Wests Tigers coach Michael Maguire denies form played a role in moving five-eighth Adam Doueihi to centre
Wests Tigers coach Michael Maguire denies form had anything to do with his contentious decision to shift Adam Doueihi from five-eighth to centre, insisting he is just looking for a “change” to spark his inconsistent side.
Maguire’s choice to shift Doueihi, the Tigers’ best player this season, to the centres shocked the club’s frustrated supporters.
The move means Moses Mbye will play five-eighth, while Jacob Liddle returns to the starting hooker role with Jock Madden to debut off the bench against Newcastle on Friday night.
Maguire, though, declared Doueihi’s positional change was more a tactical move to ignite his sporadic side while he also dismissed claims that poor defence played a role in the switch.
“No, just looking for a little bit of change in what we are doing,” Maguire said about Doueihi, who had three missed tackles in last week’s loss to the Titans.
“Obviously, the results are not what we are after, so we are looking for little bits of change to stimulate us as a team.
“He (Adam) has been very strong for us, and that passion that he shows and how he plays.
“He is going to be a real strong player for us all the time.
“I’ll let him do the talking on the field – that is what it is all about.
“We know where we are at as a team and we’ve got to get a really strong performance.
“We’ve tinkered with how we are going to play, and I’m looking forward to seeing how it all transpires on the field – that is the key.”
My oh my…?♂️
I understand coaches run out of ideas when their side is struggling and desperately search for answers by moving players, but shifting Adam Doueihi out of the halves isn’t it. https://t.co/bKUD0Bj5WR
Maguire said Doueihi handled the change with class when informed of the decision at training during the week.
The coach expects his star player to excel in his new role.
“It is obviously a bit of a change for him, but wherever you get selected to play, you go out there to play your best, and that is one thing that Adam does,” he said.
“He has been excellent and I’m looking forward to seeing him being excellent in the centres.
“He is a strong ball runner, so we’ll see how that all plays out, but he has been excellent.
“I’m looking forward to him being excellent in the position that he is in.”
Maguire could be lauded if his move results in a win against Newcastle on Friday.
Earlier this week, Mbye revealed the Tigers were hoping to kick to the corners and place teams under pressure coming out of their own end.
Doueihi is more known for his bombing raids than the patient game of kicking for touch.
The former Rabbitoh has also built a strong connection with Tigers fullback Daine Laurie this season.
Wests Tigers coach Michael Maguire denies form played a role in moving five-eighth Adam Doueihi to centre. AAP Image/Craig Golding.Source:AAP
Maguire, though, isn’t worried about Doueihi’s switch to the centres impacting his on-field relationship with Laurie.
“No, not at all,” he said.
“He will have a better connection there with what he is going to be doing.
“Those connections are growing within the team.”
Maguire, meanwhile, has full faith in Mbye to execute his role at five-eighth.
“He has got experience, direction, all those sorts of things,” he said.
“So, just go out and do his job.”
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