Cheque books at the ready everyone!

[urlhttp://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/marshall-set-to-leave-wests-tigers-20130715-2q06g.html[/url

Its not likely but could you IMAGINE!

Sad isn’t it that we have a rich owner desperate to make an impact, a world class RL star, a huge marquee name available and wanting to move, and we aren’t even going to compete for him.

Has he played well in the last 18 months? I don't watch every Wests game, but when I do see him he's average at best.

Would be after one million dollars. No one in SL could afford him.

Plenty could afford him.

depends whether his wife is willing to accept a career as a cleaner or not

No one could afford him under the cap in the UK without having semi pro players around him. spending 700k on 1 player would be impossible for every team.

A change to the salary cap system though, as most people seem to agree on would bring him over to a club with an owner who like's to see the best players on their pitch.

Otherwise I fear a trip in the murky waters of Rugby Union in France for Benji.

Never heard of him!

He's the guy lifting the trophy in the last World Cup!

$onny Bill the second.

He will take the money and run to union. It has been on the cards for a while.

So that is why our chairman is of down under on Friday I hope he is not to late

London bound, he's also convinced Soward to stay there with him so they can form the most devastating Half Back combination Super League has ever seen...

You are Walter Mitty.

So when he teams up with Chase,SBW and Frank Pritchard along with at least another 6 big name signings at Salford i guess that means we will be winning everything next year.
Time to start increasing the stadium capacity to fit everyone in and dont forget to book your season tickets early.

WOW! What an idea!

If you don't mind, I will call David Hughes immediately!

This is the only way we can stop the rot of Super League playing standards, given the economic situation in Britain and the incompetence of the RFL management in acquiring funding for the game.

The marquee player exemption -- one or two players exempt from the salary cap --- would seem to be the best solution IMO.

As unlikely as it is, Salford would be daft not to make him an offer. Say £400k a year for 3 years.
And also to think Wigan will be saving around that with Sam Tomkins and Pat Richards leaving at seasons end. You never know!!!

Benji is a great talent but I dont blame wests for taking away the contract. Marshall's form for 12 - 18 months has been patchy. He doesnt attack the line anymore and is just happy to pop the ball of to someone else. Look at how Thurston plays compared to Benji. JT wins game for his sides and is a real game changer.

Benji on form isnt guaranteed to start for the Kiwi's. On form the half backs should be Foran & Shaun Johnson.

The days of star players of any description plying their trade in Super League are well and truly over. They'll either ply their trade in the NRL or in Rugby Union.

Unless we change the salary cap rukes, to allow exemptions for one or two marquee players, as I suggested.

That way the rich owners like Koukash, Moran, and Lenagan can attract the big names.

Reading the reports Marshall hasn't covered himself in glory here.

He had a handshake agreement with the CEO earlier in the season on a 2 year extension, taking his deal to 2017. The CEO left the club 2 months ago and the club, while not wanting to extend his contract, have offered him more money for his existing one!

He's been garbage over the past year, lost his captains armband for NZ, gained weight, spat his dummy out when dropped to the bench and got his old coach the sack.

I think Tommy Leuluai is ahead of him too.

If anyone's watched him play in the last couple of seasons he's no great loss at all. I hear Japanese RU are after him.

I tend to agree with that - a total exemption for your marquee player at the top end of the salary range would seem a sensible idea, together with greater dispensation for club-trained players at the other end of the range; makes the cap go further whilst creating incentives to improve the development of young players, and goes some way to halting the NRL player drain.

[url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2013/jul/16/wests-tigers-benji-marshall-release-requestConfirmed his retirement[/url