BY CURTIS WOODWARD

Think of the strangest thing you have heard today. Times it by a thousand and you are probably still not quite halfway when it comes to the Brisbane Broncos and Benji Marshall.

Just in case you missed it, Broncos coach Wayne Bennett confirmed to News Corp a Channel 7 report that Brisbane were in fact chasing the ageing, club-less former Golden Boot winner.

Yes that same fella that knocked back $300,000 to stay at St George Illawarra earlier this year may well end up playing reserve grade behind Ben Hunt and Anthony Milford. Adding to this peculiar case is the point that Benji was adamant about staying in Sydney.

If he ends up going to the Broncos, you have to wonder why he didn’t consider Melbourne Storm’s reported offer to head south a little while back. After all, slotting into Blake Green’s vacant five-eigth position would have made so much more sense than spending a year in Brisbane where he’ll be more of an assistant coach to Bennett than anything else.

There is however another mind-boggling case to be heard and while all our heads are yanked and locked to the very left of fields, we forget about the defending premiers signing Tony Williams.

Yes the Cronulla Sharks have signed the man dubbed, ‘T-Rex’.

If we’re being honest here, Williams has been a passenger for a couple of seasons now. For all his size and power, we rarely see it. He’s been happy to interject himself on the rare occasion but there is no doubt Canterbury were happy to see the back of him.

“We all know how big and strong and powerful he can be and I think coming off the bench for us he can do that again,” Sharks skipper Paul Gallen said.

“The good thing is he won’t have to come to our club and play big minutes and he won’t have to do a lot of work. We have myself, Wade (Graham) and Luke Lewis who can do that.

“So he can come back and just play that powerful type of game.

“If he can get his head right and get some desire to really want to play well again there is no reason why he can’t get back to where he was two years ago.

“It was only a couple of years ago he was playing for Australia and he was one of the most devastating players in the competition. He just needs to want it a bit more.”

Many good judges have always said long-term deals make big Tony sleepy. A one-year contract may just force him to have a go.

But here is the bit that has us confused and while not as stupefying as Marshall going to Brisbane, needs to be scratched.

Is Sharks coach Shane Flanagan really not going to re-sign one of his premiership heroes just to bring Tony Williams to the club?

What about Chris Heighington? A bloke that has given absolutely every ounce of his being to help Cronulla to their maiden title. It’s all well and good telling everyone you want to keep him at the club but it’s another thing to sign Williams while you’re smiling and telling Heighington everything is going to be okay. Heighington’s manager Wayne Beavis met with the Sharks well before they signed Williams.

It’s a cruel game.

All is forgiven if Cronulla find the cap space to fit him in but if they don’t – Heighington has every right to be dirty.

Let’s hope Williams finds form otherwise the club will have some angry fans to deal with.

@woodward_curtis