Coffey, no slouch himself, plays for the Two Blues, operates a high performance gym and has seen plenty of elite athletes.

"I remember Billy telling me to treat Marshy like a Ferarri," Beckett said. "He is the sports car you have in the garage. He can win you a game with one touch."

Marsh will run out for his 100^th first grade game when the Two Blues host University on Saturday.

The 28-year-old flyer made his top-grade debut in 2016. A former sprinter, he red-lined almost instantly and finished the season as the competition's leading try-scorer with 18.

He has crossed the try-line at a similar clip every year since.

"He is obviously lightning quick, but he is so much more than that," Beckett said. "The confidence he brings. In pre-season when people see Marshy there, they know we have strike power.

"Everyone sees the tries he scores, but his biggest strength are the tries he stops. He is a terrific defender and reads the game so well.

"It is a great opportunity to celebrate him this week."

Marsh was clocked at 11.1 second for 100 metres when he was at high school and trained under Hunter sprint coach Dennis Pitt.

"I'm probably not as quick as I was once," Marsh said. "I'm not as dedicated as I used to be when I was younger."

The winger's pace might be a touch down, but Beckett said he was a more complete player.

"I think he realises he has probably lost a little bit of his zip, but he hasn't lost anything between the ears," the coach said. "He is always trying to improve and is a smart operator. Now he has played 100 games, he knows what is going to happen before it happens."

Marsh agreed that he "reads the game" better nowadays.

"I was a league boy up until colts," he said. "I have learnt heaps along the way from the likes of Luke Simmons and Dillon Rowney. I'm still learning. That is part of it."

Marsh has won a colts and second grade premiership with Wanderers, was part of the Newcastle side which won the Caldwell Cup in 2017 and was selected for a NSW Country training camp the same season.

The one box yet to be ticked is a first grade title.

"We have gone close a few times," he said. "I'd love to be able to achieve it with this group. A lot of us - Ben Ham, Luke Simmons, Dave Waller, George Ashworth, Nacio Battilana and Billy Coffey - have been together a long time. That goal and the social side is what has kept me at Wanderers so long. I have so many mates here and enjoy hanging around the club."

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