Steve Deane: Run the ball

In his autobiography, Benji Marshall reveals his agitation at the criticism he gets when he fails to deliver million-dollar plays in every match. Photo / Getty Images

We kick Benji Marshall often enough, and if the Kiwis lose to England tomorrow morning many of us will probably put in the slipper again.

Given the way that contest is shaping, it's probably best, then, if we pay tribute to the Kiwis captain now.

Still just 26, the man with the biggest bag of tricks in the game is only two tests short of equalling Gray Freeman's record as the most-capped Kiwis captain.

For a player who had suffered four major shoulder injuries by the time he had played just one test, Marshall's achievement is extraordinary. Of all the accolades he has received in a glittering career, the one he values most - above even the 2010 Golden Boot that recognised him as the world's best player - is the iron man award he received for playing every game of that season for his club Wests Tigers.

In the last three seasons he has missed just two NRL matches - not bad for a player who in his formative years was often reduced to tears by his body's inability to cope.

Marshall's is a career that very nearly never was. He very nearly walked away. Remarkable, then, that in an era when the physical toll on players has never been higher and clubs routinely withhold their players' services for health reasons, Marshall will tomorrow lead his country for the 16th straight occasion.

Having also led the Kiwis as a stand-in for Nathan Cayless against England at the 2008 World Cup, tomorrow will be Marshall's 17th match at the helm.

If the Kiwis do find a way past England, Marshall will drawlevel with legends Mark Grahamand Ruben Wiki in next week'sfinal in Leeds.

After making his debut against Australia in 2005 - when he was limited to just 40 minutes by concerns his dicky right shoulder wouldn't cope with a full match - Marshall was available for just three of the Kiwis' next 20 games.

How times have changed. Tomorrow will be his 22nd straight test appearance. His commitment to the cause, then, can never be questioned. But that doesn't change the fact that the Kiwis need their captain to do more than just turn up tomorrow.

Marshall has been subdued throughout this campaign. His highly touted partnership with Manly's premiership-winning playmaker Kieran Foran has yet to produce any sparks. Now, with their backs to the wall against a determined English side in Hull's imposing KC Stadium, the Kiwis badly need a flame.

In his just-published autobiography, Marshall reveals his agitation at the criticism he receives when he fails to deliver million-dollar plays in every match. His job as five-eighth, he reasons, is to run his side. If he performs his kicking, passing and game-management tasks well, that is enough for him. Screw the critics.

Fair enough. But almost in the same breath he reveals that his senior Tigers teammates ask him before every match what he needs to do to help his side win. His answer is always the same: "Run the ball."