League: Captain steers from halfback

Benji Marshall says it's a "dream come true" to be captain. Photo / Getty Images

Welcome to the Benji show. Less than a week after feeling so ill - "I thought I was going to die"- Benji Marshall sprang to life as the Kiwis assembled in Brisbane yesterday to scotch any concerns about his fitness to captain them in Friday's league test against the Kangaroos.

Flu? Check. Corked thigh? Check. Halfback? Check.

Halfback? Just minutes after coach Steve Kearney played coy about the makeup of his team, Marshall confidently laid down his hand.

"I'll play halfback, definitely. Steve asked me where I wanted to play and I've really taken a liking to the halfback position," Marshall said.

"I enjoy leading the team around, I think it's improved me as a player and as a person, too."

But Kearney has not named his starting side yet, and you played five-eighth in the World Cup final-winning team?

"I think so ... he hasn't said exactly ... but I think I'm the captain, yeah, I'll play [number] seven," came the reply, with a glint in his eye.

Marshall spoke of the honour of captaining the Kiwis for the second time, after their World Cup pool match win against England last year.

"I was lying in bed sick, I thought I was going to die, then all of a sudden I got a call from Steve asking me if I'd accept the responsibility of being captain of New Zealand," Marshall said.

"It was probably the fastest I moved all week, I jumped out of bed straight away, I couldn't believe it. It's a dream come true, really."

Marshall said he could have played for the Wests Tigers in their narrow loss to the Bulldogs but felt his bruised leg was not 100 per cent.

"I'm improving. I should be running tomorrow and I'll be sweet for the game, 100 per cent."

Kearney said handing Marshall the captaincy would hopefully take his game to another level as the world champions try to make it back-to-back wins over Australia at Suncorp Stadium.

But any talk of the Kiwis being favourites with Roy Asotasi and Iosia Soliola back from World Cup injuries did not wash with the coach.

"We haven't won an Anzac test since 1998, we haven't won one in Australia, and the average score for the last five has been 36-12, so that doesn't sound like we should be the hunter," Kearney said.

On the injury front, Frank Pritchard was yesterday ruled out with a neck injury. His place will be taken by Sika Manu, a member of the World Cup-winning team who joined his teammates in Brisbane yesterday.

- NZPA