A second Wests Tigers player reportedly confronted Benji Marshall as the fallout from Adam Doueihi’s falling out with the Wests Tigers coach deepens.
Doueihi sensationally withdrew from Saturday’s showdown with the Raiders following a reported dispute with Marshall over a positional switch.
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The club confirmed Doueihi won’t play in the nation’s capital, with young gun Javon Andrews named to make his NRL debut in the halves alongside Jarome Luai.
Code Sports first reported the news, with Doueihi not training on Thursday after he was told he’d be playing lock instead of in the halves where he’s shone as their best player this year.
“Adam won’t be playing this weekend,” Tigers chief executive Shaun Mielekamp told The Daily Telegraph.
“Adam and Benji met this morning to discuss a plan for the weekend. Benji made a call on what’s best for the team but as a result Adam has asked for some time off and we agree to that.”
Speaking on Triple M on Thursday evening, Code Sports reporter David Riccio revealed another Tigers player met with coach Benji Marshall over the situation while others have “voiced their concerns”.
“I would argue below the surface, there is still a lot more to play out here as far as the real reasons why Adam Doueihi has decided to step down from this game this weekend,” Riccio said.
“At least one other player also spoke with Benji Marshall today, in fact I know he did. I won’t name the player, I won’t embarrass the player, and the name isn’t ready to be reported as yet.
“There’s no doubt that there are other players that have voiced their concerns, probably to the immediate response of Adam Doueihi making this decision to leave training early.
Wide World of Sports, meanwhile, reported two players close to Doueihi have leapt to his defence.
“Two of Adam’s mates in the team believe we need him to win and are angry he won’t be there at halfback,” one Tigers player told nine.com.au.
“It’s a game we need to win and Javon is a top prospect but this isn’t the time to blood him.
“I’m staying out of it, most of the young blokes are the same.
“The two players feel very strongly about it and have let the group know. It’s a mess.”
Riccio, meanwhile, said he did not believe there was underlying issues between Marshall and Doueihi but that it was a “line in the sand” moment for the disgruntled player.
“I don’t think there’s one real reason. I think there’s many layers to it, and I think the moving to the lock forward position is only one of those layers,” he said.
“I think the situation of Jarome Luai being retained in the halves – when he’s not at the football club – over Adam Doueihi, would be another layer.
“I am going on a number of conversations with key individuals that I’ve had today involved in the Wests Tigers club that suggest that Adam’s taking a line in the sand moment for some standards that he’s not willing to walk past inside the football club, and ultimately it led to this.”
Despite the drama engulfing the club, Doueihi and Marshall – Riccio doesn’t believe the relationship is untenable.
“I’m not ready to declare it’s all over for Adam Doueihi at the Wests Tigers,” he said.
“I think there is a genuine intent from CEO Shaun Mielekamp, who’s completely across the entire detail of today’s scenario, to at least meet on Monday morning to try and forge a relationship that allows Adam Doueihi to remain at the football club.
“My understanding and my information is that this has unsettled Benji. It’s disappointed him, that one of his greatest confidants in Adam Doueihi has decided to take this path.
“I think it’s a line in the sand moment for Adam Doueihi, it may be a line in the sand moment for the football club as well.”
Originally published as Tigers threaten to unravel further as more stars turn against Benji Marshall after Adam Doueihi’s rebellion