New Zealand star Benji Marshall is feeling better than ever and can’t wait to take on the Aussies in the World Cup later this month.
The Wests Tigers playmaker has enjoyed a rare stint off the injured list since the end of the NRL’s home-and-away season, and is confident the Kiwis can surprise the Kangaroos in the October 26 Cup opener.
“I can’t wait for the World Cup, I’m jumping out of my skin and the last four weeks of training have been the hardest training I’ve done in the past,” Marshall told News Ltd.
“We’ve had three sessions a week out at Parramatta Stadium, I’ve done a lot of fitness work and tackling and feel really confident.
“We’ve lost class players like Sonny Bill Williams and Roy Asotasi, but we’ve still got speed and power up front and guys out wide like Manu Vatuvei and Sam Perrett who were both involved in the (NRL) finals series.”
The 23-year-old missed this year’s Centenary Test and much of this season through injury, while shoulder surgery kept him out of the Australia-New Zealand last October.