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The Good Old Days: Benji Marshall lines-up Sonny Bill Williams - Source: Getty Images -
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Before Benji Marshall signed on the dotted line on his 25th birthday he may just have considered the fate of his old mate Sonny Bill Williams.
The most hated man in Australia ditched his NRL club 18 long months ago in the pursuit of the mighty Euro and - ahem - to learn a thing or two from former All Black captain Tana Umaga at cashed up French club Toulon.
And while his bank account is - by all accounts - healthy, his mental wellbeing is said to be not. After just playing 19 matches in close to two seasons of Top 14 rugby the 24-year-old is apparently a little bit homesick.
Indeed his inconspicuous existence in the South of France is a far cry from the adulteration that he suffered in Sydney's fish bowl and while this could have initially been part of the appeal, he is now just a wasted talent.
You see Williams is a league player and if he thinks he can return home to New Zealand, play one season of Super 14 and then stroll into the All Blacks World Cup squad then he is as deluded as the Australian press makes him out to be.
Part of the problem that Sonny Bill faces in his new code is that he has no definitive position. He has so far played centre and wing in France and now there is talk of him converting into a loose forward but frankly, he needs to return to doing what he does best and quickly or he is destined be a talent forever unfulfilled.
Marshall too could have gone down a similar path. It wasn't so long ago that Benji was eyeing up a rich contract in the backwaters of Japan however, thankfully, his common sense prevailed.
And Marshall should be congratulated for his loyal stance. His six-year contract that effectively makes him a Tiger for life is another sign of the ever-growing maturity of the Kiwis captain.
His flashy facade is just a thing of the past and the 25-year-old is now a respected figure on both sides of the Tasman.
Marshall didn't get there alone though: he clearly surrounded himself with the right people. In Tigers coach Tim Sheens he has one of the games foremost mentors by his side and his hand in developing Marshall should not be underrated.
On the other hand Williams was infamously influenced by the wrong people. Anthony Mundine and his entourage is exactly the crowd that your mother tells you to stay away from and predictably, in his hour of need, they are nowhere to be seen.
And if it's a bit of guidance that Williams is after he could do no worse than speak to his old mate Benji who proved that loyalty is the ticket.
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