St George Illawarra Dragons halfback Benji Marshall reveals the team is taking a no-nonsense approach to the Emergency Services Cup fixture against the Melbourne Storm at WIN Stadium, Wollongong on Monday.
The Dragons have tallied two wins from their previous three outings which has included a shutout against the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, a narrow four-point defeat against the table-topping Penrith Panthers and a hard-fought away win against the Gold Coast Titans which the pivot credits to the tutelage of Head Coach Paul McGregor.
The New Zealand international has expressed that McGregor’s man-management skills and illustrious on-field history has proved the right formula to help he and his teammates try and turn their season around and has backed him to take over the reigns permanently if the opportunity arose.
“Paul is the kind of coach that gives you confidence in your ability when you need it and can provide hard-truths on performances as well,” said marshall.
“He understands the plays and have a great man-management approach to coaching which sometimes gets overlooked due to the focus on other aspects of the role.
“He is familiar with a lot of the players at the Club having worked with them in the lower grades like the NSW Cup [with the Illawarra Cutters] and like I’ve said he speaks his mind honestly when its required.
“He wasa top player here at this Club and his record on the field speaks for itself which also lends to his words.
“Paul has helped build my own confidence up again with some insight into the things I’m doing right and other thing I’m doing wrong.
“I made four errors last weekend which is not good when you’re in the position I am in on the field and he knew it was getting to me and gave me some encouragement telling me to play to my ability.
“It’s a new challenge being here and something I’ve enjoyed - the players have been very welcoming of me and made the adjustment quite easy.”
