Image / Supplied. Video credit: Facebook / Celebrity Apprentice Australia.
From the small town of Whakatāne, to the NRL, to playing international test rugby for New Zealand, to becoming a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit.
Now, Benji Marshall (Ngāi Tūhoe) can add the winner of Celebrity Apprentice Australia to his list of accolades.
Last night across the ditch, the rugby league legend was given the gong by British business mogul Lord Alan Sugar, after Marshall raised the most money in the programme's final challenge.
The challenge for Benji and his finale opponent, presenter Darren McMullen, was to hold a VIP charity event each, with $25,000 for budget. Whoever raised the most money would be declared the winner of Celebrity Apprentice Australia for 2022.
Marshall raised $387,105 AUD for South Sydney Rabbitohs' charity, South Cares, which supports disadvantaged and marginalised youth and their families.
Marshall spent 12 years at the club and has been a vocal backer of the charity, since hanging up his boots last year.
McMullen's event raised $172,617 AUD.
Marshall's win sees him gain an extra $100,000 AUD for his charity, bringing the total to nearly half a million dollars.
According to 9Now, Marshall shared some of his winnings with some of the fired contestants from the show, to give back to their charities as well.
One of Marshall’s challenges shown on the programme’s Facebook page shows one of the footy player’s pitches to business leaders during a challenge.
"300 games in the NRL, runs around the footy field, all these big moves, fancy steps, flick passes, you name it. That's not the real me. [Do] you know how I know that? Because I don't even know the real me."
“There’s a half of me missing that I haven’t found out about. I don’t know my real dad. I don’t know my culture. I don’t know my nationality. Who am I?”
The pitch was a reveal of Who Is Benji Marshall, a six-part original series revealing his journey into finding out more "about the real me", which he plans to launch the series during the NRL Grand Final later this year.