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As Benji Marshall closes successful connected his archetypal NRL expansive final quality successful 16 years, Pat Richards' memories of his iconic Marshall-inspired try successful the 2005 decider are arsenic vivid arsenic ever.
That Richards effort is the taxable of thousands of conversations arsenic Marshall zeroes successful connected the Rabbitohs' expansive last clash with the Panthers connected Sunday.
It's besides the taxable of thousands of searches connected YouTube this week, arsenic rugby league fans marvel astatine Marshall's longevity and reminisce connected perchance the top effort successful expansive last folklore.
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The movements of Marshall and Richards, and the commentary of Nine's Ray Warren, are burnt into the memories of pundits.
"Marshall skips away, Marshall skips away," Warren says arsenic the 20-year-old livewire beats 2 North Queensland defenders heavy successful Wests Tigers territory.
"Marshall's inactive going, Marshall's got Richards coming up outside, present inside," Warren adds arsenic Marshall tears down the near borderline and pops a flick walk to the towering winger.
"Richards, pursued, helium pushes (Rod) Jensen away, Pat Richards, Pat Richards has scored a magnificent try, length-of-the-field stuff!"
"When helium archetypal came connected the scene," Richards recalls of Marshall successful an interrogation with Wide World of Sports, "he was conscionable truthful entertaining and I don't deliberation we'd seen anyone similar him before.
"And past helium cemented that successful a expansive last by doing thing astonishing that's inactive being played today.
"Obviously we went connected to triumph the game. We played a large portion successful it and it's conscionable astonishing to look backmost on. It takes you backmost to the emotion and the feeling of the clip and feeling the assemblage roar and spell crazy. It was precise special.
"It's rather an astonishing happening to inactive get asked astir it. Every twelvemonth it seems to get replayed arsenic 1 of the bully moments ... (I was) precise fortunate to beryllium successful that presumption and to relive that is unreal."
READ MORE: The NRL whitethorn ne'er spot a subordinate similar Benji Marshall again
Richards says Marshall's expansive last magic "typified" however the Tigers of 2005 played.
The Kiwi had orchestrated different otherworldly effort conscionable implicit 2 months earlier, arsenic Tim Sheens' youthful Tigers carved retired a 46-6 triumph implicit the Sharks.
In 1 superhuman play, Marshall blitzed Cronulla with 3 lethal steps and deed Richards with a long-range rocket connected the close wing, earlier Richards lobbed a 'basketball' walk implicit Sharks fullback David Peachey to acceptable up a Daniel Fitzhenry try.
Freakish Benji makes Sharks look silly
"At the commencement of Benji's vocation that's the mode helium played," Richards says.
"He typified the mode we played, arsenic well. We conscionable saw what was successful beforehand of america and we conscionable played footy.
"It was a truly entertaining squad to beryllium progressive in. Our forwards passed the shot a just spot to our halves and they got it retired wide to the extracurricular backs. We conscionable truly moved the shot around. We scored truthful galore tries from our ain fractional that twelvemonth and it was conscionable a truly enjoyable twelvemonth to play footy.
"A twelvemonth aboriginal Melbourne brought the wrestling tactics into the game, truthful it was benignant of the past clip you could play that benignant of footy."
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While Marshall stormed onto the NRL signifier arsenic an bonzer attacking weapon, tormenting the absorption with his speed, step, no-look walk and flick pass, his crippled has changed dramatically since.
As he's done successful conscionable astir each crippled this season, he'll propulsion connected the No.14 jumper for Sunday's decider and slot successful wherever manager Wayne Bennett needs him.
"He's a wholly antithetic subordinate to what helium was," Richards says.
"He was a feline that saw what was successful beforehand of him, helium ran the shot a batch more, helium threw immense passes. Not each of them stuck, but helium ever thought helium could triumph a crippled successful 1 play and conscionable bring it retired and play that way.
"Now he's truthful overmuch much calculated and truthful overmuch much of a crippled manager and a astute footballer.
"He's turned himself astir wherever helium tin play anyplace connected the field, and I deliberation he's done that this year. He's played successful the forwards, he's played successful the extracurricular backs, he's played everywhere.
"It's awesome to spot his modulation and to spot the mode he's progressed and to spot however influential helium is successful a crippled present shows you however astonishing 'the kid' is.
"He's truthful competitory to inactive person the occurrence successful the belly astatine his property to get successful different expansive final."
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