Canberra Raiders News

Javon Andrews faces club turmoil before his debut, but he's resilient after overcoming a life-threatening injury five years ago.

The Australian

Javon Andrews has become collateral damage in the latest storm at the Wests Tigers this week. Yet history suggests the furore swirling around the club won't affect the young gun as he prepares to make his first grade debut in the nation's capital on Saturday afternoon.

Andrews has endured worse. So much worse. Five years ago, his rugby league career was on the brink after he collided with a goalpost while playing in a club game in Brisbane.

Andrews spent months in a halo neck brace and two years out of the game, never knowing for certain whether he would be cleared to make his return.

His mother Jessica, who has flown to Canberra with his father John to watch Andrews make his debut against the Raiders, this week relived the life-altering moment that almost ended Javon's career before it began.

"We were down the other end and Javon got a runaway try," Jessica said.

See more...

Adam Doueihi confronted coach Brett Kimmorley, demanding to play in the halves or not at all, missing a crucial match.

LeagueNews.co

Brett Kimmorley has disclosed that star player Adam Doueihi confronted the Wests Tigers interim coach with an ultimatum: he must either be positioned in the halves in the NRL or play in the halves for reserve grade.

This confrontation occurred when Kimmorley stepped in as coach during the latter part of the 2022 season, following Michael Maguire's departure from the club.

Yesterday, the club informed News Corp that Doueihi would not feature in the crucial match against the Canberra Raiders after coach Benji Marshall decided to place the Lebanese international in the lock position rather than the halves.

Initial reports from the Daily Telegraph indicated that Doueihi refused to participate if assigned to the lock position, opting out after he did not train on Thursday, thereby leaving the team without key players for a vital game to salvage their season.

See more...

The Wests Tigers will meet with Adam Doueihi to address tensions after his withdrawal from Saturday's match against the Raiders.

LeagueNews.co

The Wests Tigers are set to have a crucial crisis meeting with Adam Doueihi before Monday in hopes of resolving tensions following another hectic week at Concord.

Initially, Doueihi was slated to compete against the Canberra Raiders on Saturday after successfully navigating the judiciary process on Tuesday night. However, he decided to withdraw from the matchup due to dissatisfaction with a selection made by Benji Marshall.

Marshall informed Doueihi that he would either play at lock or come off the bench against the Raiders, while Jarome Luai, who is leaving the club at the season's end and has been underperforming, would team up with rookie Javon Andrews in the halves.

This situation prompted Doueihi to leave training and make himself unavailable for the weekend's game, with the club acknowledging that he wasn't in the right mental state to participate.

See more...