High stakes test of nerve

The St George Illawarra squad returned to Wollongong on Friday after firing blanks for the second time in as many rounds in Queensland. It can hardly be blamed on Benji Marshall’s absence, but the playmaker’s contract situation is reflective of the Dragons’ direction at the moment.

They’ve made an offer – believed to be in the $400,000 ballpark – and Marshall has instead tested his market value. Publicly, as well as privately, the situation has become increasingly testy.

Marshall and coach Paul McGregor have both delivered curt responses to the media in the Illawarra and during their whirlwind Queensland journey.

And sure, the Dragons players have on-field to issues address without worrying about Benji’s future. 

But then, whether Marshall is at the Dragons next year goes to the heart of their strategy.

Adam Quinlan has already walked away from the club once, only to return via Parramatta and England. Quinlan has been impressive for the Cutters and provides an alternative option if McGregor had persisted with Josh Dugan in the centres.

St George Illawarra have already offloaded junior stars like Brett Morris, Trent Merrin and Jack Bird, investing in Gareth Widdop and Marshall.

Cowboys fullback Lachlan Coote, keen to return to the wider Sydney area, may well be solution the Dragons are looking for in the halves.

Whether Marshall stays or not is becoming the elephant in the dressing room. 

In the meantime, St George Illawarra’s season is still alive, despite failing to register a single point in 160 minutes.

They’ve scored a try in just two of their past 10 halves of football, prompting internet trolls and NRL boffins alike to scour the record books for historically low output.

At 2-4, the Dragons draw begins to open up and as unlikely as it sounds right now, they may well be in the eight by midway through the State of Origin period.

However, another miserable performance against the Gold Coast might leave McGregor to ponder whether to stick or twist with selections to bring about a revival. A couple of kilometres away at the Snakepit, Hawks officials have picked themselves up off the floor after Kevin Lisch took a Sydney offer too good to refuse.

The most asked question of this columnist this week has been ‘how much did the Kings throw at Lisch?’

Let’s put it this way, it’s more than double the Hawks put on the table. 

Depending on who you listen to, Lisch will earn close to half a million, even though significantly less will officially be included in the new NBL salary cap structure as an Australian marquee.

The relief for the Hawks came when AJ Ogilvy re-signed while playing in Puerto Rico.

It was just the face-saver they needed after being gazumped by the Kings, even though the Hawks helped US-born Lisch through the Australian citizenship process. “I truly believe this club can achieve great things in the not too distant future,” Ogilvy said in a statement.

With Ogilvy in Wollongong for the next three years and coach Rob Beveridge signed on for the next four, we’re inclined to agree.

What the Dragons would do for such certainty and belief in their cause right now.