Graham Lowe: Marshall magic gives Tigers edge

Forget the drug testing, the sheriffs of the NRL should have lined up the Cowboys last weekend and checked just why they went into such an important showdown against the West Tigers with blanks in their six-guns.

Because the fact is the North Queenslanders, who had looked so good this season against the big boys who came to Townsville, failed to fire a shot against an enthusiastic, but hardly intimidating Tigers outfit.

What promised to be a wild shootout at the corral, turned into an exhibition of limp linedancing as Graham Murray's outfit let the Tigers stare them down and then run right over them like a herd of stampeding cattle.

I would rate this Cowboys performance as the worst I've seen a team play in finals footy. They were pathetic.

It also illustrates the dangers that lie in wait for a one-team, one-city outfit. And after the weekend Brisbane are in the same boat.

A big part of the Warriors' problems has been that they also get caught in the hype that comes with being the only game in town.

The Cowboys and Broncos players are treated like tin gods in their respective cities and it looks as if some of them may have come to believe their own publicity.

Manly were the other major disappointment, although they were never going to be good enough against the Eels.

Murray will have been livid with some of his players, particularly his forwards.

But it was the performance of young Kiwi sensation Benji Marshall, playing at five-eighth for the Tigers, that blew the Cowboys away.

Marshall is noted for his running game, which includes a sidestep that often looks like it goes close to dislocating his hip. But it is his passing game that has propelled his reputation to even greater heights.

The calm maturity he displayed as a ball distributor for his support players was something all coaches dream about.

This kid, with the other great youngster from the New Zealand footy kindergarten, Sonny Bill Williams, could give the Kiwis an edge over Australia over the next few years. But that's only if we could get them on the park.

I don't believe for one moment that Marshall's shoulder operation could not be delayed to allow him to play for the Kiwis next month.

I have no doubt he has responded to the selfish pressure from his coach Tim Sheens. I can't blame the player for that - he's looking to ensure a long and lucrative NRL career.

But that aside, its not beyond the realms of possibility that this young fella could orchestrate the NRL's upset of the century with his cheeky, incisive game that so far no other club has been able to work out.

It's hard to see the Broncos lifting sufficiently to nullify Marshall this Sunday. They also seem to be lacking ideas in the attacking zones and that is something I never thought I would say about a Broncos team.

Mind you, the video ref did play a significant role in the result when he disallowed a Broncos try in the 57th minute.

He ruled that veteran second-rower Darren Smith took Storm halfback Matt Orford out of the play to allow centre Brent Tate to score out wide. I thought that Orford had taken a dive and the ruling was harsh. At that time Brisbane were down 18-10 and it could have turned the game.

Despite that, the Broncos had their chances and failed to take them. Captain and five-eighth Darren Lockyer is way below his best and certainly no match for Marshall.

But Lockyer is a champion and champions respond to adversity.

An option for Broncos coach Wayne Bennett could be to switch his own Kiwi superstar, Karmichael Hunt, into five-eighth and Lockyer to fullback. Just the thought of Hunt and Marshall head to head is a matchup made in heaven.

Both are not only outstanding individual talents but can create opportunities that most players fail to even see.

A Kiwi in the Broncos lineup who does need a shakeup is big second rower Brad Thorn. A bloke his size taking the ball on the burst should be a fearsome worry for any defence. But he is ambling into the defensive line and holds no fear for even the smallest tacklers.

His lack of mobility is typifying a problem with the Broncos because they are too slow around the ruck area.

The current team are not a patch on the Broncos sides of the 90s, who not only played an exciting attacking game, but backed it up with brutal defence.

Nevertheless, they should still be able to beat the Tigers because they have the better players. Yet the Tigers are the better team at present because they are playing as a team.

The Tigers are a very well balanced side. So too are the Eels and the Dragons and it is this balance that is very important in big matches.

In such a side, each player knows he needs only look after his own job and have the utmost confidence in the players on either side of him.

The other team hanging in there are the Melbourne Storm. They are the quiet achievers and deserve more credit than they received for their win against the Broncos.

Their fullback Billy Slater has struggled for form since he was dramatically dropped from the third Queensland State of Origin side this year.

On Saturday night he was back to his blistering best. But the ankle injury he received in the second half might have put a halt to any chance the Storm have of advancing.

That injury and front rower Robbie Kearns' dislocated shoulder are cruel blows for this gallant Storm side to take into the showdown with the Cowboys.