With his captain free to play after having his dissent charge downgraded, Wests Tigers playmaker Adam Doueihi has vowed to put James Tamou front and centre on Sunday as the 300-gamer fights for a contract to keep his career alive.
The Tigers have not offered Tamou a contract for next season and itโs been confirmed the veteran prop is considering retirement if no one comes knocking for his services.
But there are a number of young stars at the club, including Jock Madden and Doueihi himself, who will use the hopes of securing a contract to motivate them in a game that offers few incentives after a tough year.
โPeople remember the last game you play,โ Doueihi told the Daily Telegraph.
โWeโre playing for a lot. I said to the boys there are a lot of players off contract. Being a young half and senior player at the club, I really want to nail the game plan โ to give all the off-contract and departing players a good game to finish on.โ
Doueihiโs status in the team now and in the future have been uncertain, but itโs clear the Tigers want to keep him after they halted Melbourneโs attempts to secure him on loan in a similar arrangement to the one that ultimately landed David Nofoaluma in Melbourne.
Itโs been reported the Roosters were also trying to secure his services before he decided on the Tigers โ but though heโll court interest come November 1, heโs just focused on the clubโs next game.
โIโm not in a rush (to resolve the contract) to be honest. Iโve always said Iโd let my football do the talking,โ Doueihi said.
โIโve been focused on getting wins for the club so Iโve pushed all that (thinking) aside. Iโm still on-contract for next year. Weโll see what happens in the off-season.โ
