MAGUIRE DEFENDS SHOCK DOUEIHI SWITCH
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 in Brisbane 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.
“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’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.”
Maguire said Doueihi handled the change with class when informed of the decision at Tigers training during the week.
“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.”
Maguire also 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.”