Benji Marshall has experienced a lot in his time as a professional sportsman. He's been a superstar of the NRL, one of a few players who can truly lay claim to inspiring a generation and he's also endured a fair amount. For the monumental highs Marshall has enjoyed, there's always been some sort of low waiting around the corner, whether that be injury, a sloppy end to his career as a Tiger or a move to rugby that just didn't quite work out.

After that stint with the Blues, Marshall joined St George and started to form a very solid halves combination with Gareth Widdop. These two add some spice or creativity to a Dragons side that usually has a nice platform laid down by a group of forwards who go about their business with little fuss. Marshall and Widdop are fairly similar in how they play, which means that Marshall is now so much more that a hot-stepper who can change a game with a flick of his wrists or a jink.

These days, Marshall's bread and butter is executing well designed plays and doing his core half duties with precision. Marshall still offers up moments of brilliance that only he can, however the Dragons rely on Marshall to offer leadership and guidance, steering the team around in conjunction with Widdop and getting the right blokes involved at the right time.

It's brought me great joy to watch Marshall take on this role as I've seen Marshall fight off the adversity of his time with the Blues and slot straight back into the NRL where he offers the Dragons great value. News, mainly via Marshall himself in his role with Fox Sports where he's offered great transparency when asked about his contract situation suggests that the Dragons haven't made Marshall a substantial offer beyond this season.

Today the Sydney Morning Herald has reported that the Dragons have offered Marshall a one-year deal for $300,000 a season and a few extras thrown in for good measure. I've been contemplating Marshall's future for some time and it's been rather sad because there aren't many vacancies for an above-average half like Marshall around the league with most clubs locked in on a young or established halves combination for the foreseeable future.

A pretty picture wasn't been painted and it felt like a move overseas was all that was really left for Marshall, especially as I must stress that Marshall is a starting half. Anything less than that simply won't do Marshall justice as he's still too good to be a squad player, an experienced bloke who doesn't play each week but leads the way; Marshall is still very much a solid NRL half.

What makes this situation even trickier is that the Dragons have been on a spending spree and must now juggle their salary cap. This isn't a case of the Dragons not wanting Marshall, it's more about whether they can fit him in for what Marshall views as a fair exchange for his services. Yeah, he could take a smaller deal and help the Dragons out but why would you do that when you could get paid a lot more and experience European footy?

Crucially, Marshall is still playing at a high level which makes him a valuable commodity. This is great, I'm a Marshall fan so I want to see Marshall continue to play as such in his twilight years and finish his career in the best way possible. While there were reports of a possible move to Wests Tigers, I'd love to see Marshall stay with the Dragons and continue to develop his combination with Widdop. Not only is this the best result for Marshall, it also gives the Dragons a clear window to chase an NRL title and while there are apparently other halves in their sights, Marshall and Widdop have a good thing going behind a very solid forward pack.