Why Benji Marshall has put pressure on Adam Doueihi, Round 22 talking points and analysis, Blaize Talagi dropped

All eyes will be on Adam Doueihi in his return, but have the Tigers put more attention on him that necessary?

Plus, Ivan Cleary sends a massive statement to the high-flying Panthers and the massive challenge facing Kalyn Ponga at the Knights.

Watch every game of every round of the NRL Premiership LIVE with no ad-breaks during play on FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.

Read on for that and more in the latest edition of NRL Talking Points!

WHY BENJI’S BIG CALL ACTUALLY PUTS MORE HEAT ON DOUEIHI

Wests Tigers vs Parramatta Eels, Sunday 4.05pm @ CommBank Stadium

The Tigers have had to wade through more turmoil than any team in the NRL over the past few years.

Now, Benji Marshall and Adam Doueihi have seemingly kissed and made up after Doueihi withdrew from the Tigers’ clash against Canberra last weekend.

But it will be interesting to see how the star halfback responds after being recalled to play the Eels in the No. 7 jersey.

It is an intriguing move from coach Marshall.

It’s understood Doueihi wasn’t pleased with Marshall’s suggestion to play lock against Canberra to accommodate young gun Javon Andrews.

Speaking before teams were announced on Tuesday, premiership winning half Cooper Cronk believed Marshall should’ve held firm in his decision.

“If I’m Benji Marshall, I’m picking him at 13 again this week,” Cronk said.

“He wouldn’t have lasted in the cultures I was in, but if there was some type of coming back to the fold, I’m putting him straight back into 13 and saying ‘let’s go to let’s go do it together’.”

Naming Doueihi at lock again was a sentiment that Fox League’s Matty Johns agreed with, believing that the halfback role puts more pressure on the 27-year-old.

“I actually think that would have been common sense. If I was Benji and I was in that meeting I would have said, ‘Look Adam, I need you to play this 13 role’,” Johns said on SEN radio.

“For me, Adam going to seven actually puts a lot of pressure on Adam this week because the perception is he got his way.

“Regardless of what took place in the meeting, that is the perception so Tigers fans will rightfully sitting in the stands this week going, ‘OK, you show us what you’ve got’.”

During their press conferences on Wednesday morning, Marshall admitted there was a difference in opinion about a number of issues at the club while a contrite Doueihi apologised for leaving his coach and team high and dry.

Importantly though, both reaffirmed how much they love the club and respect each other, with Doueihi refuting reports he wants out before his deal ends in 2029.

So, now that this latest saga is seemingly over with, will the Tigers be able to put it behind them and turn their form around?

Finals are no longer possible after a promising start to the season but if the club can finish the year strong following a torrid rough patch, it’ll put smiles on the club’s diehard fanbase.

Ex-NRL prop Tim Mannah is confident Doueihi will be able to make amends on the field.

“Knowing Adam, there’s every chance he goes out against the Eels and blitzes them,” Mannah said on NRL Tonight.

“He’s the type of player who can block out the noise.

“He has confidence and he’s sure of himself and I think he’ll have a great game this Sunday.”

While the dilemma appears to be sorted for now, these past few days took a toll on Marshall.

Since taking over the top job, he has shown at times that he has what it takes to be a successful coach in the NRL.

However, as he noted on Wednesday, things haven’t been easy for him.

In addition to the Doueihi saga, he’s had to deal with the Lachlan Galvin mess, Jarome Luai’s early departure, board room dramas as well as questions about his suitability to the role.

“I don’t think anyone has had this baptism of fire to start their career but I knew it’d be challenging and it has been,” Marshall admitted.

One of the big questions that remain is what Marshall has to do, if anything, to turn things around at the Tigers.

There have been some promising signs in 2026 but it seems all that good work has been undone over the past three months.

The Tigers’ struggles on the field coupled with the numerous off-field problems led to one reporter asking if Marshall needs experience around him.

He didn’t throw any of his staff under the bus but his answer was interesting. It seemed to indicate it’ll be something he considers this off-season.

“It’s probably a good question but I have a fair bit now with Brett Hodgson and John Morris. I don’t feel like it’s an issue and it wasn’t after ten rounds, but given the last few weeks it probably looks like it is.

“It’s easy to make these assumptions on how we’re going now but I feel like we’ve made improvements, although it doesn’t look like it now. We just need to get back to having a good performance.”

HOW CLEARY PUT PANTHERS STARS ‘ON NOTICE’ WITH BOLD MOVE

Penrith Panthers vs Canberra Raiders, Saturday 5.30pm @ Glen Willow Oval

The Panthers may be sitting pretty at the top of the table with another minor premiership potentially locked in, but Ivan Cleary isn’t getting complacent.

In fact, Penrith’s coach has sent a statement to the rest of the playing group according to Matty Johns after dropping five-eighth Blaize Talagi.

Penrith’s left edge has been consistently targeted by opposition teams for two years now, with the Panthers conceded 23 tries down that side this season.

Only the Roosters have conceded more, with the 16 tries down their right edge on the other hand being the fewest in the league.

It has prompted Cleary to act, bringing back the more experienced and dependable Jack Cogger in Talagi’s place.

“I think Ivan has run out of patience,” Johns said on SEN’s The Run Home with Joel and Fletch.

“They would have been working really hard on Blaize from the moment he got in there and at the moment that edge, they can’t shore it up… I’m not surprised by it.

“A lot of us were saying it’s just this little period after State of Origin, they’re just treading water a little bit and fatigued but they’ll come good. I think this is Ivan putting all the players on notice.

“I think this is evidence there is a little bit of concern and he’s going to put fire under them.”

It may have been a different story if Talagi was setting the world on fire in attack, but he has also at times been indecisive and lacked execution on that side of the ball too.

Of course, it is far from panic stations given Talagi is just 21 years old, although it does present an interesting dilemma for Penrith long-term as he is off-contract at the end of next year.

Talagi is one of several high-profile Panthers without a contract beyond 2027, leaving the club facing a delicate balancing act given he is likely to command plenty of interest on the open market.

Now, the Panthers can still believe in him long-term while also thinking this is the right move both for the team right now and Talagi in getting his confidence back.

Panthers great Greg Alexander held that view when asked by foxsports.com.au whether he thinks Talagi will return to first grade before the finals.

“I’m sure he will be. Blaize has had a very good year. I think it’s just Penrith have gone through a difficult period through Origin… I think it’s just Ivan’s way of just taking a bit of pressure off the team and Blaize,” Alexander said.

“He has become sort of the focal point and I think just relieving that pressure, getting him to have a run in New South Wales Cup, get a bit of confidence back, play at a bit slower pace… that makes sense. I’m sure we’ll see Blaize back in the side.”

Johns though said one of the trickier parts of coaching is making sure you are holding underperforming players accountable, so as to send the right message to those fringe players on the verge of an NRL recall.

“When you’ve got so much depth in the squad if someone is struggling a little bit, eventually you’ve got to put another bloke in,” Johns said.

“You’re going to break blokes’ hearts below them if basically blokes are struggling and there’s no change. Eventually you’ve got to make that change or you’re going to lose them.”

In the case of Cogger there is no threat of that at least, with the veteran half contracted to the Panthers until the end of the 2028 season.

‘WENT THROUGH THE ROOF’: THE FORGOTTEN PART IN TEDESCO’S RISE

North Queensland Cowboys vs Sydney Roosters, Thursday 7.50pm @ Queensland Country Bank Stadium

Who is the most important player in the Roosters team?

Generally it’s the halfback, particularly when the No. 7 is a State of Origin half.

But that’s not the case at the Roosters despite the fact their halves pairing of Daly Cherry-Evans and Sam Walker are past and current Queensland halfbacks.

In fact, Matthew Johns has labelled “elements” of the Roosters attack “really inconsistent” and said a lot of it comes back to the fact both their halves are “very unorthodox” and “reactive” players.

“Unpredictability sometimes can really work for you, but other times it makes it difficult for teammates,” Johns said on the Matty & Cronk podcast.

That’s why Cooper Cronk thinks Roosters champion fullback James Tedesco is the most important player at the club.

He said it was noticeable in the narrow win over the Storm when Tedesco was watching from the sidelines.

“The game against the Melbourne Storm highlighted the importance of Tedesco,” Cronk said.

“They had enough field position, enough attacking sets, but when you don’t have halves that don’t engage the line consistently enough, defenders just sit there and slide off and count the numbers.

“When Tedesco gets the ball, everyone’s worried about Tedesco running. And that causes defences to do things.”

Johns described Tedesco’s running game as “freakish”, while Cronk even claimed Tedesco has reorganised the way fullbacks play.

“He gets to first receiver in around midfield, and then he’s got the ability to get a couple of passes wider,” Cronk said.

“So he’ll attack you from anywhere, and he is absolutely key because if the Roosters halves don’t engage the line or play a little bit sideways before they should, (Victor) Radley and Tedesco are the two players that will take the line on.

“Keano Kini was doing it, where he’ll get to first receiver off the fifth play. There’s either a little shift to create momentum or they run to get a quick play-the-ball for the kick to happen on the last play, but then they’re still throwing the cut-out pass to the winger in the red zone. Tedesco’s doing it all.”

But the most impressive part of Tedesco’s game is the fact he is only getting better with age where with most players, their effectiveness — especially as a pure runner — diminishes the older they get.

It has in many ways been the opposite for Tedesco and for Cronk, it is evidence of how the Roosters fullback transformed his game — both on and off the field — since leaving the Tigers.

“If you go back to his Tigers day he had some big injuries to the point you thought is he ever going to get to the level or potential (he should)… he arrives at the Roosters at the same time as me,” Cronk said.

“You’ve got Trent Robinson and Travis Touma, guys who really put a lot of time and effort into preparation and his professionalism, from my understanding, went through the roof.

“Now all of a sudden he’s hardly ever missed a game, he’s 30-odd getting better, to the point that most people slow down at the age he’s at. If anything, he’s held his level.”

AXED STAR’S HUGE RESPONSE AS COWBOYS FACE INJURY HEADACHE

North Queensland Cowboys vs Sydney Roosters, Thursday 7.50pm @ Queensland Country Bank Stadium

If you had told Cowboys fans at the start of the year that Tom Dearden would potentially play just 11 games, it would have been safe to assume this season would be a write-off.

But the form of Jake Clifford, along with the emergence of Jaxon Purdue, still has North Queensland fans hoping for a deep finals run.

And in the case of Clifford, one of the NRL’s more improved players this season deserves plenty of credit for the way he responded last week in North Queensland’s win over Brisbane.

Despite his form this season, Clifford was benched against the Dolphins in Round 20 to accommodate the return of Dearden, who was available for the first time in months after recovering from an ankle injury.

Instead of a Dearden/Clifford halves pairing, Purdue played in the halves alongside last year’s Wally Lewis Medallist.

The Cowboys were outplayed that day in a 36-16 loss.

Cowboys coach Todd Payten quickly conceded his error and recalled Clifford for the Broncos clash.

Unfortunately for North Queensland, Dearden’s poor injury luck continued.

Just 24 hours before kick off, Dearden was ruled out of the Queensland Derby because of a fresh injury blow.

Dearden suffered a muscle avulsion tear in his leg, which will keep him sidelined until Round 26 at least.

Instead, Clifford partnered Purdue in the halves against Brisbane and led the Cowboys to a much-needed win against a desperate opponent.

Fox League’s Matty Johns praised the way Clifford responded to the adversity, while Cooper Cronk compared it to the Adam Doueihi saga at the Tigers.

“Well done to Jake Clifford,” Johns said.

“I thought, oh, how’s he going to react to this? He didn’t whinge he just got on with it and came back and was sensational.”

“Unfairly dropped in my opinion. I thought that was really tough what Toddy did on him.”

“He could have done exactly the same thing (as Doueihi). He could have done exactly the same thing,” Cronk added.

“That point around him being dropped, I thought, ‘oh that’s unfair’. But he didn’t spit the dummy out. He didn’t go to the coach and say, ‘I’m not playing this weekend’

“He took his medicine, he got his chance the next week, and has just repaid the Cowboys.”

Clifford has stood up sans Dearden on several occasions this season, so being this team’s chief playmaker isn’t foreign to him.

His form even led to chatter of a potential Maroons jersey.

However, with Dearden in doubt of being back in time for the finals, Clifford won’t be able to put much of a foot wrong.

He’ll need to do all the basics really well. Kicking and tackling.

“He needs to be in the halves for the Cowboys going forward,” Cronk said.

“Jake Clifford, some of his long kicking games, he turns an average set into a good one because of the depth of his kick.

“He scored that try before halftime, but the bigger play, he chased down Reece Walsh, he didn’t stop and watch. He took off and tackled him into touch.”

Cowboys firming for 2026 finals spot | 04:09

STORM ENTERING ‘MOST CHALLENGING ERA’ SINCE THEY FORMED

Melbourne Storm vs Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, Friday 8pm @ AAMI Park

The once bombproof Melbourne Storm are about to face one of the most important periods in their 28-year history as a number of key decisions need to be made.

That starts with the future of superstar five-eighth Cameron Munster, who has been linked with a potential move to the PNG Chiefs at the end of next season — and that is just the start.

For the first time in what feels like a long time, questions are also being asked of just how quickly the Storm can turn things around with the club on track to miss the finals for the first time in 16 years.

Munster, Harry Grant, Xavier Coates and Eliesa Katoa among others will return from injury while Jamayne Isaako’s arrival will bolster the backline, but Matty Johns believes the Storm are about the enter “the most challenging era since they came to the comp in 1998”.

Cooper Cronk described the Storm’s season as “strange” and while they’ve been cruelled by injuries to key players like Katoa and Coates, they’re carrying mental scars that have been too hard to overcome.

“Losing back-to-back grand finals mentally hurts,” Cronk said.

“You can get yourself back off the canvas after one, but after two, it would take a lot of resilience and a lot of mental strength to be able to do that. So I think that hurt them at the beginning.”

The loss of edge back rower Katoa has also had dramatic effects when it comes to the side’s on-field structure.

Cronk explained why inexperience in the back row is a killer blow for footy teams.

“Melbourne Storm have always based their success around defence and the two crucial parts around a good defensive team is the back row position and the centre,” Cronk said.

“The reason why the back row is crucial is because it connects the middle forwards to the edge. And if that back row defends well, that determines what your edge does.

“And then you move to their centre position. That’s crucial because they’re the ones that make the decision. We’re either going to go outside-in and stop the ball, or we’re going to go backwards and lay off.”

It’s not only Munster’s immediate future that’s in question.

Coach Craig Bellamy is no guarantee of coaching on after it was revealed earlier this year he had been diagnosed with a neurodegenerative disorder.

Cronk revealed he advised Bellamy to retire a few years ago.

“That was my advice,” Cronk said.

“Because there’s nothing else to prove. He kept coaching because he loved having influence on young men about their football career and life.”

While some have predicted Bellamy’s medical diagnosis will see him finish up coaching at the end of this season, Cronk has taken the opposite view.

“All of a sudden, with his health situation, I would encourage him to go on because being around young guys with energy, he still gets something out of it, and it’s motivating,” Cronk said.

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

THE BIG PONGA ‘CHALLENGE’ FOR INJURY-HIT KNIGHTS

Brisbane Broncos vs Newcastle Knights, Saturday 7.35pm @ Suncorp Stadium

Whatever happens from here, the 2026 season will be a success for Newcastle.

Justin Holbrook has restored pride in a town that didn’t have much of it at the end of last year when the Knights slumped all the way to the wooden spoon.

The arrival of a marquee recruit like Dylan Brown brought elevated expectations, but Holbrook has more than matched them in his first year in charge.

Unfortunately, any hope of a deep finals run appears all but gone after the Knights lost both Brown and gun back rower Dylan Lucas to season-ending injuries.

Add in the injury cloud hanging over Kalyn Ponga, even if he has been named this week, and it looks like a promising year may well come to a somewhat underwhelming end.

“Newcastle have done all the right things up until this point. Now, there’s a question mark whether they can get to September because you take Dylan Brown and Lucas out of there with Kalyn, all of a sudden they’re vulnerable,” Cooper Cronk said on ‘Matty and Cronk’ this week.

“Dylan Brown is more than two points to that team. Dylan Lucas is more than two points to that team.”

Horror injuries ruin Newcastle’s season | 02:15

While Ponga is back and as long as he is healthy will add some much-needed spark to Newcastle’s attack, the challenge will be finding someone to step up alongside him.

In the past the big problem for the Knights has been their over-reliance on Ponga, particularly in attacking territory.

“Last year it was all wherever Kalyn is, double team him and force someone else to win the game, right?” Cronk said.

“Defences are now going to do exactly the same thing. But all the good stuff that Kalyn was doing was because Dylan Brown was doing a lot of good stuff to help him with the space.

“I think it’s going to be a real challenge for Newcastle to get to September now, simply because I think teams will double team Kalyn from here on out.”

That is the question mark once again moving forward, although Johns said this is now a “big opportunity” for the dynamic Fletcher Sharpe to stand tall in Brown’s absence.

“It’s he and Kalyn’s side now,” Johns added.