What Benji just said about Doueihi is a distraction — from a broken promise and a $1.2m fail — Crawls

Let’s not get side-tracked by Benji Marshall’s post match praise about how brave Adam Doueihi was in his return after a week of self-inflicted pain.

The reality coming out of Wests Tigers 13-12 loss to an error-riddled Parramatta is that it means the Tigers have actually gone backwards this year.

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And they are officially now in a worse position than they were at exactly the same stage in 2025.

Let’s look at the facts.

After 22 rounds last year, the Tigers had won eight games and sat 12th on the ladder with 385 points scored and 506 conceded.

Today they sit 16th with only seven wins.

They’ve also scored fewer points (378), conceded more (589), have lost seven straight and 10 of their last 12 after somehow sitting inside the top four earlier this season.

That’s before you even consider everything that’s unfolded off the field.

When the Tigers signed Jarome Luai in January 2024 former chief executive Shane Richardson called it a “game changer”.

Richo said players like Luai were “like diamonds” and declared the Tigers simply “had to get him”.

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So the club forked out $1.2 million-a-season in a deal loaded with get-out clauses — because they believed Luai would drag them back into finals contention.

Yet nearly three years later, it’s fair to say those comments haven’t aged particularly well.

Luai has not only signed with PNG for 2028.

But before linking with the Chiefs, the Tigers will reportedly pay him around $500,000 of his contract so he can play for Parramatta next season.

It just makes no sense at all.

And you can now throw in the uncertainty surrounding Doueihi despite his insistence last week that he wants to remain at the club.

To Doueihi’s credit, his performance against Parramatta was brave.

He produced a terrific individual try and calmly slotted the field goal that looked like it might steal the win.

Benji said after the game: “I just thought it showed true character, given the week he had as well, to turn it around and just put that into a performance on the field.”

But despite Doueihi’s courage, the Tigers still found a way to lose.

And this was against a Parramatta side that produced one of the most error-riddled performances we’ve see in the NRL for years.

When the Tigers handed Marshall a contract extension through until the end of 2030 at the end of last year it was sold on the promise that finally the club was back heading in the right direction.

And yes, earlier in the season we were led to believe they were when they sat in the top four.

Yet their season has again descended into a farce on the back of all the drama going on off the field.

This will now be the 15th straight year the Tigers haven’t played finals football.

And it’s just not good enough that they have actually regressed from even where they were last year.

By the third year of a rebuild, the new coach should at least have the team climbing the ladder in the right direction.

The club can keep pointing to the young talent coming through.

But without Luai next season, as well as the uncertainty surrounding Doueihi, it’s difficult to see how the club is going to be any better placed in another 12 months.

WHY DOGS CAN UPSET ROOSTERS

Two months ago the Bulldogs’ season looked gone.

Now they’ve won six of their last seven to force their way into the top eight and set up a blockbuster against the Roosters on Friday night.

You have to admire the energy Cameron Ciraldo has them playing with right across the park.

And while I still don’t think Stephen Crichton’s best position is five-eighth, the switch is certainly bringing out the best in the team.

Matt Burton also looks to be enjoying his footy again.

Although it’s probably no coincidence it has all happened since Viliame Kikau returned from injury.

But let’s not forget this win came against a Storm side missing Harry Grant, Cameron Munster and Jahrome Hughes.

That’s a very different proposition to a Roosters outfit riding a six-game winning streak, highlighted by last week’s astonishing 82-12 demolition of the Cowboys.

But like they say, styles make fights.

And that’s exactly why I reckon this shapes as a potential bellringer.

We know the Bulldogs are at their best when they get up in the faces of their opponents and drag them into an emotional battle.

We saw it earlier this year against Penrith when they made it their mission to rattle Nathan Cleary, and without question it disrupted the Panthers’ rhythm.

The Roosters have also shown over the years they can occasionally lose their composure when games become too emotionally charged.

If Canterbury can frustrate the Chooks and turn it into an old-fashioned scrap, they’ll give themselves a genuine chance of pulling off what would be a massive upset.

WALSH GOT WHAT HE DESERVED FOR HAIR PULL

I can’t believe some people are blowing up about Reece Walsh getting sin binned for pulling Dominic Young’s hair.

What was embarrassing was the act, not the punishment.

It’s just dumb football, and Walsh got exactly what he deserved.

Good on referee Grant Atkins for having the guts to sin bin both Walsh and Jermaine McEwen.

Atkins also got it spot on with the decision to march Deine Mariner for a professional foul.

You’re simply not allowed to grab an opponent’s jersey to stop a try no matter what.

It’s a professional foul every day of the week.

MADGE’S EXCUSES DON’T WASH

Michael Maguire can point to injuries all he likes to make excuses for his players missing the finals, while constantly saying he can’t question their effort.

But for me the loss to the Knights summed up Brisbane’s season.

It wasn’t the players they had unavailable that cost them.

It was errors, poor discipline and the inability to put the team first in the big moments _ like the Walsh hair pull.

As Greg Inglis said on the Fox League coverage after the game, when you compare the experience and class of the Broncos roster to Newcastle’s, it shouldn’t even be a contest.

Yet the Knights were also without Dylan Brown, Dylan Lucas and Jacob Saifiti.

The difference was Newcastle played with a genuine team-first mentality.

The Broncos didn’t.

Broncos Finals Hopes End | 05:38

PONGA CONTENDER FOR DALLY M CAPTAIN OF THE YEAR

On the flip side, Kalyn Ponga has developed into one of the game’s outstanding leaders.

In fact, I’d have Ponga right up in the conversation for Dally M Captain of the Year alongside James Tedesco and Nathan Cleary.

To lift the Knights from last year’s wooden spoon to genuine finals contenders is an incredible turnaround.

What has impressed most about Ponga isn’t just his moments of brilliance.

It’s the maturity he’s playing with and just the way he has embraced leading this team.

Remember this is the same bloke who once sent Nathan Brown packing with the emotionless ‘strawberry thick shake’ comment after Brown got sacked.

We’ve never seen Ponga this invested in the those around him, and it goes all the way back to the opening round in Vegas.

I know he’s now 28, so he has had plenty of time to mature.

But he genuinely looks like he gets as much satisfaction seeing a teammate make a big play as he does producing one himself these days.

WALKER LEAVES MOSES IN HIS WAKE IN RACE TO BE CLEARY’S KANGAROO BACK-UP

Sam Walker is leaving Mitchell Moses in his wake in the race to be Nathan Cleary’s Australian back-up for the end-of-season World Cup.

I’m certainly not suggesting Walker is ready to take Cleary’s No 7 jersey anytime soon.

But I do think this has the potential to grow into something like the battle we once saw between Ricky Stuart and Allan Langer.

I know some people also still want to see how Walker aims up in the finals before they’ll be sold on whether he should command near the same $1.4 million-a-season Parramatta is currently paying Moses.

The talk last week was that Nick Politis wanted to make Walker a Rooster for life, and the money being speculated was only $1.35 million a season.

But if Walker hit the open market on November 1, I have no doubt clubs would be lining up to offer him $1.5 million or more.

Watching Walker carve up the Cowboys for an individual haul of 32 points also got me thinking about the Kangaroos squad.

Moses toured with Australia last year and was part of NSW’s Origin-winning side.

Tom Dearden is another genuine contender if he leads the Cowboys into September and he can play dummy half.

While Ethan Strange also toured last year and offers extra versatility in the centres.

But if Walker stays fit and keeps producing football like he did against the Cowboys, how could Kevvie Walters possibly leave him out, especially with Parramatta missing the finals?

That’s where the Stuart-Langer comparison comes in.

Like Stuart, Cleary controls every aspect of a game.

Walker, like Langer, plays with freedom and can create something from nothing.

Who knows, they may even meet in the grand final before Kevvie has to make his call.

DRAGONS COP ANOTHER DUD CALL

Coaches will tell you privately that the further you are down the ladder the harder it is to get the rub of the green.

And once again the Dragons came up short in the luck stakes in the 28-22 loss to the Dolphins.

Who knows what might have happened had Isaiya Katoa’s blatant knock-on been picked up before a crucial Dolphins try.

I won’t go too hard on referee Kieren Irons because he was on debut.

But in the context of the game it was a massive call.

Dean Young also deserves credit for refusing to dwell on the decision afterwards.

Instead, he admitted there were moments his side failed to ice their moments.

That’s the sort of accountability you want to hear from the coach of a team heading towards this year’s wooden spoon.

Yet the improvement in the Dragons since Young took charge is obvious.

DON’T WRITE OFF THE COWBOYS

As for the Cowboys, I’m still not writing them off despite suffering the biggest defeat in premiership rugby league since 1935.

Yes, it was embarrassing.

Yes, it was pitiful.

Yes, it was a massive let-down after the grit and toughness they showed to end the Broncos’ season a week earlier.

But you have to wonder how much the five-day turnaround coming off such an emotional win over Brisbane took out of them.

That’s not an excuse, it’s just the reality.

I actually felt for Todd Payten having to front the media afterwards and apologise for the performance.

The players should be the ones taking responsibility for that.

I’d still argue the Cowboys are every chance of sneaking into the top eight when you compare their run home with both Canterbury and South Sydney.

All three clubs sit on 26 competition points.

Factor in the Cowboys still have a bye along with remaining games against the Titans, Eels, Tigers and Raiders.

That’s a damn sight easier than the Bulldogs’ draw given they face the Roosters, Rabbitohs, Dragons, Panthers and Broncos.

Souths are also likely to be without Latrell Mitchell for the rest of the season and still have the Eels, Bulldogs, Warriors, Titans and Roosters.

When you stack up those three run homes side by side, I wouldn’t be surprised at all if the Cowboys still sneak into the finals.

As for Souths and the Dogs, it could well come down to their clash in round 24.

‘WORST DECISION IN LIVING MEMORY’

We sure had some referee/bunker blunders over the round.

But the standout for worst decision in living memory had to be seeing both touch judges waving away Walsh’s conversion from virtually in front of the posts.

Seriously, did anyone watching the game other than the two touch judges think that kick had missed?

CLEARY GETS COGGER CALL SPOT ON

Just when you thought the Panthers might have been wobbling after Origin, they reminded everyone why they’re still the team to beat with a ruthless 42-18 demolition of the Raiders in Mudgee.

Nathan Cleary was again outstanding, while Jack Cogger justified Ivan Cleary’s decision to send Blaize Talagi back to NSW Cup.

The Panthers now face their biggest test yet against the Warriors, who also sent a powerful message in their effortless 42-6 romp over the Titans.

The Warriors barely had to get out of third gear, and Te Maire Martin was outstanding heading into his head-to-head showdown with Cleary.

FITZY DESERVES MOST PRAISE FOR SHARKS’ CHARGE

One person who won’t be questioning Cronulla’s premiership credentials after five straight wins is Craig Fitzgibbon.

The Sharks coach wore his heart on his sleeve in the dominant 34-12 win over South Sydney.

From hugging his players in the dressing sheds before kick-off to fist-pumping from the coach’s box in the dying minutes, you could see just how much it meant.

Usually we get to this point of the season and people start questioning Cronulla.

Not this year.

They’ve become the best defensive side in the competition over the past month and every player is doing their job.

Yes, Souths were missing key players, but you can only beat what’s in front of you.

Fitzgibbon has ignored the calls for change, stuck to his plan and continued building this side brick by brick.

Nothing highlights that better than the way he backed Nicho Hynes through all the criticism he’s copped over the years.

Yet Hynes is playing better football than when he won the Dally M Medal, and to kick 32 straight conversions just highlights where his confidence and mindset are obviously at.

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