Richie Barnett: Warriors must contain sure-footed Tiger

Benji Marshal. Photo / Getty Images

Opinion

Stop Benji. That's what the Warriors need to do to win on Sunday against the Tigers.

The Tigers' whole game is built around Benji Marshall. As a team they are the best in the competition at getting quick play-the-balls and that's when Marshall becomes lethal. He is just so quick off the mark. When teams are back-pedalling, Benji works his magic.

He likes to crab across the field, draw defenders to himself and then release runners with inside balls. It is very much the touch-rugby way of playing.

League is starting to deal with him a bit better now players understand what he is trying to achieve.

The key to defending Benji is to maintain your structure as he runs across the field and not get sucked into chasing him. That's easier said than done. Players naturally want to rush up and get him, but that is when gaps open up.

Much of what Benji does depends on the players around him. To be effective, he needs the likes of Gareth Ellis and Simon Dwyer running the right lines, either hitting the holes on the inside or taking advantage of the overlap on the outside.

Ellis coming back into the Tigers team is huge for Benji. The English forward is great at picking the right line to run off Benji. Dwyer has been doing a good job of doing that on the right-hand side and Ellis will open up the other side of the field for Benji more.

The Tigers have struggled this season since Chris Lawrence, Lote Tuqiri and Ellis were injured around the same time. The left edge was their go-to side, and it was wiped out by injuries.

There have also been stories of in-house fighting, with some players apparently upset about being released to make room for Adam Blair.

Whether that is the root of the problem, who knows? But they've been inconsistent, there's no doubt about that.

Monday's performance was more like the Tigers we've come to expect. There were a few errors, but they were closer to producing what they are capable of.

In the end it all comes down to Benji.

Perhaps the only other player who can play the same way as the Kiwis captain is Shaun Johnson. Sunday's match is a classic clash of the master and the apprentice. Given their similar backgrounds, you'd assume Benji is Johnson's idol. They were both great touch players and have a similar style of play. I'm sure Johnson would have watched Benji closely over the past few years.

It will be interesting to see how Johnson handles the occasion, whether he gets excited and tries to overplay his hand. He really needs to play within the team structure. He needs to think about the team and what is needed rather than the big play, but it is very hard for a young kid to keep cool and think like that.

Look at what Benji was like at a similar stage in his career. Now he has a heap of experience under his belt, he has become very adept at making the right decisions. He has gone from a promising talent to a great player. How well the Warriors cope with him on Sunday will be the key to winning the match, no doubt about it.