The Wests Tigers and Adam Doueihi will hold a crisis meeting at some point between now and Monday to clear the air after another tumultuous week at Concord.
Doueihi was expected to play on Saturday afternoon against the Canberra Raiders on the road after beating the judiciary on Tuesday evening, but ultimately pulled out of the game after being left less than impressed with a selection decision from Benji Marshall.
In that, Doueihi was told he would either play at lock or come off the bench in the game against the Raiders, while Jarome Luai, who leaves the club at the end of the year and has been in poor form, would be left to partner rookie Javon Andrews in the halves.
That caused Doueihi to walk out of training and elect to make himself unavailable for this weekend's game, with the club agreeing he wasn't in the headspace to play.
The move saw an unprecedented reaction from fans of both the Tigers and rival outfits, with it then being reported Marshall actually wanted to change his mind and have Doueihi at halfback, only for Doueihi to say he wasn't playing.
The Tigers are all but out of finals contention, and will be if they can't find a way to beat the Raiders on Saturday, a task which will be made tougher without Doueihi.
With eyeballs already turning to 2027 for the Tigers, it's understood Doueihi is still a good chance to be part of the club, and that he hasn't requested a release. The Tigers, aren't keen on ripping up his contract that runs through to the end of 2029.
It's understood both Benji Marshall and CEO Shaun Mielekamp will attend the meeting with Doueihi as the parties look to clear the air and have the injury-prone utility back in the side by next weekend.
Doueihi staying with the Tigers is key for 2027 given their lack of experience in the halves without Luai. Andrews, Jock Madden and Latu Fainu are the other options.
It's understood both Doueihi and the Tigers are keen to get back on the same page for the remainder of the season, but it's unclear what role Marshall sees for Doueihi over the closing weeks.
The Tigers currently sit in 14th spot on the ladder despite an excellent start to the year.
