Jarome Luai will miss a month with his knee injury, but his Wests Tigers halves partner Adam Doueihi has been cleared of a hamstring issue and is on track to play in the club’s next game.
The Tigers’ third season under Benji Marshall appeared to have been dealt a serious blow when both starting halves went down in Saturday’s 20-16 loss to South Sydney.
Luai hurt his left knee falling awkwardly on a kick chase in the second half, before Doueihi slipped over making a tackle in the final minutes and clutched at his right hamstring.
Luai expected to miss several weeks as Tigers’ halves duo limp off field
On Monday night the club confirmed co-captain Luai would miss four weeks with a medial ligament injury, meaning he is likely to sit out of clashes with the Warriors, Parramatta, Newcastle and Brisbane.
But Doueihi is expected to be available for Friday’s clash against the Warriors in Auckland after being cleared of serious injury by club staff.
It is welcome news for starting halfback Doueihi, whose extensive injury history includes three anterior cruciate ligament ruptures.
Jock Madden looms as a starting halves option to partner Doueihi this week, or highly rated Latu Fainu may be available as he nears recovery from off-season shoulder surgery.
The 20-year-old has resumed contact training and coach Marshall had previously estimated he would be fit by round four.
“[Fainu] has been doing his training and his return-to-play training. He’s looking good, he’s looking quick. I’m excited to see him go,” said Tigers second-rower Kai Pearce-Paul.
Luai joins outside backs Taylan May (shoulder) and Starford To’a (foot) in the injury ward at the Tigers.
But veteran Alex Twal said injury setbacks could definitely give the club a chance to test its mettle.
“It takes a squad of 30 over the course of a season. At different stages throughout the year you’re going to have injuries and setbacks and whatnot,” he said.
“It’s just the way that the squad copes with that. We’ve built over the pre-season to make sure that whoever steps in, whatever position, they’re going to do the job.”
Isaiah Iongi handed NRL breach notice
Isaiah Iongi of the Eels during the NRL Round 1 match between the Melbourne Storm and the Parramatta Eels at AAMI Park in Melbourne, Sunday, March 9, 2025. (AAP: Joel Carrett)
The NRL has handed Parramatta fullback Isaiah Iongi a breach notice after photographs that “brought the game into disrepute” were made public.
The Eels contacted the NRL in late February when the photographs appearing to show Iongi smoking a substance were posted on social media.
The date when the photographs were taking is unknown.
On Monday, the league handed a breach notice to Iongi, which the Eels player has five days to respond to.
“The National Rugby League (NRL) today issued Parramatta Eels player Isaiah Iongi with a Breach Notice alleging a breach of the NRL Code of Conduct following an NRL Integrity Unit investigation,” the statement read.
“The particulars of the Breach Notice, determined by the Independent Decision Maker (IDM), are that Iongi featured in imagery, which emerged publicly on 22 February 2026, which has brought the game into disrepute.
“Iongi has 5 business days to respond to the Breach Notice.”
Parramatta issued a statement on Monday evening saying the club would work with their fullback through the next phase of the process.
“The Parramatta Eels are aware of the breach notice issued by the NRL to Isaiah Iongi,” Parramatta’s statement read.
“We will work with Isaiah to review the notice and respond accordingly as per the process.
“We will not be making any further comment until the matter is concluded.”
Couchman sent to NRL judiciary for Hopgood tackle
Ryan Couchman’s hearing at the NRL judiciary will be held on Tuesday evening. (AAP: Mark Evans)
St George Illawarra forward Ryan Couchman has been summoned by the NRL judiciary to explain himself over the hip-drop-style tackle that looks to have ended the season for Parramatta’s J’Maine Hopgood.
Rather than offer a fixed suspension to the Dragons player, the match review committee referred Couchman directly to a hearing at NRL headquarters, to be held on Tuesday night at 6pm (AEDT).
The league typically takes such action for either the most serious offences, or those where the severity of the tackle is open to debate.
Former Manly prop Tof Sipley was the last men’s player referred to the judiciary, eventually receiving a four-game ban for a hip-drop tackle in round seven last year.
Any suspension to Couchman would be a blow to the Dragons’ pursuit of a first win this season.
The Red V have winnable clashes against Gold Coast, North Queensland and Manly in the next three weeks and will desperately want the highly rated forward on deck.
A possible suspension looms as a frustrating setback for Couchman, who was restricted to only one game last season by his own anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury.
Couchman went to the sin bin during the first half of Sunday’s 30-20 loss to Parramatta for the tackle that is suspected to have ruptured Hopgood’s right ACL.
After fulltime, Eels coach Jason Ryles said such tackles were inevitable when administrators kept tweaking rules to speed the game up.
“Those tackles, 99.99999 per cent of the time the boys don’t mean it. It’s not intentional,” he said.
“But unfortunately you keep throwing fatigue into the game and you keep making them even more tired, they happen.”
Elsewhere, North Queensland centre Tom Chester is set to miss Saturday’s match against Melbourne following his high shot on Gold Coast fullback Jayden Campbell.
Chester went to the sin bin for the cover tackle on Campbell late in the Cowboys’ 30-16 defeat of the Titans on Sunday.
He will miss an additional match against the Dragons if he unsuccessfully challenges his grade-two careless high tackle charge at the judiciary.
Chester is likely to be replaced by Zac Laybutt in the starting line-up against the Storm in round four.
AAP/ABC