Benji leads battle for Golden Boot 

Source: PhotosportBenji Marshall on the burst

Asked to sum up Benji Marshall's chances of walking away with this year's Golden Boot, Australian and Wests Tigers coach Tim Sheens kept his response brief.

"I wouldn't swap him for anyone, put it that way," Sheens said of his Tigers playmaker.

Marshall is among a handful of candidates up for international rugby league's top individual gong, to be awarded at a ceremony in Leeds on Monday night.

Amongst the other candidates are Australian duo Greg Inglis and Jarryd Hayne, both brilliant players in their own right and in the case of Hayne, a player who produced one of the most dominant blocks of football ever witnessed when he led Parramatta into the NRL grand final.

But Marshall's claims go beyond brilliant individual play.

During the judging period, which stretched from the start of last year's World Cup to the beginning of the current Four Nations tournament, Marshall has helped turn rugby league's world order upside down.

At the time Marshall was directing the Kiwis to World Cup glory, Hayne was strutting his stuff for Fiji, the talented Eels star unable to find a place in an Australian squad consisting of 24 players.

While Hayne was exceptional for Fiji, all their games but the semi-final when they were blown out by Australia were against minnow nations.

Marshall on the other hand was sending the Kangaroos to their second loss from their last three tournament finals.

Like Hayne, Marshall started the NRL season slow, but he too came home strong, and it was only thanks to the deeds of Hayne's Eels that the Tigers missed the finals.

Forever the showman, Marshall became the man in 2009.

"From my point of view, I think he's shown a lot of improvement and a lot of maturity," Sheens said.

"He's had a full season as well and that's helped, his season hasn't been interrupted by injury which has been one of the things that has plagued him.

"With that the consistency's come and then the responsibility of the captaincy from the New Zealanders is a big bonus for him."

But did he deserve to be mentioned in the top handful of players vying for the game's most prestigious individual prize?

"I've never really thought about whether he was at that level - I've never really thought about what they (the judges) are looking for.

"I wouldn't swap him for anyone put it that way."

Given that Sheens has spent the best part of the last month working with the man regarded as the best five-eighth in the game in Darren Lockyer, his comments are somewhat surprising.

"I don't think there's too many five-eighths that are anywhere near him," Sheens says of Marshall.

"You look at Darren, he's a little older.

"If Darren was the same age, well ...

"I love to coach the kid (Marshall), so I rate him highly.

"If he doesn't win it this year I don't think he'll be far away from it next.

"He's on the improve in that regard that's for sure."

Right now, in his capacity as Kangaroos coach, Sheens is trying to come up with ways to curtail Marshall's brilliance.

The Kiwi skipper was instrumental in his side securing a 20-all draw with Australia in the opening match of the Four Nations, and provided New Zealand can get the job done against England this weekend, he will be out to go one better in the final at Leeds on Saturday week.

Central to Australia's plans in that final will be getting the ball to Inglis, the man who more than most stands in the way of Marshall and both individual and team success.

Inglis had a sensational World Cup for Australia in 2008 and was the dominant player in this year's State of Origin series.

Despite being moved from five-eighth to centre for Melbourne, he continued to have a major impact on the results of matches, never more so than in the grand final with his try and field goal crucial to the Storm's win.

As evidenced by Australia's win over England, he remains the focal point of attack, Sheens likening his impact on the game to that of one of his former charges, Team of the Century centre Mal Meninga.

"Maybe, but you're silly not to do that," Sheens said when asked if the Kangaroos perhaps went to the Inglis well far too often in attack.

"It was like when I coached Meninga (at Canberra) - we directed a lot of the shifts to his side.

"Guys that played centre with him like (Ruben) Wiki got enough ball, but the majority of the ball went to him and I think that's the same case with Greg, but he is at the top of his game."

So what about Inglis' Golden Boot chances?

"I think he's going to be very much a favourite for that."

Good luck with that one judges.