," Marshall said. "The Warriors could be anything if you let them throw the ball around and get their confidence up."

Marshall doesn't see his opposing number six as a weakness despite his being exposed at times. "Canberra went out looking for him [Jones] a bit last week."

Tigers coach Tim Sheens believes the contest may be a turning point for the winner, with defeat threatening to scuttle playoff ambitions.

"The Warriors are a better side at home and they've always handled us well, bar one occasion in Auckland. They'll be expecting to win, they'll be expecting to use us as a springboard into their season," Sheens said.

The team was to arrive late yesterday, flying to Auckland while wearing surgical masks and equipped with the Tamiflu drug, Sheens deciding on a "prevention is better than cure" approach to the swine flu scare.

NRL match officials Jared Maxwell, Bernard Sutton, Jeff Younis and Ricky McFarlane remain quarantined after they were exposed to the bug on a flight to Canberra before the match between the Raiders and the Warriors. Bench player Danny Galea has a calf strain and Willie Mataka is his replacement.