BENJI Marshall is warning his St George Illawarra Dragons teammates that stepping out at The Halliwell Jones Stadium will be like nothing they have ever experienced.

The former New Zealand captain says being away from home could prove a challenge for the squad, and remembers facing Australia with his country in Warrington in 2011.

Marshall feels there is plenty to prove against Wolves ahead of Dragons’ upcoming NRL season, but dismisses the idea the World Club Series will indicate which league is superior.

“I’ve played here before, I love it,” said the 29-year-old. “I told them they won’t believe how loud the atmosphere is.

“When it’s a full house and everyone’s singing the songs, it’s pretty hard to hear the calls on the field.

“I’ve said to them it’ll be one of the best experiences you have in your life.

“Three quarters of our side haven’t been here before. They’ll go home telling everybody about it because you don’t really see it in Australia like it is here.

“I’ve had a few mates who have played here in the past, guys like Brett Hodgson, and they tell me how intense it is.”

And Marshall insists Super League has produced some of the game’s best players.

“There’s always a lot of talk about who is better, Super League or NRL,” explained the former Wests Tigers man.

“Some of the best players I’ve ever played with are from over here. Guys like Gareth Ellis, Adrian Morley and Sam Burgess.

“Both styles, conditions and the way the game’s played are completely different. I’ve had some of my hardest games over here – it’s just different.

“I don’t know why such a competition is made about it, as every English player that plays in the NRL seems to go great.”

He is also an admirer of Wolves’ Chris Hill.

“They’re very tough in the forwards and they can do a lot of damage up front,” added Marshall. “That’s going to be an area we’re going to have to try and slow down.

“Hill, he’s a very talented player, he’s like a half back. He runs hard but he can ball play as well, so he’s going to be a tough guy to contain.”

Critics suggest the visiting NRL sides will treat this weekend as a pre-season friendly, but Marshall is adamant pride alone will mean that is not the case for St George.

“It’s still about preparation because we are still trying a few things that we want to get right for the start of our season,” he said.

“But it’s also about going out and individually putting in good performances. We’re proud athletes.

“People are fighting for spots in our team and if they don’t put in a performance, they’re probably not going to make it for round one.”

The talented half back is in fine form following the NRL Nines and having scored in the Charity Shield.

Marshall added: “We had a pretty successful pre-season, it was pretty tough at times but something we needed as a team and I feel like I’m feeling good, ready to go.

“It’s going to be very tight and probably the team that holds onto the ball the most in these conditions will win the game.

“For us, they can throw the ball around a bit and they’ve got the ability to move the ball out of their own half, which is something I used to like doing at the Tigers.

“With the conditions and team we’ve got, we’ll keep it a bit tighter and try and control the ball.”