Benji Marshall Dubbed A 'Genius' After Game-Winning Defensive Play

With the ball in his hands, Benji Marshall is best around.

But while his defence has been questioned in the past, this latest play suggests he's equally as good without the ball in his hands too.

The South Sydney Rabbitohs veteran produced a brilliant piece of gamesmanship to help his side to an emphatic victory over the Canberra Raiders last night, leading for some people to label him a "genius".

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With just seven minutes left on the clock, Souths star Jacob Host was sent to the sin bin.

And with the Bunnies winning by a mere 12 points, the Raiders took full advantage of their superior numbers and really began piling on the pressure.

Just a minute later, Jack Wighton made the Bunnies pay.

The Raiders' Dally M Medallist jinked through the defensive line and grounded the ball for a spectacular last-ditch try in front of the cheering home fans.

The comeback was well and truly on - that was until the dreaded Bunker intervened.

Upon review, Raiders prop Emre Guler had stopped in the line while Wighton was making his darting run.

Seeing this, and thinking quick on his feet, recovering Rabbitohs defender Marshall ran directly into Guler to create an obstruction.

Even with Guler's hands raised in the air, 36-year-old Marshall made sure to sell the obstruction to the officials by making enough contact.

"He stops in the line and Benji does the right thing, he makes a point of it, that he is standing in the line and it will be no try," Fox League's Shane Flanagan said in the commentary box.

Premiership-winner halfback Cooper Cronk agreed.

"Benji Marshall gets caught up here on Emre Guler. Jack Wighton goes through the hole," Cronk said.

"He's played for it Benji but I think that's enough with a man stationary in the line."

Smart from Marshall, very smart.

But if you're a Raiders fan, then it's probably infuriating to watch.

Topics: score, Canberra Raiders, nrl, Australia,

Max Sherry

Max Sherry is a journalist for SPORTbible Australia. After migrating Down Under from London as a teenager, he instantly fell in love with Aussie sport and its culture. From NRL to AFL, cricket to rugby — you name it, Max watches it (with a beer in hand, of course). During his time at Fox Sports, he worked in the football department covering the Premier League, A-League, Socceroos and Matildas. Born a stone's throw away from West Ham's training ground, Max is obviously a die-hard Liverpool fan.

@maxysherry