RUGBY LEAGUE
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New Dragons coach Paul McGregor is confident he can help Benji Marshall once more become a playmaking force in the NRL.
Marshall was thrown straight into the firing line after he signed with the Dragons when former Dragons coach Steve Price picked him in the 36-0 loss to Parramatta two weekends ago.
McGregor said Marshall's selection for Monday's match with South Sydney was never in doubt and the enigmatic playmaker still has plenty to offer the Dragons as they look to rebuild their season.
"It's fresh for Benji. He hasn't done a lot of rugby league training over the past six months so we've just got to have time and be patient with him," McGregor said.
"We all know he can play football. Each time I see him on the football park, he's improving so he just needs a bit of time.
"If you look at Benji's game [against Parramatta], we all spoke about his five errors and they made headlines but what about his two try assists that were pulled back?
"It could have been two try assists and three errors and we'd be talking about how good he is so it's just patience."
With the Dragons on a much-needed bye last week, there were suggestions that Marshall could turn out for the Illawarra Cutters to gain match-fitness.
McGregor was in Origin camp after the loss to Parramatta but backed the decision to put Marshall through his paces on the training paddock instead of the NSW Cup.
"We had a couple of hard training sessions last week. It was either, on Friday, get a really good physical session out of him on the park or play him Saturday in a second-tier competition," McGregor said.
"Those in charge thought the training run would've been harder than the game. That's what he did."
While confident Marshall will prove to be a valuable mid-season signing, McGregor said further forays into the recruitment market ahead of the June 30 deadline were unlikely.
"No I'm happy with the squad I've got here.
"If someone comes along we'll have a look at them but at the moment I've got a group of men that are going to work pretty hard," McGregor said.
"They need to get the job done. No one else needs to come in. We've got them here we just need to make them work. You can't change the world in a day."