Doueihi and Benji say everything’s OK in Tiger Town. Are we buying it?

Updated July 29, 2026 — 4:13pm,first published July 29, 2026 — 9:29am

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Benji Marshall and Adam Doueihi, after the coach finally came around to the player’s assertion that he was indeed the club’s best option in the No.7 jersey, fronted the cameras at Concord Oval.

Having hugged it out, two headstrong Tigers presented a united front on Wednesday morning.

Each spoke eloquently and at length about the latest drama that had brought us here: Doueihi’s decision, after being asked to play lock rather than five-eighth against Canberra, to skip the game altogether; and then Marshall’s reaction, to drop teen debutant Javon Andrews, and then hand the halfback jersey back to Doueihi.

In between those contentious calls, which have prompted some to suggest the tail is wagging the dog, the club’s dirty laundry has again been aired publicly: claims of standards slipping, players on the vape, bum bags in gym sessions. It would be enough to end most player-coach relationships.

However, the pair – who were members of the same Tigers spine six years ago – say their bond is strong enough to work through it.

“Regardless of personal........

© The Sydney Morning Herald