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Adam Doueihi says a conversation with interim coach Brett Kimmorley has left him confident he will be Wests Tigers’ long-term five-eighth.
Since Doueihi recovered from his ACL injury, the Tigers have been deliberating as to which of their three specialist playmakers — Doueihi, Luke Brooks and Jackson Hastings — should fit into the two halves spots.
Brooks and Hastings got the nod for last weekend’s loss to Parramatta but against Penrith on Sunday, Hastings will move to lock to give Doueihi and Brooks a chance to reassemble their halves combination from 2021.
Doueihi played centre against the Eels but is most comfortable at five-eighth and was pleased to have been shifted back there.
«I had a conversation with ‘Noddy’ (interim coach Brett Kimmorley) last week, just with some long-term questions about where the club saw me,» he said.
«It’s definitely in the halves. We spoke about that.
«The club has been open to having honest conversations.We’ve been pushing that as players and coaches, to be open with each other.»
The Tigers have played Joe Ofahengaue, an old-school middle forward, at lock all year but by shifting Hastings there are hoping to emulate other NRL sides that use the position as a ball-playing option.
Hastings admitted he would prefer to be playing halfback but understood he could still influence the Tigers’ attack from lock.
«You’ll see a lot of similarities to what I do at halfback,» he said.
«Hopefully that can unlock both the halves and the fullback.
«I’m not going to play that old style of straight up-and-down and bash-and-barge. I don’t think I’ve got that in me!»
Alongside Brooks, Doueihi and fullback Daine Laurie, Hastings will remain a kicking option for the Tigers.
«Having four kickers out there will hopefully make it a bit harder for the fullback and winger to understand what we’re trying to do,» he said.
They may have lost, but the Tigers scored more points against the Eels last week than in their three previous games combined.
Doueihi said he hoped Hastings’ shift to lock could put the final piece of their attacking puzzle into place.
«We feel as though we’ve lacked a geniune ball-player through the middle all season,» Doueihi said.
«You can see with players like (Penrith lock) Isaah Yeo and (Sydney Roosters lock) Victor Radley bring such a threat and help link their halves up with their middles.
«It allows me and sports betting software provider Brooksy to play a bit wider this week and focus on the edges, and allow Jacko to really run the middle.»
Brooks started the season at halfback where his form attracted scrutiny, but Doueihi said his teammate was up to the task of managing the Tigers’ attack.
«I don’t think it’s a challenge for him, he’s played there pretty much his whole career,» he said.
«We form a good combo.»