Kiwis great Benji Marshall has declared "life's not all about money" after knocking back a lucrative deal with Super League club Hull FC.
Marshall had hoped to finish his career at his beloved Wests Tigers, but that fairytale was not to be after he was told by coach Michael Maguire he wouldn't be offered a contract for the 2021 NRL season.
The former Premiership winner has remained committed to playing one more season, and was linked to the North Queensland Cowboys, but he reportedly couldn't come to terms on a deal with Todd Payten's new club.
Enter big-spending Hull, who tried to entice the 35-year-old with a whopping NZ$770,000 one-year deal - but Marshall knocked that back for family reasons.
"Life's not all about money and when I thought about the pros and cons, the pros were just about the money," Marshall told Triple M.
"If it was about the money I probably would've retired five years ago. I haven't been playing for much for the last few years.
"With COVID and a few family issues, I'd just prefer to stay in Sydney."
Marshall won his one and only NRL title with the Tigers in 2005, while he has also had stints at the St George Dragons and Brisbane Broncos, sandwiched in between an ill-fated switch to rugby union with the Blues in 2013.
But without a club in 2021, Marshall is unsure if he will lace up his boots again.
"I really want to play footy next year and at the moment nothing is doing," Marshall said.
"I'm in limbo.
"But at the same time, I feel very lucky that I've played over 300 games for 18 years now."
