Wests Tigers call Adam Doueihi, Benji Marshall crisis meeting after dramatic training exit
The Wests Tigers have called a crisis meeting between Adam Doueihi and coach Benji Marshall within the next 72-hours to thrash out their differences, after the star dramatically ruled himself out of their Raiders clash.
David Riccio
Adam Doueihi will meet with Wests Tigers coach Benji Marshall and CEO Shaun Mielekamp within the next 72-hours to thrash out their differences.
The meeting, expected by Monday afternoon at the latest, aims to bring all parties back onto the same page after Doueihi dramatically left training on Thursday and ruled himself out of the club’s game against the Raiders in Canberra on Saturday.
At this stage, neither the club wants to tear up Doueihi’s contract, nor has the 172-game player informed his management to seek a release from his contract, which runs through until 2029.
Both Marshall and Doueihi respect each other greatly and there is a genuine appetite to smoke the peace pipe and move forward for the benefit of the club.
The reason for Doueihi’s dramatic stance to stand down from playing is believed to be not solely due to Marshall deciding to shift the playmaker to the unfamiliar lock-forward position against the Raiders.
Marshall’s follow-up offer — made shortly after their heated discussion – for Doueihi to retain the halfback position against the Raiders suggests that the 29-year-old’s omission from Saturday’s game goes deeper than just a positional switch.
Mielekamp, recently-appointed as the CEO following Shane Richardson’s exit last season, is believed to be acutely aware of the reasons behind Doueihi’s shock reaction.
Another player also met with Marshall after Doueihi left his meeting with the head coach.
The 14th-placed Wests Tigers trained on Friday ahead of their important clash with the Raiders with Marshall selecting the Eels-bound Jarome Luai and rising star Javon Andrews in the halves to tackle the Raiders.
Matty Johns said on SEN radio on Friday that Luai needed to be selected for the clash with Canberra, but if the Wests Tigers couldn’t secure a victory, Marshall should begin selecting a team in the coming weeks that reflects their future.