Adam Doueihi, Benji Marshall to speak after controversy

Updated July 29, 2026 — 10:29am,first published July 29, 2026 — 9:29am

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A contrite Adam Doueihi says he regrets his decision to sit out last weekend’s loss to Canberra, conceding: “I can be a hard player to deal with”, as Wests Tigers coach Benji Marshall refuted suggestions players were vaping in the gym.

Doueihi returned to training on Tuesday and addressed teammates, having clashed with Marshall over the coach’s decision to move him from the halves for last week’s game against the Raiders, which the Tigers lost 56-10.

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An irate Doueihi took the opportunity to speak his mind, telling the coach he was fed up with the lack of accountability and professionalism that had led to another failed NRL campaign, and told Marshall he would not be playing against Canberra.

Doueihi raised several issues over standards at the club, though refused to elaborate on Wednesday morning as he reiterated that he is committed to his three-year deal with the Tigers and is not eyeing an early exit.

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“I should’ve played,” Doueihi said, conceding he took Marshall’s positional call “the wrong way”.

“Looking back on it, at times as a player I can be a bit stubborn. I spoke to Benji, and I know that at times I can be a hard player to deal with. But he knows, and I know, my love for this club. That has never wavered—it has only gotten stronger now.

“Externally, it is hard at times for people to see that. Looking back on my actions last week, I definitely should have played. I was wrong in that sense. In terms of my conversations with Benji and speaking to him after the game, there was just a bit of miscommunication. I got into a headspace where I lost my head a bit and was off for a short period, and I accept that.

“It hurt watching the boys over the weekend. It really did—knowing I couldn’t be out there for my brothers, for my teammates, for Benji, and especially for the fans. That hurt.”

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Minutes earlier, Marshall denied suggestions of double standards among the playing group, as well as reports that Tigers players have been vaping in the gym, claiming the stories were “fabricated”, but acknowledged players using e-cigarettes is an issue for the club.

“There are issues that if they are issues, we’ll definitely address internally among the players,” Marshall said. “I can tell you now that no one’s vaped in the gym, that’s actually fabricated or misinformation.

“Is there a vaping problem? Probably with players, but like with young men, you can’t tell them whether to vape or smoke or whatnot, and I definitely can’t control what they do 24/7, and I’m not with them all the time, so I don’t feel like there’s a culture problem.

“If we’re talking about standards and that, there’s probably a few things we might have walked past recently that we need to address ... whatever the concerns were from Adam’s perspective, they were all dealt with in the room.”

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Doueihi said there had been a “miscommunication” with Marshall, but apologised to fans and said he was particularly disappointed about the situation he left debutant playmaker Javon Andrews in. The former Rabbitohs utility added that his agent, Isaac Moses, was not orchestrating an exit behind the scenes and he was committed to seeing out his contract.

“As for my future, I’m here for the next three years,” Doueihi said. “I’ve never walked away from a contract in my life. My love for the club is evident in how I’ve been over the past six years here.

“My love for Benji and for this jersey has only grown stronger now. I said when I signed in 2020 that I wanted to bring this club success, and my stance hasn’t changed. Did I want success to come earlier? Of course. But it hasn’t happened yet, so we just have to keep fighting harder, grinding harder, and raising our standards to be a successful club. That’s what I want to do.”

Marshall said his decision to recall Doueihi immediately into his starting side against the Eels, at the expense of rookie Javon Andrews, was the best call in pursuit of a win.

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“I didn’t feel disrespected [by Doueihi’s withdrawal],” Marshall said.

“What I could see was a young guy who needed support and wasn’t in the head space to play … I saw a guy who was hurting and who wasn’t in the position to play. You can’t force that.”

The development came just 24 hours after Doueihi held peace talks with Marshall, chief executive Shaun Mielekamp and football manager Pat Richards, with the rugby league news cycle dominated by the latest drama to engulf the joint-venture.

Marshall denied it was a case of the tail wagging the dog after he slotted Doueihi straight back into his preferred halfback position.

“I don’t need to say anything [about that],” Marshall said. “What I’m doing is enough because, like I said to you, when you’re coaching, you have to be able to put your ego aside for what’s best for the club and the team and what we need right now.

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Adrian Proszenko is the Chief Rugby League Reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via X or email.

Dan Walsh is a sports reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via X or email.

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