Injured Wests Tigers co-captain Adam Doueihi has slammed his team for a "disappointing" performance on Sunday, suggesting they had a "lack of effort."
Doueihi's comments follow a performance where the Tigers lost 26 points to 4 against the Newcastle Knights away from home in front of a tick over 23,000 fans.
After a positive Round 1 performance which saw the Tigers - who have been widely tipped for the wooden spoon this year - compete and challenge one of the premiership heavyweights in the Melbourne Storm, Sunday's game was a case of three steps backwards.
The Tigers didn't cross the tryline until the 75th minute when Ken Maumalo saved the club being held to zero, but after completing just 24 of 39 sets, making 18 errors and missing 36 tackles, pressure on the zero and two Tigers is reaching fever pitch.
Half Luke Brooks and coach Michael Maguire were both linked with an exit from the club over the off-season, but it's the question which won't go away for the duo.
Doueihi, who was one of the Tigers best last year, but is out until at least Round 8 as he recovers from an ACL injury, told The Sydney Morning Herald that the lack of effort stood out for him during the performance.
“To go to Newcastle on the weekend and dish that up, it wasn’t good enough,” Douehi told the publication.
“The lack of effort [stood out for me]. It’s easy for me to say from the sideline and not being out there, but that look of boys not putting in, it’s not a good look to have.
“I know how hard they worked during the week, which is why it doesn’t make any sense. To go from putting in a good 40 minutes against Melbourne to dishing that up, it’s something we have to address quickly.”
Making matters worse for the Tigers, Jackson Hastings has now been suspended for three weeks after failing to have a dangerous throw charge downgraded at the judiciary on Tuesday evening.
It means young gun Jock Madden will come into the team to partner Brooks in the halves, however, a difficult five-week stretch ahead is threatening to leave the club with a zero and seven start to the season.
After this weekend's coming clash against the Warriors, the Tigers face the Gold Coast Titans, Cronulla Sharks and heavyweights the Parramatta Eels and South Sydney Rabbitohs.
Doueihi won't return for any of those five games, with his earliest possible return set to be the Round 8 clash in Wollongong against the St George Illawarra Dragons.
The Tigers sit second last on the NRL table, equal on zero points with the South Sydney Rabbitohs, New Zealand Warriors and Manly Sea Eagles after two weeks of action.
