‘Stubborn’ Doueihi insists he is committed to Tigers
Jasper Bruce |
A remorseful Adam Doueihi admits he can be “stubborn” and “a hard player to deal with”, but insists he is committed to Wests Tigers following his highly-publicised dummy spit.
Doueihi conceded he should “definitely” have played the Tigers’ must-win game against Canberra last Saturday, rather than walk out following Benji Marshall’s decision to move him from halfback.
The 27-year-old said “miscommunication” had led to friction between he and Marshall, who had hoped to play him at lock against the Raiders.
“Benj knows I’d play front row for him. I never put myself above the team,” he said.
“Was there a bit of communication breakdown there, and did I take it the wrong way? Yeah, and I’m happy to wear that.”
The star utility was visibly emotional fronting a media scrum at Tigers headquarters on Wednesday, two days after crisis talks brought him back into the fold.
Doueihi said there were multiple factors that had led him to “lose (his) head” last week, including conversations with Marshall, the 16th-placed Tigers’ disappointing season and a disruptive week that included a visit to the NRL judiciary.
Those factors notwithstanding, Doueihi conceded he was to blame for bringing yet another off-field drama upon the sputtering joint venture.
“I know that at times, I can be a hard player to deal with,” Doueihi said.
“I just put this stubborn head on that I have at times, and put this ego on that I have at times and just couldn’t get myself in the right headspace to play. That’s the reality of it.
“When you’re fighting so hard and you have a big week and you go to the judiciary and you’re not used to it, and you’re losing, and you just want to see this club winning, add a bit of miscommunication, which I mentioned, to Benj.
“I’m an overthinker and I love being well-prepared for stuff. You add that all together, and it just got the better of me last week.”
The Tigers’ 56-10 loss to the Raiders officially precluded them from finals contention for a 15th consecutive season, with debutant Javon Andrews struggling at halfback in Doueihi’s place.
“I guess looking back on it, I should have played. I definitely should have played,” Doueihi said.
“It hurt watching the boys on the weekend, that I couldn’t be out there for my brothers, for my players, for Benji, for the fans especially.
“Did I want to bring that noise to Benj or to the club? No, it wasn’t my intention, Benji knows it wasn’t my intention. Is it a bad look for the playing group? Yeah, and I’ll wear that.”
Doueihi returned to training on Tuesday and addressed the playing group to apologise for walking out in their hour of need.
The Tigers’ best player during a promising start to 2026, Doueihi insisted he would see out his contract, which expires after the 2029 season.
“I’m here for the next three years. I’ve never walked away from a contract in my life,” Doueih said.
“My love for the club is evident, it’s how I’ve been over the past six years here. My love for Benj, my love for this jersey has grown stronger now.
“I said from signing in 2020 that I want to bring this club success and my stance for that hasn’t changed.”
Marshall considered the matter to be “definitely settled”, recalling Doueihi to partner Jarome Luai in the halves against fellow strugglers Parramatta on Sunday.
“For me, this is the best thing for us moving forward, that he plays this week,” Marshall said.
“Sometimes you’ve got to put your ego to the side, and think about what the team actually needs, and what the club needs and what we’re going through.
“What our fans need is a win.”
AAP