After reportedly asking to be dropped if he wasn't named in his preferred position, Adam Doueihi is set to get his way by not just donning the six this weekend, but by being assured it's his for the foreseeable future.
The Wests Tigers have chopped and changed players in key positions recently in a bid to make three go into two, and utilise Doueihi, Luke Brooks and Jackson Hastings, leaving the returning five-eighth stranded as either a bench utility or at centre.
However, with interim coach Brett Kimmorley shifting Jackson Hastings to lock and Luke Brooks returning to halfback, it's paved the way for Doueihi to start in his beloved six jersey for the first time since suffering an ACL tear last season.
Despite being panned for leaking information like a sinking ship, the Tigers have started up open, honest dialogue within the club in order to set its house in order, and giving the former Rabbitoh a clear indication of where he stands.
"I had a conversation with 'Noddy' (Kimmorley) last week, just with some long-term questions about where the club saw me," he told the Sydney Morning Herald.
"It's definitely in the halves. We spoke about that."
While the six and seven are certainly familiar roles to Doueihi and Brooks, lock is a fresh challenge for Hastings, though his five-eighth believes he'll slot right in with the modern era locks.
"You can see with players like Isaah Yeo and Victor Radley bring such a threat and help link their halves up with their middles.
"It allows me and Brooksy to play a bit wider this week and focus on the edges, and allow Jacko (Hastings) to really run the middle."
Wests Tigers will face off with ladder-leading Penrith this weekend, though Ivan Cleary's decision to rest all seven Origin stars leaves Doueihi and his side with a fighting chance in the race to avoid the dreaded wooden spoon.
