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The decision has raised a host of questions surrounding the Tigers\u2019 handling of the situation, with scrutiny now turning towards coach Benji Marshall and whether he can help navigate the fallout.<\/p>\n
It has also sparked debate over the impact, the \u2018saga\u2019 has had on the playing group with concerns emerging over trust within the dressing room.<\/p>\n
NO.7 CALL RAISES FRESH QUESTIONS<\/p>\n
After self-withdrawing from last week\u2019s match against the Canberra Raiders in which the Tigers were humiliated, Doueihi\u2019s return to the Tigers has sparked plenty of debate.<\/p>\n
The playmaker\u2019s inclusion for the side\u2019s upcoming clash against the Parramatta Eels on Sunday, where he will wear the No.7 jersey, has intensified scrutiny on Marshall\u2019s handling of the situation.<\/p>\n
Fox League\u2019s Paul Crawley was scathing of the decision, believing Marshall was the only coach in the NRL who would have let Doueihi back into their team.<\/p>\n
\u201cBenji can come out and say anything he wants. This looks like he\u2019s buckled,\u201d Crawley said on NRL 360.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think if you were to do an anonymous poll of the 17 NRL coaches, 16 of them would not have done what Benji has done here. <\/p>\n
\u201cThere is no way in the world they would have allowed him to come back after what happened to that team last week.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf he wanted him to play lock last week, keep him at lock.\u201d<\/p>\n
Doueihi back + Laurie to quit? | 25:52<\/p>\n
However, CODE Sports reporter David Riccio offered a different point of view, suggesting that Marshall\u2019s decision to name Douehi in the halves could be viewed as an acknowledgement that his concerns about the club were valid.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s a concession from Benji Marshall that some of the questions raised by him were correct and that Adam had points that deserved consideration,\u201d Riccio added.<\/p>\n
\u201cThirdly, they need him. A head coach needs his best player on the park and they need him and him at halfback you would argue would be one of their most consistent players.<\/p>\n
Crawley, though, argued the call was made primarily to ease the growing pressure surrounding the Tigers following last week\u2019s fallout<\/p>\n
\u201cTo try and quell the noise. To try and stop the narrative and stop the turmoil surrounding that club. It\u2019s as obvious as anything,\u201d Crawley continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re trying to dodge away from the fact of what happened last week and try and quieten it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Braith says DCE should quit Roosters | 01:07<\/p>\n
DRESSING ROOM TRUST PUT TO THE TEST<\/p>\n
While Doueihi\u2019s return has been welcomed by some, concerns remain over whether the fallout has damaged the trust within the Tigers\u2019 playing group.<\/p>\n
Queensland Maroons legend Gorden Tallis believed all that \u201ctrust\u201d is now compromised.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you play footy and when you get to the top level and you want to start winning games, I think what all the great sides have is trust and trusting the mates beside you,\u201d Gorden Tallis said.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo it\u2019s got to be tarnished a little bit. Whether they say it or not, it wouldn\u2019t be the same dressing room.\u201d<\/p>\n
Braith Anasta, a former Tigers player and teammate of Marshall\u2019s, also questioned whether or not the issues within the club should be brushed aside.<\/p>\n
He warned that some members of the playing group may be left wondering whether they were the target of claims that have surfaced over the past few days, creating further tension in the dressing room.<\/p>\n
Riccio says Tigers ‘need’ Doueihi at 7 | 00:43<\/p>\n
Anasta said: \u201cI find it hard to believe from my point of view that everything would be fine there because if you look at the leaks that have been coming out allegedly from Doueihi\u2019s camp.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat players are vaping in the weights room, that there\u2019s a cultural issue there (and) that there\u2019s factions within the club. <\/p>\n
\u201cThese players that he\u2019s walked back into training with, they\u2019ve got the finger pointed at them, so they\u2019re thinking over the last few days \u2018Is this directed at us?\u2019 so then Doueihi comes back in. <\/p>\n
\u201cThere would be an element of (mistrust) and it\u2019s impossible to think everything\u2019s hunky dory and rosy.\u201d<\/p>\n
DOUEIHI\u2019S CONTRACT CALL UNDER SCRUTINY<\/p>\n
Amid the growing scrutiny surrounding Doueihi\u2019s actions, attention has now turned towards a bizarre contract decision that has raised further questions.<\/p>\n
This was the playmaker\u2019s decision to sign a three-year extension with the club earlier this year, despite reportedly having concerns over the Tigers\u2019 culture and standards.<\/p>\n
The contract call has added another layer to the drama with pundits questioning the timing of Doueihi\u2019s decision to sign that new deal.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the thing that I really can\u2019t get my head around, (is) he\u2019s allegedly got a problem with standards at the club now and the culture but four months ago in March he signed a new extension,\u201d Crawley said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe club didn\u2019t have to give him one because he was contracted through until the end of next year, but he signed a new extension until the end of 2029. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe was happy to take the $500,000 that the club was reportedly offering him and now, four months later, Benji\u2019s no good. The culture\u2019s no good. The standard\u2019s no good.\u201d<\/p>\n
Doueihi all smiles in return to training | 07:34<\/p>\n
Riccio, however, provided a different perspective, suggesting the issues may have emerged after he signed on.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow do we know he hasn\u2019t addressed the cultural issues from when he signed the contract until now?\u201d Riccio proposed.<\/p>\n
But Crawley continued by arguing that Douehi was already aware of the challenges facing the Tigers before putting pen to paper on a new deal.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe knew what he was signing up for. He\u2019s been at the club for years. The Tigers were the same club last year,\u201d Crawley continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Tigers were the same club for the last decade. It may be a bit worse right but they are an embarrassment to professional sport, this mob. <\/p>\n
\u201cThis has been going on since 2012. They\u2019ve gone through a stack of coaches, a stack of chief executives. Players come and go.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re paying Jarome Luai $500,000 to play for another team. You can bet your life that we will get to the end of this year and this will blow up again. It makes you wonder\u2026same manager, what\u2019s happening here?\u201d<\/p>\n
MORE NRL NEWS<\/p>\n
TALKING POINTS: Forgotten part of Tigers mess; Wayne\u2019s looming contract call<\/a>CRAWLS: \u2018Get over it\u2019: Why Tigers, and NRL, must draw line in sand with Doueihi<\/a><\/p>\n DOUEIHI LANDING SPOTS: Big Madge hint… and rival to land bitter Benji blow\u2018<\/a><\/p>\n