West Tigers have confirmed a mixed injury update ahead of Sunday's clash with the Newcastle Knights.
The Tigers will travel to McDonald Jones Stadium boosted by the inclusion of Adam Doueihi, who has not played since suffering a shoulder injury in Round 9, but they will again be without Alex Twal after the lock failed to overcome the low-grade MCL tear he sustained against the Bulldogs in Round 13.
Twal had been pushing to return, but coach Benji Marshall confirmed the club would give him another week to recover before bringing him back into the side.
"He'll be fine next week... next week he'll be able to perform,” Marshall told the media.
With Twal unavailable, Alex Seyfarth is expected to shift back into the lock position after initially being named on the interchange bench.
The more significant boost comes in the halves, with Doueihi officially cleared to return after spending nearly two months on the sidelines.
Although the halfback had been named in the club's Round 17 squad earlier in the week, there had been uncertainty surrounding whether he would actually take his place until Marshall confirmed on Friday that the playmaker had completed training and was ready to return.
“You can just tell when he jumped into training how things lifted... he's ready to go,” Marshall said on Doueihi's influence.
Doueihi's return couldn't come at a better time for the Tigers, who have struggled to find consistency without one of their most experienced playmakers directing the side around the field.
Since the 26-year-old was sidelined after Round 9, the Tigers have won just two of their six matches. During that period, Jock Madden partnered with Jarome Luai in the halves, filling the halfback role while Doueihi completed his rehabilitation.
However, Madden will not feature against Newcastle after entering concussion protocols following the head knock he suffered in last week's match, making Doueihi's return all the more timely.
His inclusion restores an experienced organiser to the spine and gives Marshall the opportunity to reunite Doueihi and Luai in the halves as the Tigers look to build momentum heading into the back half of the season.
