Tiger sensationally rules himself out of must-win game

Jasper Bruce and Will Nicholas | July 23, 2026

Adam Doueihi has sensationally ruled himself out of Wests Tigers’ must-win game against Canberra after being told highly-rated teen Javon Andrews would start at halfback in his place.

Doueihi has been granted leave after disagreeing with coach Benji Marshall’s decision to shift him to lock so 19-year-old Andrews could make his NRL debut at No.7 this Saturday.

The 27-year-old has played exclusively at halfback in 2026 and been the Tigers’ best player but is also considered one of the league’s most versatile utilities.

Doueihi was listed in the Tigers’ extended squad on Tuesday afternoon pending his hearing at the NRL judiciary later that night.

He had a one-game ban thrown out on appeal, but in an ironic twist, Doueihi will now miss Saturday’s match of his own volition.

Doueihi’s absence comes at a crucial juncture for the Tigers, who must beat the Raiders to keep their already remote NRL finals hopes alive.

With a loss, the 14th-placed Tigers will be unable to finish the season with a winning record, effectively ending their chances of playing finals for the first time since 2011.

Prior to news of Doueihi’s voluntary omission, Marshall confirmed he had plans for Andrews against the Raiders.

Andrews has impressed in NSW Cup this year and Latu Fainu’s three-game ban at the judiciary looked to have increased his chances of making his debut against Canberra.

Andrews is one of the up-and-coming playmakers whose presence has helped convince the Tigers to move PNG recruit Jarome Luai on at the end of the season.

The two will partner in the halves against Canberra.

“(Andrews) has obviously done some good stuff at Cup level and we like the way he plays,” Marshall said on Thursday.

“We’ve got plans, we’re just keeping them to ourselves.

“He can do both (five-eighth and halfback). He just plays footy a bit nonchalant, he just plays what he sees and that’s what we like.”

Andrews has already had to overcome significant adversity to make it to the NRL.

In 2021, he was tackled head-first into a goalpost during a representative game, fracturing two vertebrae and needing more than two years to return to the field.

But Andrews is now firmly in the frame as someone who could breathe new life into the embattled Tigers, though Marshall would not divulge his long-term plans for the playmaker.

“I just make decisions week to week based on what I think we need to win,” he said.

“Our recruitment identified that he was someone who we liked, and we just sat down and met him and he was keen to come.

“There’s no pressure on him … we wanted him to – when he gets his opportunity – just play.”