NRL Round 21 scores, analysis, Paul Crawley column, why Wests Tigers, NRL must take a stand with Adam Doueihi

Benji Marshall can’t afford to back down now.

Neither should Wests Tigers.

If Adam Doueihi wants out, the Tigers should do what Parramatta did with Zac Lomax and hold their ground.

Let’s remember Doueihi only signed a contract extension until the end of 2029 in March this year.

So it’s fair to assume he knew exactly what he was signing up for.

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And so what if he has now had a blow up with Benji.

Get over it.

Act like a grown up and talk it out.

Can you seriously believe a bloke who is reportedly paid in the vicinity of $500,000-a-year to play rugby league is threatening to leave because he doesn’t like the coach, or he thinks other players are getting preferential treatment?

It’s fair dinkum laughable.

Maybe the Tigers should take up Joey Johns’ suggestion on The Sunday Footy Show and send Doueihi to work in a mine for 70 hours a week to find out if his current employment is really as bad as he thinks it is.

Honestly, Tigers members are the ones who deserve a refund here.

First up they find out last Thursday that Doueihi supposedly didn’t want to play because Benji wanted to move him out of the halves to bring up young playmaker Javon Andrews.

Then the Tigers go down to Canberra and get absolutely pumped 56-10 without the man who has been their standout player this year.

Then headlines emerge that there will be a crisis meeting on Monday to try and thrash it out.

But before the crisis meeting even arrives someone within Doueihi’s camp has allegedly told The Daily Telegraph’s Dean Ritchie that Doueihi has now decided he wants out because he can no longer work with Benji.

Factor in that Brett Kimmorley told SEN Radio last Thursday that Doueihi also gave him an ultimatum when Noddy was the Tigers’ interim coach, to pick him in the halves or play him there in reserve grade.

I’m not saying Benji is without fault here because it is obvious he has poorly managed the situation.

It is also hard to fathom how a coach would not have told a player of Doueihi’s standing in the group that he had been shifted out of the halves before he found out at training, as has been reported.

It’s also been suggested that Benji didn’t phone Doueihi after he beat his charge at the judiciary last week.

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There is also talk it goes beyond the decision to move Doueihi out of the halves, and that Doueihi is taking a stand for a drop in standards at the club.

It is all sounding frightingly similar to the circumstances that led to Lachlan Galvin’s exit.

Oh, that’s right, Galvin is also managed by the company run by Isaac Moses.

But regardless of whether all these allegations are true or not, Benji is still the boss.

And remember, Doueihi only agreed to his new extension four months ago.

So like I said previously, he must have known what he was signing up for.

At the end of the day, if we take Benji on his word, he only made what he believed was the best decision for his football team last week.

Unless he no longer believes that is the case, nothing has changed.

That does not warrant a release.

That is something surely you’d think two grown men could sort out over a cup of coffee, or maybe even a beer.

It is just pathetic what this club continues to put its fans through.

It’s truly sad how the Tigers’ season has completely unravelled after such a great start to the season, when they sat in the top three after eight rounds.

But since that 33-14 win over the Raiders in round eight, they have lost 10 of their past 12 games.

They now own the NRL’s worst defensive record, conceding 573 points in all.

Across those 12 matches they have leaked an alarming 37 points a game.

It is easy to pin it all on Jarome Luai’s decision to sign with PNG, but there has to be a lot more to it than that.

Marshall described it on the weekend as the toughest period of his coaching career.

I don’t doubt that.

Nor do I doubt Doueihi has been a loyal servant who wants the club to succeed.

But this is one of those defining moments that shapes a coach’s career.

And if Doueihi truly has the Tigers’ best interests at heart, he’ll play wherever the hell Benji picks him from here on.

And he’ll play with the same passion he always has and prove he puts the team before himself.

What I sincerely hope the NRL does is if Doueihi does end up getting a release from his Tigers contract, that the governing body will not register a contract at a rival club for money than Doueihi is currently on.

So if Doueihi is being paid, let’s say $500,000-a-year at the Tigers, don’t let him go and get $700,000-a-season if he signs with the Perth Bears or the PNG Chiefs, or any club for that matter.

At some point the NRL needs to draw a line in the sand and stop allowing clubs and players to keep breaking these contracts like they’re not worth the paper they are written on.

TEDDY’S FAST APPROACHING BILLY SLATER TERRITORY

It’s phenomenal that at 33 James Tedesco is showing no signs of slowing down, despite playing the most physically demanding position in the game.

And it is especially impressive when you compare him to players several years younger who are already struggling to keep pace with the modern game.

Fresh off his triumphant return for NSW this year, the Roosters captain was again the difference in the nail-biting 23-22 win over a brave but battered Newcastle outfit.

Tedesco crossed for three tries, busted six tackles and ran for 136 metres from 15 carries in another inspirational captain’s knock.

It’s hard to believe Tedesco is actually two years older than 31-year-old Clint Gutherson for instance, or four years older than 29-year-old Tom Trbojevic.

Factor in Val Holmes is still only 28, while Ryan Papenhuyzen is also 28, and he retired last year.

Yet Teddy looks as fast as ever, while just his hunger to be wherever the ball creates so many opportunities for him and the Roosters.

I used to marvel at Billy Slater’s desire to stay at the top of his game for as long as he did.

Slater was 35 when he retired. Teddy will be 34 in the final year of his deal next year.

It will be fascinating to see how much longer Teddy can keep up the pace.

But the way he looks right now, you’d think he could easily last beyond his current deal.

ROOSTERS’ ‘GRUBBY TACTICS’ EXPOSED

The Knights were incredibly courageous after losing Dylan Brown and Dylan Lucas to season-ending injuries.

And they may well have produced one of the gutsiest wins in club history if not for the Tedesco factor — and yet another Daly Cherry-Evans match-clinching field goal.

But given only one point separated the teams at fulltime, I just can’t understand why there wasn’t more of a blow up after the game that referee Wyatt Raymond failed to act when DCE and Sam Walker appeared to blatantly baulk Sandon Smith before a crucial penalty goal.

Even Fox League commentator Dan Ginnane noted Smith’s “wry smile” after the miss.

And if their intention was to put Smith off, which it clearly appeared to be, I can’t help but see it as a really grubby tactic by the Roosters.

It occurred with the scores locked at 16-all and about 16 minutes remaining.

For mine Smith should have been given another shot right in front after Walker appeared to bark at him during his approach as Walker walked sideways, before Cherry-Evans stepped forward and yelled at the last split second.

Maybe it was just the Roosters having a bit of fun with an old teammate.

But what’s the use of having rules if the ref doesn’t enforce them.

And the rules are clear that defenders are supposed to stand still and remain silent when an opponent is taking a goal kick.

This isn’t rugby union where players can charge the kicker.

It reminded me of a moment earlier in the season when Matt Burton was throwing the ball high in the air right beside the posts as Nathan Cleary missed a vital shot in the Panthers’ loss to the Bulldogs.

That also went unchallenged.

I’m not saying it cost Newcastle the game here because a lot played out after that.

But it was a huge moment and it is simply unacceptable that it went unchecked.

IMAGINE MANLY FALLOUT IF SEIBOLD WAS STILL IN CHARGE

You can only imagine what the fallout would have been if Anthony Seibold was still in charge and Manly dished up such a pathetic performance on Old Boys Day at Brookie.

It’s fair to say the wheels have well and truly fallen off with five losses in their last six games.

But getting pumped 48-12 by the Sharks with so many legends on hand is easily the most disappointing performance under Kieran Foran.

Cronulla just killed them with their energy and intent.

They ran harder, tackled harder, and just attacked the game with numbers constantly pushing up around the ball.

Meanwhile, Manly basically sat back and watched their season go down the drain.

With the bye this week, it means the Sea Eagles still need to win four of their last five games against the Storm, Knights, Dolphins, Dragons and Warriors.

While it’s not impossible, I can’t see it happening on their recent form.

What a shame because I genuinely thought the club had turned the corner after Foran came in and won seven of his first eight in charge.

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NICHO BACK TO DALLY M WINNING FORM

On the flip side, how good has Craig Fitzgibbgon got the Sharks playing?

And further to that, how good is it to see Nicho Hynes finally playing with this sort of confidence again.

Hynes has copped more than his fair share of criticism over the past couple of years for not delivering in big games, and most of it I think has been justified.

But this performance was as complete as I can remember from Hynes, right up there with anything he produced in his 2022 Dally M Medal winning season.

Just look at the numbers: 12 runs for 120 metres, a try, nine tackle busts, three line breaks, two line-break assists and three try assists.

The challenge now for Hynes and the entire Sharks team is to take this form into September.

CREDIT TO CIRALDO AS DOGS CHARGE HOME

After all the criticism Canterbury has copped this season for the constant musical chairs of their halves, you’ve got to give credit to Cameron Ciraldo.

Because the Bulldogs are absolutely charging home.

It doesn’t seem to matter whether it’s Sean O’Sullivan or Stephen Crichton in the halves alongside Lachie Galvin.

Although I have to concede, Crichton has handled the move to five-eighth far better than I expected.

Saturday’s 18-6 win over the Warriors was their fourth victory in the past five games _ and suddenly they’re just one win outside the top eight.

Sure, the Warriors were well below the intensity we’ve come to expect from them.

But I’d argue the Bulldogs were just so aggressive in defence that they simply knocked the Warriors off their game.

They did the same thing to the Tigers last week.

And as we’ve said all along, their attack always flows off the back of their defence.

The return of Jacob Preston and Viliame Kikau has also given the Bulldogs extra punch on the edges they were badly missing.

With six rounds to play, they can probably still afford to lose two more of their remaining six games and still make the cut.

And they are shaping up as a team that could do some serious damage if they can jag a place in the eight.

STUART CAN BE PROUD AS RAIDERS’ FIND THEIR LONG TERM 7

It’s a shame the Raiders’ outstanding win over the Tigers was overshadowed by all the Adam Doueihi drama.

Because Ethan Sanders deserves another rap.

The young Canberra No 7 was superb again, and is growing in confidence every week.

And his running game is becoming a genuine weapon.

He finished with five runs for 99 metres, scored a try, busted seven tackles, made two line breaks _ topped off with four try assists.

I can’t wait to see how Sanders goes in his head-to-head battle with Nathan Cleary in Mudgee this weekend.

Ricky Stuart should take enormous pride in helping Sanders develop into a young halfback who could own the same No 7 jumper Ricky wore with such distinction for so many years.

STRAIGHT OUT OF THE ALLAN LANGER PLAYBOOK

Quote of the weekend belonged to Matty Johns describing lightweight South Sydney halfback Ashton Ward as looking like “Luke Keary’s malnourished little brother.”

But jokes aside, how good is this 72kg NRL playmaker going after grabbing the opportunity Wayne Bennett handed the former Dragon.

Ward’s confidence to chip and regather late in the Rabbitohs’ thrilling 28-26 win over Melbourne to set up a crucial try was straight out of the Allan Langer playbook.

While he came up with another try assist with a lovely ball for Campbell Graham.

The 22-year-old just keeps making the right play at the right time, whether it’s a pass, a kick or just backing his instincts.

He also has a tremendous tackling technique that is as old-school as it gets.

This was such a terrific game of footy and both teams deserve enormous credit given the injury carnage they’ve had to battle through.

FAALOGO STORM’S SILVER LINING

While the Storm’s incredible run as a premiership force has finally been derailed by one injury after another, the silver lining to their season is the electric Sua Faalogo.

This brilliant young fullback is still a long way from Ryan Papenhuyzen territory.

But every week the 22-year-old shows another glimpse of why he’s now one of the game’s most exciting players to watch.

‘EVERYTHING THAT IS GREAT ABOUT RUGBY LEAGUE’

It was fitting to see Reuben Cotter take home the Carl Webb Medal after the Cowboys’ 18-10 win over the Broncos.

For mine, there isn’t a tougher or more courageous player in the NRL today.

Cotter is not be the biggest forward running around, but every week he puts his body on the line without a second thought, and he represents everything that is great about rugby league.

And while Cotter was the heart and soul of the Cowboys’ win, Jake Clifford steered them around the park brilliantly in Tom Dearden’s absence.

He controlled the game, kicked superbly and came up with some huge plays in attack and defence.

As much as I rate Jaxon Purdue’s long-term future in the halves, Todd Payten simply can’t leave Clifford out of Thursday night’s crunch clash against the Roosters even if Dearden is fit to return.

HOW SERIOUS ARE BRONCOS ABOUT MADGE EXTENSION?

We’re about to find out just how serious the Broncos are about talk of extending Michael Maguire’s contract despite what has been a disastrous premiership defence.

The club went on the front foot last week amid the ongoing speculation, with chairman Karl Morris telling The Courier Mail’s Travis Meyn the Broncos were looking at extending Maguire’s contract beyond 2027.

But it would be a brave call to hand Maguire a new deal anytime soon if Brisbane can’t find a way to at least finish the season on a high.

Yet if the club doesn’t extend Madge’s deal before next season, the pressure will only intensify heading into 2027 regardless.

It’s a Catch-22 for the Broncos who now become the first reigning premiers to miss the finals since Wests Tigers in 2005.

TITANS SHOW DRAGONS WHAT THEY’RE MISSING

We again saw why the arrival of Scott Drinkwater and Luke Metcalf can’t come soon enough for the Dragons.

After a fast start led by Clint Gutherson is his 250th milestone, the Dragons fell to pieces to go down 38-18 to the team previously sitting second last on the ladder.

But isn’t it exciting watching the development of the young Titans spine this season under Josh Hannay, and what a player Jayden Campbell is developing into.

As I mentioned about Hynes earlier, just look at the numbers: five runs for 85m that included a try, six tackle busts, three linebreaks, a linebreak assist and three try assists.

I just hope the Titans can finish this season in consistent form — and it sets them up for a big year where they finally realise their huge potential.