Slater’s dire ‘baggage’ warning after Doueihi ends Tigers standoff
Updated . First published at
Billy Slater has issued a dire message to Adam Doueihi despite the disgruntled player breaking bread with the Wests Tigers and coach Benji Marshall on Monday.
Doueihi looks set to stay at Concord despite storming out of training last week and refusing to play against the Raiders as a result of Marshall moving him from the halves to lock to accommodate young playmaker Javon Andrews.
Adam Doueihi did not play for the Tigers against the Raiders. NRL Imagery
Reports over the weekend suggested Doueihi wanted to quit his contract immediately, despite signing an extension in March which ties him to the club until the end of 2029.
Slater says even if Doueihi and Marshall continue to work harmoniously, the stench from this ugly period will follow the 27-year-old for the rest of his career.
“It’s sad, isn’t it?” he told Nine’s The Billy Slater Podcast.
“I don’t know Adam Doueihi, I haven’t had anything to do with Adam Doueihi. But looking from the outside in, he looks like a good guy to me. But it’s not team actions right now at the Tigers. And that’s not just the Adam Doueihi situation.
“I don’t know how you can be in a team that’s lost six in a row ... the coach makes a decision to try change something... that is the coach’s decision, to change things up. You aren’t getting dropped, you are just playing a different position to try spark something in the footy team.
“To just say ‘I’m not playing this weekend’ ... it doesn’t look good. When you’re in a selfless team environment, they are not selfless team actions.
“It’s going to have a mark on Adam Doueihi. If you are a club, you have to be incredibly careful about what you put in your environment. What you bring into your club will infect your club and your team, whether it’s good or bad.
“Given the events of the last week, that’s not exactly what you want in your club. So this will be baggage for Adam Doueihi moving forward.”
Doueihi’s agent Isaac Moses called an extraordinary meeting on Monday morning which involved them, Marshall, Tigers chief executive Shaun Mielekamp, and club football manager Pat Richards.
The meeting lasted less than an hour, but the result was Doueihi will turn up to training on Tuesday and he should be considered for selection ahead of Sunday’s game against the Eels.
Mielekamp fronted media shortly afterwards and gave a 20-second statement before walking off without taking questions, leaving journalists puzzled.
“It was a very positive and productive meeting,” Mielekamp said.
“Adam will be at training now which is a very good sign, and what’s really important is that what is said in that room stays in that room. That’s important for us at a club. We’re all doing what’s best for the club.
“(I’ve) got no further comment.”
Adam Doueihi leaving his Wests Tigers meeting. 9News
It’s been a tumultuous few days since Doueihi sensationally left training and told coach Marshall he wouldn’t play against the Raiders on Saturday.
Marshall had informed Doueihi he planned to play him at lock, rather than at halfback, against Canberra, prompting a strong reaction from the Lebanese international.
News Corp on Sunday reported Doueihi had no desire to play for the Tigers or under Marshall again.
Former Tigers player Beau Ryan trashed that report on Monday morning, calling it “fake news and dogshit journalism”.
“That’s fake news and that’s not true,” Ryan said on Triple M radio.
Doueihi’s agent Moses called an emergency meeting between his client and the club on Monday. The pair arrived in a black Mercedes, but left again less than an hour later. Doueihi was seen smiling as he sat in the passenger seat as they left.
It was only in March that Doueihi signed a contract extension with the Tigers which ties him to the club until the end of 2029.
His exit would be another blow to a club that hasn’t played NRL finals in 15 years.
Jarome Luai was their marquee signing less than two years ago but will now leave in the middle of his five-year deal. He will play for the Eels next year and then PNG Chiefs in 2028.
Luai and Doueihi were meant to be the senior halves who could teach the club’s younger playmakers and blood them into the NRL over time.
The Tigers were thrashed by the Raiders in round 21, and next face the Eels on Sunday.
