Scott Sattler has named his greatest ever Kiwi NRL player, telling Mornings with Ian Smith Benji Marshall is the best he’s ever seen.
“He’s been the greatest Kiwi rugby league player we’ve ever seen."
“It’s another fairytale story… a young kiwi kid comes over at a very young age to Keebra Park School on the Gold Coast to test himself and ends up being one of the greatest players we’ve seen in the modern era.” Sattler told Mornings with Ian Smith.
Marshall, 36, is a chance to play in this weekend’s NRL Grand Final, with the location remaining in limbo following a Covid-19 scare in Brisbane.
“He’s just a tremendous athlete, a great guy… I think he could be the potential X-Factor on Sunday night to be quite honest.
Having previously won the 2005 NRL Premiership with the Wests Tigers, Marshall has made 345 NRL appearances with 21 of those in 2021, bringing his total tries to 96 and tackling efficiency to 90%.
“(He is) highly intelligent, he had good enough grades at school to go into the medical field but went down the path of rugby league, I’m glad he did because he’ll make a tremendous coach when he retires.
“He’s had the greatest influence on the game overall on Kiwi kids but also Australian kids as well… I think the greatest Kiwi player we’ve seen above Mark Graham and Stacey Jones.” Sattler said.
Marshall’s one-year contract with the South Sydney Rabbitohs expires at the end of this season, aiming to win a second NRL Premiership 16 years after his last.