After enduring the most controversial weeks of his career, Adam Doueihi answered his critics with a courageous performance on Sunday night, earning glowing praise from Wests Tigers coach Benji Marshall despite the club suffering a heartbreaking seventh consecutive defeat.
Doueihi had been under intense scrutiny after last week's dramatic selection call, where he walked out on the team after being replaced at halfback by debutant Javon Andrews.
However, Marshall reinstated him in the number 7 jersey against the Parramatta Eels, and while Doueihi's night was not without its mistakes, it was a performance that showcased resilience.
The halfback finished with two errors, including throwing the ball into touch during a promising attacking opportunity for winger Sunia Turuva, but responded with an otherwise influential display. He crossed for a try, converted both of his kicks, landed a field goal to hand the Tigers a one-point lead with less than 10 minutes remaining, and produced a strong defensive effort with 17 tackles and no misses.
Unfortunately for the Tigers, Doueihi's heroics were not enough.
The Eels snatched victory after captain Api Koroisau, celebrating his 250th NRL appearance, was penalised for a shoulder charge, allowing Parramatta fullback Isaiah Iongi to capitalise and condemn the Tigers to another narrow defeat.
Marshall, however, could not have been prouder of Doueihi's response.
“I thought he was outstanding. I just thought it showed true character, given the week he had as well, to turn it around and just put that into a performance on the field,” Marshall said.
“He showed moments tonight with repeat sets, set up a couple of tries, good kicking game, and defensively he was the solid Adam that we all know. So yeah, I was really proud of him.”
Asked whether recalling Doueihi vindicated his selection decision after the criticism surrounding last week's changes, Marshall dismissed the outside noise.
“It's not about a lot of people, is it? It's about what you think's best for the club and the team at the time; that was the decision we made that we thought was best,” Marshall explained.
Jarome Luai also shut down suggestions the week's headlines had become a distraction for the playing group, insisting the Tigers remained united despite mounting pressure.
“It wasn't about me, it was never about me,” Luai responded.
“It was a big occasion for our skipper. Obviously disappointed we couldn't get the result for him. He's a big part of this club, and he's been a big part of my journey personally.
“It's probably one of our best weeks of training. We're pros here. We've got to block out the noise, and I think within our within our four walls, we've got a lot of lot of trust in what we're doing and what we're building.
“Obviously we get judged on results, but no one sees how hard we're working.”
The match itself was a scrappy affair, with both sides struggling to build momentum.
Each team committed six errors in the opening half, while the Tigers missed 19 tackles compared to Parramatta's 18 before the break.
The second half told a different story defensively. Despite holding a 12-0 halftime lead, the Eels missed 27 tackles in the second half alone, while the Tigers tightened considerably, missing just seven.
Wests also finished with a superior completion rate of 77 per cent compared to Parramatta's 67 per cent, but were ultimately left to rue missed opportunities.
Marshall admitted his side's attacking confidence remains a work in progress.
"I thought we were looking for things and forcing things, trying to score," Marshall said.
"Given we've been down on confidence with our attack, usually when you're in rhythm, it just happens.
"But we were looking for things that weren't there. It's a lot to work on."
While Parramatta escaped with the two competition points, Eels coach Jason Ryles made it clear he was far from satisfied with his side's performance.
"The outcome is that we found a way to win," said Eels coach Jason Ryles.
"The process wasn't good, so we'll double down on how well we defended for 98 per cent of that game, except for those two tackles for the tries.
"The outcome's winning, but we're not happy with how we went about it."
For the Tigers, the result extends a frustrating losing streak to seven matches, but Doueihi's response to a difficult fortnight offered one of the few positives to emerge from another heartbreaking defeat.
The Tigers will now enjoy a bye in Round 23, whilst the Eels take on the Rabbitohs, who are clinging onto a top-eight position.
