A whirlwind three-week rugby league tour across Norway, Netherlands and France has given Tamborine Mountain teenager Blake Marshall another taste of the international stage after representing Canada at both senior and under-19 level.
Marshall was selected in Canada’s men’s squad before co-captaining the nation’s under-19 side in the European Championships, capping another significant milestone in his rapidly developing career.
The opportunity followed his international debut for Canada in Jamaica last year, but Marshall said the standard of competition in Europe was noticeably higher.
“It was obviously a lot more of a high standard compared to the Jamaican games,” Marshall said.
“We were versing Ireland, Norway and Greece, a few other countries that obviously have a lot more rugby experience than Jamaica, so it was definitely a lot more of a challenge for myself and the team.”
Marshall’s tour began with the Canadian men’s side, where he earned a starting spot at centre despite joining the squad just two days before its opening match.
“I wasn’t expecting to play that first game because I’d only had two days of training prior to that, whereas the rest of the team had been training together for a few weeks,” he said.
“I was really proud to get that first selection at centre.”
His senior campaign was cut short after suffering a head knock and laceration on his lip that required stitches, ruling him out of Canada’s following match against Scotland.
“It was a bit of a disappointing end to the men’s tour, but it was a good start,” he said.
Marshall then linked with Canada’s under-19 team, where he shared the captaincy with fullback Oliver Lenehan throughout the European Championships.
He said part of his role was mentoring teammates who were still developing their rugby league knowledge.
“The coaches wanted Olly and I to work together, especially at training, to lead and mentor the rest of the boys around shape and roles and what was required of each player,” he said.
“It really came down to a lot of the captains’ mentorship throughout the training sessions leading up to each game.”
Back in Australia, Marshall has returned to school rugby with The Southport School while Wynnum Manly’s Mal Meninga Cup season has concluded.
He is also looking ahead to more international opportunities, with another Canadian tour scheduled for October and discussions around the Canadian men’s team touring Australia early next year.
