NRL: Benji gets his shot at Nines

Benji Marshall is looking forward to the Eden Park atmosphere. Picture / Getty Images

Benji Marshall will make his return to Eden Park as captain of the St George Illawarra Dragons at the NRL Auckland Nines this month.

Dragons coach Paul McGregor has named a 19-man squad for the two-day tournament on January 31 and February 1, which will see Marshall skipper the club for the first time.

The former Kiwis captain is excited to take part in his first nine-a-side outing after his code switch to join the Blues Super 15 franchise saw him miss last year's inaugural tournament.

"It's an honour, obviously, to captain the club and to do it at the Nines, obviously I missed out last year so to get the opportunity to go and lead the boys there, I'm pretty excited," Marshall said.

"To get recognised for being a leader it means a lot to me. I definitely didn't expect for it to happen but obviously with a lot of young players around me it's an honour."

The 29-year-old said he felt jealous watching the Nines action unfold on the Blues' home ground, while he was battling to produce his best form through one start and five bench appearances in the 15-man game.

"I was jealous watching. I was sort of commentating on how they should have been playing and what they should have been doing," he said.

"Eden Park is a traditional rugby ground and I think with the success they had last year with the Nines there with the crowd and how big a spectacle it was I think it will be even bigger this year.

"I'm looking forward to playing in that atmosphere and getting home and having all the family there is going to be great, too," said the Dragons' playmaker.

Marshall's ball-playing ability and running game will be central to the Dragons' game plan, together with his leadership and communication skills.

"I've named him the captain of the Nines, and the reason behind that obviously is his skill level is quite good," explained McGregor.

"He's an aggressive talker, which we need, he's got leadership values in his actions and that's important. The blokes respect him and every time Benji brings energy to the group, the group's got energy and that's important as a leader."