RUGBY LEAGUE
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Benji Marshall has been his own worst critic of late, and he wasn't about to pat himself on the back despite guiding St George Illawarra to a drought-breaking win over Newcastle on Sunday.
The Kiwi international has largely blamed his own form for the Dragons' recent woes but he produced some vintage Benji magic to steer his side to a 46-24 win at Kogarah.
And while it was a mixed bag from the stylish No 7, his best far outweighed his worst.
At the top of his highlights reel was a contender for try of the year.
It was 65 minutes into the game and the match was well and truly in the balance - 28-24 in favour of the home team.
Marshall had his kick in play charged down but managed to regather the ball and find some space on the left attacking wing.
He proceeded to throw a dummy, pass inside to halves partner Gareth Widdop, who handed off to hooker Mitch Rein close to the tryline.
As Rein was being bundled into touch he threw the ball back over his head, and Marshall was there in support ready to pick up the crumbs and score.
Aside from that moment of individual brilliance, Marshall's kick led to the opening try of the game and he had a hand in at least one other.
He did, however, throw the intercept pass to Newcastle five-eighth Carlos Tuimavave which resulted in a try for the opposition.
"I thought Benji's involvement was very good when we needed him in the second half," Dragons coach Paul McGregor said.
"He was involved in some tries in the game and it was pleasing.
"I don't really like to drag anyone in or out of discussions in the post-match because it's a team game and you do that privately."
Marshall hasn't held back criticising himself during the club's recent seven-game losing streak.
And he wasn't about to pile the accolades on after Sunday's victory.
"It's just nice to be back winning," Marshall said.
"We've been working for a long time on our defence and probably let our attack go a little bit.
"I thought today we focused on our attack a lot more in the second half and I thought Gareth especially was outstanding.
"I'm happy for the boys who were struggling to find confidence.
"There were parts of that game where you could see we were lacking a bit of belief."
Marshall's partner in crime Widdop also played a big hand in Sunday's win over the Knights.
For the second time this season, Widdop finished the game with a 100 per cent conversion rate, slotting all nine kicks afforded to him.
"It was a better all-round performance by the whole team and, in saying that, we scored a few points which was great," Widdop said.