Former Wests Tigers interim coach Brett Kimmorley has shed light on a previous incident with Adam Doueihi after the latest drama to rock the NRL club. Doueihi has been ruled out of Saturday’s must-win clash against Canberra after a disagreement with coach Benji Marshall about being shifted from halfback saw him walk out of Wests Tigers training on Thursday.
Doueihi was originally named in the reserves but successfully challenged his judiciary charge on Tuesday night and expected to come straight back into the halves to partner Jarome Luai. But he was reportedly informed by Marshall that the Tigers coach would stick with young gun Javon Andrews to make his NRL debut, and shift Doueihi to lock instead.
Adam Doueihi (L) has been dropped from the Wests Tigers squad to face Canberra on Saturday after a disagreement with coach Benji Marshall (centre) over his playing position. Pic: Getty
The veteran Tigers playmaker was understandably unhappy at the decision, considering he’s been a shining light at No.7 for the inconsistent Tigers this season. And after expressing his dismay in a heated discussion with Marshall, Doueihi asked for some time away and promptly left the crucial training session.
The club later confirmed that he had been dropped from the squad to face the Raiders, despite the Tigers needing a win to keep their slim finals hopes alive. The drama has provided another unwanted distraction for Marshall’s side, which has already been reeling from the news of co-captain Jarome Luai’s impending exit at the end of the season.
Former coach reveals 2012 incident with Adam Doueihi
But according to NRL great Kimmorley, it’s not the first time Doueihi has reacted in such a way after a disagreement over his playing position. Kimmorley told SEN Radio on Thursday that when he was interim coach at the Tigers in 2012, Doueihi gave him an ultimatum to pick him in the halves or play him there in reserve grade.
“In my time as an interim head coach at the Wests Tigers, as a very green interim head coach, Adam was coming back from an ACL,” Kimmorley told SEN. “(He) was playing limited minutes in a couple of games, playing centre in games to make sure his load was (OK).
“I had a conversation with Adam Doueihi, (where he said) if I’ve not been picked at five-eighth in first grade, I’d rather play five-eighth in reserve grade. I didn’t have the balls to do it as the coach at that stage.”
NRL great Brett Kimmorley (L) says he also had a disagreement with Adam Doueihi (R) over his playing position when he was Wests Tigers interim coach in 2012. Pic: Getty
The issue ultimately fell to veteran mentor Tim Sheens to resolve, who was the Tigers’ director of footy at the time. But reflecting back, Kimmorley says he wished he had a stronger conviction at the time not to bow down to the player’s demands after admitting it felt like he was being “held to ransom”.
“I can understand how he would have felt at the time,” Kimmmorley added. “He’d been out for a long period of time with an ACL injury. That’s where I think it would have come from. But, to approach it how you did… that’s probably the demand of holding me to ransom, a little bit of saying, ‘hey, you’ve gotta pick me’.”
