Tigers coach Benji Marshall has revealed he regrets retiring from the NRL back in 2021 and wouldn’t have done it if not for Wayne Bennett.
After leaving the Tigers at the end of an illustrious career, Marshall linked up with Bennett for the 2021 season at South Sydney.
During his time at Redfern, he made 22 appearances as the Bunnies went all the way to the grand final, only to be beaten by the Panthers.
However, despite spending much of the season off the bench as a utility, stuck behind Cody Walker and Adam Reynolds, Marshall revealed in an extensive chat with Shaun Johnson that he had initially planned to continue on, even verbally agreeing to join the Titans on a two-year deal.
But that move never eventuated as a result of a chat with Bennett following the 2021 grand final.
“You know what’s crazy, I actually wasn’t going to retire when I retired. I had literally agreed verbally to go to the Gold Coast for two more years to keep playing,” Marshall told Johnson in an interview with Fox Sports on Tuesday night.
“I regret it a little bit to be honest … Wayne sat me down and goes ‘What a way to go out on a grand final. What else have you got to prove in the game?’”
“I thought about it and thought ‘he’s right’ and for me, I don’t want to keep moving my family. I’ve got young kids and to move them away from my other family would have been hard.
“So I actually made the decision for other people, usually I’m quite selfish and make the decision for myself.
“But I chose to retire off the back of that conversation and I knew before the grand final that I was retiring. I just didn’t tell anyone.
“But looking back now, I sort of wish I kept playing. I still jump into sessions now and think ‘I could still do this’.”
Since retiring, Marshall transitioned into coaching, where he has turned around the embattled Tigers, turning them into a genuine threat.
But while he says he enjoys that challenge, the 41-year-old admits to still wondering if he should pull on the jersey again instead of just leading from the sidelines.
“I actually still think I can play now,” he continued.
“This is the thing with me, I always believe that I can still do it no matter what. Even if I can’t I’ll still think I can. My brain is weird.
“We lost both of our halves on the weekend, and the first thing that came to my head was like ‘maybe this is the universe telling me to play again’.
“Then I’ve got to go home and look in the mirror and just jab myself: ‘Bro, wake up’.”
You can watch Shaun Johnson’s full sit down with Tigers coach Benji Marshall on Fox Sports.