Liam Marshall: Rugby league has made big strides since my dad’s playing days!
Liam Marshall realises how lucky he is to have played at the Nou Camp, especially after being told a few tales by his dad, David!
The 23-year-old scored a try in Wigan’s 33-16 defeat to Catalans on Saturday at the Nou Camp – the home of FC Barcelona.
His dad, David, scored 11 tries in 39 appearances for Wigan between 1987 and 1990. Liam has been told some tales about the old, less trendy grounds his dad played at in the build-up to their match at the Nou Camp.
Speaking after the game, Marshall said: “My dad played for Wigan and did some good things in his career.
“He has been telling me stories about some of the poor grounds he played at but I’ve had the chance to play at the Nou Camp, so it just shows how far the game has come.
“We will be able to look back on this spectacle and say ‘we were part of that’. The immediate reaction is disappointment because we lost but when we have time to reflect, it will be a story to tell the grandkids in years to come.
“We’ve been honoured to play at such a brilliant arena such as the Nou Camp. For rugby league as a whole it is brilliant, not just for us as a club and Catalans.”
The historic match at the Nou Camp smashed the attendance record for a Super League game in the regular season, with 31,555 watching the match.
And with Magic Weekend taking place at Liverpool FC’s Anfield home next weekend, Marshall believes taking games to big cities is the way for the sport to go.
He added: “To be able to take games like this to venues like the Nou Camp is brilliant.
“We are playing the Magic Weekend at Anfield next week, which is another big football stadium. We are moving forward and we are making strides.
“I think it will only take the game forward if we can organise more games like this.
“It’s a great arena and it’s amazing to play at such a venue. We tried to soak everything up in the warm-ups. Maybe the occasion got on top of some of the lads but as a whole, I think were just sloppy and poor. It was like a cup final but we were miles off where we want to be.”
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