The forgotten part in Adam Doueihi saga, Matt Dufty contract, Round 21 talking points and analysis, Wests Tigers

“There’s a lot of things that have gone on this season and they need to figure out who they are as a club and an organisation and what they stand for… that comes back on the coach.

“There’s obviously a fractured playing group. There is a meeting being called for Monday. I think there is a lot more that is going to come out in the next two or three weeks.”

With Doueihi seemingly out of the picture, it will now be on the Tigers’ other senior leaders to bring the playing group together before the end of the season.

That includes Luai, even if he is leaving, with Cronk calling for this to be a “player-led” response instead of falling on the shoulders of Marshall.

“If I’m Api, Terrell May or Jarome Luai, this has to be player-led,” he said.

“This response is purely player-led. Any time that we’ve had 50 put on us, any time we’ve gone through some form of controversy, the coach is the front. He fronts the media, he fronts everything.

“But in behind that is the players that literally stand behind their coach and do the actions on the field. They don’t let 50 points in if they get together and do something.

“So if I was those three on Monday, I’m like, ‘Benji, don’t even come into this meeting today.

This is just us’. I might not even show any vision. I might just talk about something else.

“But it is literally how much does us as a brotherhood, how much does this jersey mean?

How much do us as a family (mean)?

“Because they had this brotherhood vibe going early on. Get it back, and it needs to be led by those three.”

Luai, Koroisau and May were among a host of Tigers players spotted looking despondent in the sheds after Saturday’s game, with the club now sitting in second-last albeit with a bye still in hand.

The loss to Canberra was the Tigers’ sixth in a row, with the last three now coming by a combined scoreline of 120-16.

While Cronk said the players need to lead from the front in turning the club’s fortunes around this year, he also conceded coach Marshall is “probably under pressure for the first time in his tenure” entering next season.

VINDICATION FOR CIRALDO ON BIG HALVES GAMBLE

No one can argue it anymore. The Bulldogs are back.

Cameron Ciraldo’s side have built their success in recent years off the back of their defence.

After an 18-6 win over the Warriors, they have now conceded only six points in two weeks — while also delivering a statement in their latest victory in Round 21.

New Zealand are well and truly one of the NRL’s biggest title threats this season and Cooper Cronk said it was their defence that was the highlight.

“That’s their DNA. If they get their game on defensively they can beat the best teams,” he said.

However, Ciraldo also looks to have solved an issue that has plagued them for over a season.

Stephen Crichton’s move to the halves alongside Lachlan Galvin seems to have unlocked an attack that was floundering to start the season.

“There were a couple of kicks that weren’t exactly the best which may become a little bit of a point come September but there is no one that can doubt his ability to play six now,” Cronk said of Crichton.

“He has delivered for that team, he has freed up Galvin and that strike power on the left of Kikau, Crichton and Burton — that would be hard enough for any team to defend. Everyone has got to believe in Cameron Ciraldo now because he got that right.”

Matt Burton has also shown he is an elite centre, as he has in the past at the Panthers, and Crichton’s playmaking exploits have proven to be somewhat of a surprise.

“That is a performance to take note of. They were fast defensively, they were getting their line speed and contact (right), they were physical but then their attack — Burton was moving with space, Crichton was outstanding,” Cronk said.

“If they can bottle that kind of performance, whatever they did during the week and in preparation for, we’ve seen in different stages — they are now on the edge of the eight and playing with a lot of confidence.

“The Dogs are finding form at the right time of the year… I’ll tell you what, that’s the best I’ve seen them attack.

“Quick play-the-balls through the middle forwards, Bailey Hayward was out (of dummy-half), the Crichton-Galvin combination was good and now they’ve got the back rowers on both sides of the ruck they can go to.”

Speaking of those back rowers, both Viliame Kikau and Jacob Preston have been absent for extended periods this season, but are crucial cogs in the Bulldogs’ attack.

Both run hard lines and are obvious threats, that draw defenders towards them and create space for their outside men to deliver.

While the Crichton and Galvin halves partnership looks to be building strongly, their return can’t be discounted as also has coincided with the Dogs’ return to form.

“They are just a totally different side without them (Kikau and Preston). Kiks can get the ball early,” Panthers skipper Isaah Yeo said.

“He’s imposing to the defence and then Jacob Preston is just probably one of the better line-running back rowers in the competition.”

But at the core of a Ciraldo-coached team is a level of physicality that is hard to match.

Think back to Round 6 — the Bulldogs were bested by the Knights a week earlier and were facing a brutal test against the Panthers.

They came out and dominated the middle of the field, and even a team at the peak of their powers couldn’t match their physical presence.

Canterbury came away with a 32-16 win, that was considered a statement at the time, until they fell back into old habits a week later to lose to the Eels.

That “purpose” has now returned and the Dogs are priming themselves for a finals run off their last two performances.

“They were just physical… but everything they did they had purpose. They were running as hard as each other, they were creating offloads and the footy just stuck,” Jared Waerea-Hargreaves said.

“Kikau just has such a presence on that left edge and when you’ve got a guy inside of him like Crichton, they’ve just have so much presence around and you have to defend that.”

BRONCOS JOIN UNWANTED CLUB

The Broncos are on track to join an unwanted club, with the last member joining 20 years ago.

The Tigers won a premiership in 2005 and then dropped out of the finals placings in 2026.

After a loss to the Cowboys, Michael Maguire’s men are on track to do just that in what has been a disastrous season for the glamour club.

Brisbane have been inconsistent all season, often giving away big leads before attempting to chase their opponents down – like they did during their premiership charge in 2025.

However, this season the Broncos haven’t been able to deliver when it matters and injuries have had a significant impact on their faltering campaign.

Who better than four-time premiership winner Isaah Yeo to sum up their biggest issue, with the gun lock giving his take on Maguire’s team’s campaign on Fox League.

“It’s habits that you form over a long period of time that set up consistency,” Yeo said.

“When you’re the champions, you’re going to get everyone’s best off the back of that year and I felt they (Broncos) got that.

“You don’t want to be relying on catching fire at the end of every year. You are where you belong after 27 rounds.”

There have been consistent rumblings emerging from Broncos camp surrounding Maguire’s coaching methods, with players said to be disgruntled and unhappy.

What potentially compounded that feeling was the strings of losses Brisbane endured, losing eight straight at one point after going 0-2 to start the season.

“I know our Lab says there’s a chance that they can make it but I put my pen through the Brisbane Broncos a couple of weeks ago,” Cooper Cronk said.

“When you want to play finals, and particularly finish in the top four and want to go back-to-back, you got to create good habits over a long period of time and they’ve got to be consistent.

“The Broncos fell in a lull when they lost games in a row. Their completion rate wasn’t great, their defence wasn’t holding up for long periods of time.

“So we can itemise a game here or a moment there for the Brisbane Broncos, but their damage was done in the middle third of the season when they weren’t winning those games and fell in a hole.”

During their ugly eight-game streak, losses to teams embedded at the bottom of the ladder also added to the frustration and tensity surrounding the Broncos.

“They lost to the Dragons at home. That’s one game that they should have ticked and said ‘if we want to play in September, that’s a winnable game’,” Cronk explained.

“Their best players have come back in and they started to get a bit of energy but the damage was done 10 weeks ago.

“The Fox Sports Lab says they can make it which means the teams above them are going to have to lose the majority of their games and the Broncos are going to have to win all their games remaining.

“I don’t think they can do that but it (Lab) says they’re a chance.

“They did a tremendous job last year to win all those games and come from behind and celebrate Brisbane as the centre point of rugby league for the year and they deserved all those accolades.

“If you want to play in the NRL, you’ve got to have resilience as one of the traits to win more games than you lose.

“You’ve got to train harder than your opposition, you’ve got to compete on every play, and if you do all those things then you control the narrative around your football club.”

That narrative has been near impossible to control this season when you look at the on-field performances, and now things could only get worse in Red Hill.

“Now there’s going to be more negativity around the Broncos because I feel like they missed the mark during the pre-season and during the first part (of the season),” Cronk said.

CONTRACT CALL BUNNIES HAVE TO MAKE ON ‘REINVIGORATED’ BARGAIN BUY

The last thing Wayne Bennett would have been thinking earlier this year was negotiating a contract extension for Matt Dufty.

Dufty asked Souths for a lifeline earlier this year after leaving Warrington in the Super League, and he has gone on to dethrone Jye Gray and become the club’s first-choice fullback.

Dufty continued his good form in Friday night’s win over Melbourne, running for 256m with three line breaks.

After the match Bennett praised Dufty and the way he’s combined with young halfback Ashton Ward while hinting that a contract extension was in the works.

“We’ve got a lot of confidence in Jye but he’s a young fullback and the thing that we’ve done with him, and we’ve also done with Wardie, is we’ve been patient with them and let them develop,” Bennett said.

“I know it’s just a time factor for Jye, but right now we’re trying to win games and Dufty’s delivering on what we kind of need in that area. But there’s a future for both those boys here and Dufty hopefully as well if we can sort it out.”

Fox League’s Braith Anasta said Dufty had “reinvigorated his career” under Bennett while Michael Ennis said the fullback’s rise from rugby league obscurity was on the “great stories this year”.

“We go back 12 months ago, he wasn’t making the Warrington side,” Ennis said.

“He has a conversation with Ben Hornby, who is an assistant coach at Souths and had coached him in lower grades whilst he was at the Dragons, and he simply got an opportunity.”

Ennis explained why he felt Bennett had no choice but to elevate Dufty over Gray.

“The difference is what Dufty brings is everything that Jye Gray brings in terms of that willingness to run and compete and threaten with that footwork but he’s got this creativity,” Ennis said.

“I thought he really stepped up and complemented (Cody) Walker and Ward with his creativity. I thought he was the best on the field tonight.”

Kangaroos coach Kevin Walters got an early clue that Dufty wasn’t a spent force after 82 games for St George Illawarra in his first stint in the NRL.

Walters said Dufty has played like a guy on his last chance to make it in the NRL and has displayed a never-say-die attitude.

“I was down in Wollongong with Fox for the trial game when he came back from Warrington, not even on a train and trial, he just started training with them and then he got the train and trial,” Walters said.

“He excelled in that game and you could just see the energy. This was his second coming in the NRL. Every time he’s played for Souths he’s been in everything good about them.”

IVAN’S ONE-WORD REPLY REVEALS ‘CHINK’ IN PENRITH’S ARMOUR

Even if it was far from convincing, the Panthers still look like the team to beat this year.

But Thursday night’s win over the Eels once again proved the competition favourites have a glaring weakness – and a telling one-word reply from Ivan Cleary showed he knows it too.

Penrith’s left edge has been lethal in attack all season, but it has been another story entirely in defence.

That has been the case since Casey McLean and Blaize Talagi first formed a new-look combination for the Panthers last year, with Cleary even telling reporters late last year it was “no secret” teams were targeting Penrith on that side of the field.

That has continued into 2026 and while McLean has developed more than Talagi, to the extent that he made his State of Origin debut, he has looked a bit underdone since returning from injury.

Talagi, meanwhile, is starting to play with more physicality in defence after being consistently isolated by opposition teams early in the season but his decision-making under pressure remains an issue.

The Eels tore Penrith’s left edge apart early in Thursday’s game, going through the line with ease to open up a 12-0 lead and Mitchell Moses went down that side again late in the piece to set up Parramatta’s third try of the night.

Eels coach Jason Ryles admitted post-game they “had a plan to target a part of the field” and while he didn’t specify which part it was, he didn’t really need to anyway.

The numbers spoke volumes to just how heavily Parramatta went after Penrith’s left side, with McLean making 27 tackles compared to just nine for Paul Alamoti on the right.

McLean, Talagi, Tom Jenkins and Isaiah Papali’i were pictured regrouping after the game as time continues to run out for them to find an answer to their defensive vulnerabilities before the finals.

When asked if he had concerns about the left-edge defence, Cleary simply replied: “Yes”.

“That’d be fair, I suppose,” he then added when asked if it has become an ongoing issue.

“But if they’ve been targeted for two years, we still remain the best defensive team. There’s definitely some worries tonight, but on the balance, they can do better than that.”

It is obvious that Cleary doesn’t want to make it too much of an issue publicly because it is important to have the likes of Talagi and McLean playing with confidence.

But behind closed doors there is little doubting that left edge will be a key focus for Cleary ahead of September.

For Talagi specifically, premiership-winning halfback Cooper Cronk said the young playmaker’s role in attack is “pretty straightforward”.

“He sits on the left hand side. He gets the ball when he’s got an advantage. Either that, or he gets the ball in space because it’s been created from Nathan,” Cronk told foxsports.com.au.

But all that means is that Talagi’s defence needs to be up to scratch considering he doesn’t have as much responsibility on the other side of the ball.

“The one thing that Blaize probably needs to focus on for September is the defensive side,” Cronk added.

“If there is a chink in the armour it is the left side defence from Penrith and teams tend to attack him and Casey McLean at some stage.

“He’s a damn good player. We tend to judge halves particularly on how much attacking skill or scoreboard influence they can have whereas I think for Blaize and Penrith it’d be more his defence that is the key for him in September.”

‘UNHEARD OF’: THE UNPRECEDENTED REALITY FACING STORM

The Melbourne Storm are currently going through the most uncertain period in their proud 28-year history.

Their 2026 horror story started the previous year when their top backrower Eli Katoa suffered a brain bleed in a Test match.

He hasn’t played all season along with State of Origin winger Xavier Coates while a number of their players have been out of form.

Fox League’s Michael Ennis said while injuries had been an issue, the Storm must accept they’re not helping themselves and have gone away from principles which have made them a powerhouse in the NRL for the past 20 years.

“Their edge defence this year has just been so un-Melbourne like it’s not funny. You go back and look at the great Melbourne sides and even last year, Melbourne have always been in the top two defensively,” Ennis said.

“But you go into tonight and both edges had conceded 37 tries. That’s unheard of from a Melbourne side.

Storm top 8 hopes fade losing to Souths | 03:04

“As much as you want to believe that Melbourne can do what Melbourne has done so many times, it’s not happening. They just don’t have it this year.”

Ennis felt that Jack Howarth and Nick Meaney haven’t lived up to their 2025 form.

But the bigger issue for the Storm isn’t what happens for the rest of this season, it’s what goes on in the next six months.

“I think there is some instability at Melbourne for the first time,” Ennis said while pointing out that star five-eighth Cameron Munster has been given permission to talk to the PNG Chiefs before November 1.

“There is just some noise around Melbourne that is not always there. I think they definitely need to bring some (players) in.”

Earlier this year the club announced that coach Craig Bellamy had been diagnosed with a neurodegenerative disorder.

There’s been rumours that Bellamy may quit at the end of the season to focus on his health.

If that happens, the club will officially enter a new era, which Kevin Walters said will create a new form of instability.

“There are a lot of questions marks (over Melbourne). Craig has been there a long time and with that, and I was fortunate enough to play at the Broncos for a long time with the same coach, brings so much stability among the playing group and staff members,” Walters said.

“Everyone just gets in their own successful routine and goes about their work. But when there is change it always brings a little bit of confusion and untidy work sometimes.

“It will be a big off-season for the Storm. Obviously if something happens to Craig and he decides (to step down) Billy Slater is parked there and ready to go.”

Bellamy gives Grant update | 08:59

‘DEVASTATING’ DOUBLE BLOW SPOILS ONE OF NRL’S BEST STORIES

Two major injuries have threatened to end Newcastle’s season just weeks after they were touted as a top four contender.

The narrow 23-22 loss to the Roosters on Friday night wasn’t what has Knights fans losing hope.

Their $13 million man Dylan Brown and breakout State of Origin forward Dylan Lucas are done for the season after suffering ACL and ankle injuries respectively.

The Knights were in the process of completing a remarkable turnaround under new coach Justin Holbrook after a shocking 2025.

But three-straight losses and injuries to key players has threatened the Knights becoming the story on the season in the NRL.

“Newcastle have been one of the great stories this year. Wooden spooners last year, a massive recruitment drive and he was the marquee man, Dylan Brown,” Fox League’s Michael Ennis said.

“It’s devastating to see him go down and then Dylan Lucas who has been enormous for them. One of the best young players in the competition.

“That left edge has been so threatening for Newcastle. With (Kalyn) Ponga not too far away and finals close, you thought Newcastle might be able to make a late run but that’s going to halt their chances.”

Despite his $1.3 million per season contract, Knights fans would no doubt be happy with Brown’s contribution in his first season at the club.

From 15 games, he’s scored two tries and had 11 try assists.

Newcastle’s top eight chances are now looking shaky after Canterbury’s win on Saturday night.

They will finish the round in seventh but are only two points clear of the ninth-placed Bulldogs.

In welcome news, Kalyn Ponga should be back next week against the Broncos in Brisbane.

GRAPHIC WARNING: Dylan Lucas Injured | 04:14

FOX LAB’S TEAM OF THE WEEK

James Tedesco scored his fifth career hat-trick and first since 2022 as he led his side to a 23-22 victory over Knights to move into second on the ladder. He also ran for 136 metres with six tackle busts.

Brian To’o had his 56th 200 metre game of his career, taking him to the second most 200 metre games since he debuted (one behind teammate Dylan Edwards). He has run for at least 200 metres in 37.6% of his games played (highest percentage on record – since 2001). He also had 10 tackle busts for the 18th time in his career.

Simi Sasagi had another massive game running for 202 metres (most by a centre in Rnd. 21) to go with six tackle busts, three offloads, two linebreaks with one of them leading to a length of the field try by Kaeo Weekes. Six straight wins starting at centre, running for 200+ metres in five of them.

KL Iro with another big contribution to the Sharks eighth win in their past nine games as he ran for 150 metres with nine tackle busts (most by a centre in Rnd. 21). He also had 18 tackles with no misses.

Phillip Sami scored a try as he ran for 200+ metres for his 11th time this season as he finished up on 237 metres (most by a winger in Rnd. 21) with three tackle busts and a linebreak assist. No other player has ran for at least 200 metres more than seven times this season and will need to reach that mark five more times from Titans remaining six games to equal Brian To’o in 2021 for the most 200+ metre games in a season (16).

Jayden Campbell had a stellar performance against the bottom of the table Dragons as he scored a try, ran for 94 metres which included eight tackle busts, three linebreaks (career best and best by a five-eighth in Rnd. 21), three try assists and to cap it off with seven from eight with the boot taking him to 18 points for the game.

Nicho Hynes continued his purple patch of form with an unbelievable performance as he scored a try, ran for 136 metres (most since 2023 and by a halfback in Rnd. 21). He also had 11 tackle busts (most since 2021 and by a halfback in Rnd. 21), three try assists, three linebreaks, two linebreak assists, four offloads, 353 kicking metres and kicked a perfect 8/8 taking him to 20 points for the game and 50 across his past two games away from Shark Park. He has now kicked 26 straight goals.

Jason Taumalolo ran for 182 metres with 69 post contact and four tackle busts in another strong performance this season. He is averaging his most metres (142) in a season since 2022 (146)

Blayke Brailey again with a good performance at hooker as he had three try involvements (1 assist and 2 contributions) taking him to 18 involvements for the season, only behind Harry Grant from hookers (23). He also made 33 tackles with just the one miss

Joseph Tapine helped lay the platform in the 46 point victory over Tigers as he ran for 165 metres (season best) with 60 post contact, two offloads and 15 tackles without a miss. In Canberra’s nine victories this season Tapine averages over 130 metres compared to under 112 metres per game in the 10 defeats

Francis Manuleleua continued his strong rookie campaign with a career night where he scored a try, ran for 135 metres, had five tackle busts, two linebreaks and provided a try assist. Went head to head with Spencer Leniu in the second half in an entertaining battle.

Jeremiah Nanai had his best game of the season as he ran for 178 metres with 109 post contact (career best – previous was 95). He had one linebreak and made 24 tackles to help his side to a big QLD derby victory over Broncos

Daine Laurie scored his first career hat-trick as he came off the bench in the middle against his former side while running for 98 metres with five tackle busts, a linebreak assist and 18 tackles made. He became the eighth player to score a hat trick off the bench since 1980 and first since Ben Hunt in Round 22, 2017 against Titans