Entry 8. 10th November
Six players have been nominated for this year's Golden Boot and a seventh wildcard could enter the fray.
Each of the nominations have merits, obvious strengths, and are fine players in their own right.
On Monday I looked at Paul Gallen, James Graham and Shaun Kenny-Dowall. Today I'll look at another and pick my wildcard punt.
BENJI MARSHALL
For several years Benji Marshall has wowed the crowds in the NRL and certainly since working with Tim Sheens the talented halfback has taken his game to a whole new level.
The 25 year old was first graded in the NRL as a precocious teenager in 2003 and made his debut for Wests Tigers in a Round 20 game against Newcastle Knights. After leaving his native New Zealand, he went on to play for the formidable Australian Schoolboys after being offered a rugby scholarship by a school in Queensland.
He looked set to add to his experience in 2004 and helped guide Wests to win the World Sevens event before two dislocated shoulders brought an end to his season.
The following year he was back and better than ever. He played 27 games for Wests during the season and scored 15 tries as the merged club won the Premiership for the first time.
Once again, injury intervened in 2006 and again in 2007. It looked like another frustrating season lay infront of Marshall in 2008. He opened the season as part of a team that defeated St George 24-16 but only played one further game in the first 9 weeks. Thankfully for him and the Tigers, his return saw him again take up an important role and he was at his best when the Bulldogs were vanquished 56-4, scoring a try, laying a couple on and kicking 8 goals for a 20 point haul.
That momentum was carried into the 2008 World Cup and Marshall got better as the tournament went
on, playing a key role in a semi-final defeat of England before impressing against Australia in the final when the Kiwis won in excellent fashion 34-20.
2009 signalled a change for Marshall as he switched from stand-off to scrum half. Initially the changeover was slow but when Benji got up to speed with the position he excelled. This term has seen Marshall return to the blistering form of 2005. In 27 NRL matches he scored 12 tries, kicked 76 goals and 3 drop goals while he has really found his form in the Four Nations, leading from the front against England and conjuring a couple of plays when the Kiwis backs were to the walls last weekend.
He has now appeared 130 times for the Tigers, scoring 53 tries, kicking 207 goals and those three drop goals for 629 points.
My Wildcard pick would be none other than
DARREN LOCKYER
For 333 games Darren Lockyer has lit up the NRL and in 52 tests for Australia, he has done the same thing. Lockyer has been around the top end of the NRL for 15 long years and that looks set to continue. He made his debut for the Brisbane Broncos way back in June 1995 and despite a couple of niggling injuries, he was still going strong with 18 appearances for the Broncos this past season.
Just the sheer length of his honours board suggest he is a living legend down under and such praise is well deserved. Not only is he a true world class stand-off with the guile and knowhow to unlock a defence, for much of his early career he was also a wonderful fullback and a more than useful goal-kicker. He is a State of Origin veteran for Queensland and years after his retirement, Lockyer is sure to be mentioned in the same breath as the likes of Wally Lewis and Mal Meninga such has been his influence on that arena. Lockyer has also appeared in Australain World Cup campaigns in 2000 and 2008 and even appeared in four tests for the Super League Australian team during the great rugby war that rocked a nation between 1995 and 1997.
Having broken the Australian records for most international appearances and most international tries, I think he would be a great choice, particularly if he can inspire the Australians to Four Nations glory in his own back yard of Brisbane this weekend.
Long may his reign continue.
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