Wests Tigers half Adam Doueihi's season is over, with the club confirming he will go in for an operation on his shoulder.
Doueihi has been a constant in the headlines in recent weeks, walking out on the club ahead of their game against the Canberra Raiders, before returning to the starting side the following week.
His return to the starting side did nothing though, with the joint-venture continuing to lose in recent weeks.
Their loss to the St George Illawarra Dragons on the weekend - their second against the likely wooden spooners in the last month and a half - means they have now slumped to 12 losses in their last 14 starts.
Doueihi has played in each of the last two games against the Eels and Dragons, having missed the Round 21 clash.
His shoulder injury was originally sustained in Round 9 against the Cronulla Sharks and left him sidelined until Round 17 against the Newcastle Knights, however, the club has now decided to shut him down for the year and have a shoulder reconstruction.
"New scans on Adam's shoulder have showed the time has come to have his reconstruction done. This gives him enough time to be ready for the start of the 2027 season," Wests Tigers Head of High Performance, Peter Moussa said.
His return timeline should mean he has a solid run through the pre-season as the Tigers prepare for their first season without Jarome Luai in a desperate search for results.
Doueihi is joined on the sidelines by Latu Fainu, who has suffered a low-grade hamstring injury at training, but is still a chance of returning this year.
Taylan May and Kai Pearce-Paul are out for the remainder of the season, while Royce Hunt and Will Craig are also currently sidelined.
