Australian skipper Darren Lockyer has played down reports fragile New Zealand five-eighth Benji Marshall will be targeted in tomorrow night's World Cup rugby league clash in Sydney.
Marshall looms as the x-factor in the Kiwis side following a strong finish to the NRL season in which his surgically repaired shoulders withstood a battering.
The prolonged stint of good health appeared to bolster the Wests Tigers star's confidence over the back end of the season, Marshall carrying that form into New Zealand's World Cup warm-up against Tonga last week when he played a starring role in the Kiwis' thumping win.
Speaking just before his side's final training run at Oki Jubilee Stadium this morning, Lockyer said the Kangaroos would be doing everything they could to minimise Marshall's impact on the game.
But Lockyer stopped short of saying his opposite number would be targeted by the Australians, though the mercurial playmaker can nonetheless expect plenty of traffic to be coming his way at the Sydney Football Stadium tomorrow night.
"I wouldn't say targeted, we've seen the last couple of games that he's played the form he's in," Lockyer said.
"Obviously we've watched the tapes and we want to make sure we do a good job on trying to stop Benji, but we're not necessarily going to target him, no."
