At one time Liam Marshall was questioning whether he had a future in rugby, but has now established himself as a Wigan mainstay; watch the Warriors host Castleford Tigers in Thursday's Betfred Super League match on Sky Sports Arena from 7.30pm (8pm kick-off)
Tuesday 15 March 2022 17:51, UK
Had things worked out differently, Liam Marshall would most likely be working as an accountant today instead of starring in the Betfred Super League for Wigan Warriors.
Six years ago, the winger was faced with something of a 'sliding doors' moment when he was playing and training with the Warriors reserve team on a part-time basis while working in an office during the day.
It left Marshall questioning whether professional rugby league was really for him, but what turned out to be a successful season-long dual registration spell with Championship side Swinton Lions helped set him back on the right path - even if he was not keen to join the part-timers at first.
"At the time, that period of my career, I was a bit distanced from rugby," Marshall said. "It was sort of something on the side and a bit more of a hobby then.
"When I got told they wanted me to dual-reg with Swinton for pretty much the whole year, it felt like a bit of a punishment being sent away from Wigan and luckily I managed to get my head screwed on and had quite a good season there.
"When I look back to what my attitude was probably like back then, I feel like going back and giving myself a rocket up the backside to get myself going.
"I owe a lot to my year at Swinton, and it's stood me in good stead. It's given me that appreciation of full-time rugby, so it makes me appreciate it that little bit more."
Looking back on that period of his career, Wigan academy product Marshall admits his attitude was not what was required of someone with aspirations of making it at elite level, often driving then head-coach Shaun Wane to distraction with not applying himself in training or arriving late after a day in the office.
But running in 20 tries in 22 games for Swinton in 2016, finishing as the Championship's leading try-scorer in the process, helped revitalise him and earn the opportunity to train with the Warriors' first team, with his career being on an upwards trajectory since then.
Marshall's career has developed to the extent that he was one of the uncapped players named in now-England head coach Wane's latest train-on squad announced earlier this month and one person who is particularly pleased to see what the 25-year-old has grown into is his former Academy and reserves coach, Matt Peet.
"We're all very proud of Liam because he was a late developer," Peet, who was elevated to Wigan's head coach in the off-season, said. "He was very slight, but he always had genuine talent and that game sense - things people tell you are difficult to coach.
When I got told they wanted me to dual-reg with Swinton for pretty much the whole year, it felt like a bit of a punishment being sent away from Wigan and luckily I managed to get my head screwed on and had quite a good season there.
"He's grown up with the game in his family and he's a natural finisher with great instincts and good skill levels.
"On top of that, he's a quality lad; very positive, fun-loving, works hard at his game and has developed into a consummate professional."
For his part, Marshall remains grateful for how Peet fought his corner in those early days and for encouraging him to take the opportunity to play regular rugby with Swinton.
The former Wigan St Patricks junior is enjoying working under him at senior level now too and is putting to good use his previous experiences of playing in Peet's teams.
"It's obviously good to see Matty get that role as head coach and he's been brilliant so far this year," Marshall said. "He's come with his own philosophy, and you can tell how much it means to him being a Wigan lad.
"It's easy for us Wigan lads to buy into someone who understands the club and the culture. Matt's Wigan through and through and rugby through and through, and he loves it.
"I've really enjoyed working under him and I've worked with him before, so I know what he likes and what he doesn't like, and I know what I need to do in games to keep on his good side and keep playing in the team every week."
On a personal level, Marshall has made a good start to the 2022 Super League season after admitting last year was a tough one for him as well as the team, most notably scoring two tries including a spectacular length-of-the-field effort in the win away to Hull Kingston Rovers.
Off-season surgery on the knee he suffered a serious injury on in 2020 has allowed him to rediscover his best form this year and Marshall is aiming to keep showcasing that, starting when Wigan seek to rebound from their first loss of the season - a 28-0 loss at Catalans Dragons last Saturday - when they host Castleford Tigers in Thursday's Super League match, live on Sky Sports.
"Things weren't going great for us on the field and for me individually it wasn't really going good, but in the off-season, I managed to get an operation to get my knee cleaned out and it feels back to where it needs to be," Marshall said.
"I had a good pre-season, I think I've started okay, and I think I've got quite a bit to give, which is exciting for me and hopefully for the team.
"There are still things I need to work on, but to have started how I have is good and hopefully there's a lot more to come from me."
