Benji Marshall has claimed that he will wait and see how South Sydney's season plays out before making a call on whether to retire or not.
Marshall, 36, will take his place on the Rabbitohs' bench for Friday night's preliminary final against the Sea Eagles, but is uncertain whether the contest will be the last of his 19-year NRL career.
With many variables such as a potential Grand Final berth and incoming playmaker Anthony Milford's future with the club yet to be decided, Marshall expressed that he was content to see how the cards would fall and not distract from Souths' bid for a 22nd premiership.
"It's not hard [to put my future aside during the finals]," Marshall was quoted byย NRL.com.
"I don't want to make it about me but when I do make a decision you'll be the first to know."
Having won a ring with Wests during just his third first-grade season in 2005, Benji's opportunities to add to his jewelry collection have been sparse since.
Yet, with a seasoned head on his shoulders, Marshall was of the view that there was still plenty to play out before the corks could come out of the champagne bottles.
"It would mean a lot [to win it from here] but if we don't get through this week there is no point looking at that," he continued.
"To be fair I'm going to focus on winning this week. It's what you play for, to make a grand final and win the competition.
"Any game in the semis if it's an elimination game it's hard. You can't expect just because you're on the other side of the draw to Penrith and Melbourne that you're going to win the game.
"The further you go the harder it gets. If you don't step up to another level the other team can leave you behind."
Across a career that has seen him call four league clubs and a Super Rugby franchise home, Marshall has seen plenty of peaks and troughs.
But with a fiery determinism to still eek out the remains of his tank, the former Kiwi captain expressed both gratitude and hunger ahead of what could be his final fixture this weekend.
"There's been a couple of times where I've probably looked like I was gone from playing but like I say to the kids you've just got to back yourself," he said.
"You never give in, it doesn't matter how old you are. If you want to play go out and get it.
"I owe that to a lot of people. This is my 19th season playing footy, you don't just get there by doing nothing. You've got to put in the hard work and you get the rewards.
"I'm just trying to ride the way while there's some momentum."
If the Bunnies once again prove unable to hop the season's penultimate hurdle against Manly, club favourite and points record holder Adam Reynold's time in cardinal and myrtle will come to a close.
Although the Brisbane bound 31-year-old was also unwilling to comment on such matters, the heavily inked half claimed that Marshall's experience could be the antidote to snapping the club's contemporary prelim' hoodoo.
"He's [Marshall] just been good for the energy amongst the group," Reynolds said.
"To see the way he gets around and how calm he is, the energy he brings to training feeds amongst the group."
South Sydney and Manly will face off for the right to earn the first pass the the 2021 NRL Grand Final on Friday night.
Kick-off at Suncorp Stadium is scheduled for 7:50pm local time.
