Adam Doueihi has ditched the utility belt and is ready to be Batman at the Wests Tigers this season after halves partner Jarome Luai said he was willing to relinquish the role.
“I’m not sure what Batman’s strengths are, but it sounds like he’s a pretty smart, strong dude. So I guess I’ll be Batman and he can be Robin,” Doueihi said.
Having a clear role is something new for Doueihi who has played halfback, five-eighth, centre, fullback and even lock forward since he made his debut in 2018.
But he heads into the new season knowing the No. 7 jersey is his if he plays well enough, with Doueihi to take control of yardage sets, kick planning and doing most of the talking to give Luai the time and space to work his magic.
“At a younger age it’s a pretty cool thing to be versatile,” he said, with youngster Latu Fainu set to be the new everywhere man.
“I debuted at Souths in 2018 when Seibs (Anthony Seibold) was our coach. He played me pretty much every position in the backline so I got to learn all the different positions like half, five-eighth, fullback and centre – I even landed on the wing one game.
“As you grow up and mature and put some games under your belt, you grow into an older player and more of a senior leader in the group.
“I’ve finally settled on a position that I like, and I feel as though halfback brings out my strengths and will also suit our style of play this year.
“Benji (Tigers coach Benji Marshall) spoke to me earlier in the pre-season about wanting to give me a go there, and it’s worked well this pre-season.”
Being versatile can have its negatives, with Doueihi unable to nail down a position for long enough to properly flourish.
Serious knee injuries didn’t help his cause, but he was always mentally strong enough to deal with the new challenges in a different role each week.
“It’s hard at times (playing different roles) and injuries don’t help that either,” he said.
“I’ve been out for a few seasons and have been thrown into different positions, but I love having my hands on the ball and dictating play.
“It’s a bit of an easier headspace mentality to go into the season with knowing that as long as I’m playing good footy that I’ll have that position.”
The stability on the field has been helped by the club’s decision to re-sign Marshall long term, with the Hall of Famer playing a key role in helping Doueihi to elevate his playmaking skills to the next level.
“Benji is one of the greatest halves to ever play the game,” he said.
“I was lucky enough to play alongside him in 2020 at the Tigers in his last season. For him to transition into the coaching role … the way that he sees the game from a halfback’s perspective and can break down the opposition with little trick plays is great for me.
“I’m all ears whenever he talks. Me and ‘Romey’ (Luai) sit down with him and our attack coach Brett Hodgson about coming up with different game plans and styles of footy that suit our team.”
Originally published as ‘I’ll be Batman’: Adam Doueihi ready to take the reins as the new chief playmaker at the Wests Tigers