Tigers slammed for "disgusting" treatment of fans in Doueihi debacle

Mat Rogers has slammed the West Tigers for it’s "disgusting" treatment of the club’s fans in the wake of the Adam Doueihi saga.

Over the weekend the 27-year-old reportedly wanted to end his contract with the club after storming out of training and refusing to play against the Raiders after Benji Marshall moved his position in favour of Javon Andrews.

Despite the club’s chief executive Shaun Mielekamp claiming both Marshall and player had broken bread over the ugly situation, the decision to say little more than the “what was said in the room will stay in the room” infuriated Rogers.

“Prior to the Luai situation and him being released, the Tigers came out and spoke,” Rogers said on SEN. “Jarome spoke, Benji spoke, it all came out.

“I felt like the Tigers were on the front foot, for the first time in a long time. They controlled the narrative.

“Now they have taken a big backwards step. They’ve come out with this Adam Doueihi situation, what he (Mielekamp) said was rubbish.

“Your best player didn’t play on the weekend, could have played and fans need an explanation. They pay their hard earned, they buy your merchandise. You can’t come out and do that after the debacle of last week I think it’s disgusting.”

While the club claims the coach and player have broken bread, Doueihi will have plenty of convincing to do with his teammates if he is to remain at the club.

He returned to training on Tuesday morning where Luai called him a gronk - tongue in cheek of course.

He is currently contracted until 2029, but given the severity of the past few days, his future remains unclear.

“This Tigers side must not be good mates,” Rogers continued. “There’s no way in the world my mates would have let me do what he’s done, they would have grabbed me by the neck and said ‘mate we need you, you’re playing, sort this out next week.’

“As a mate I would not have put them in that situation. I know it’s a different generation, they expect more, deserve more or whatever, but this is a team game.

“I can’t imagine what my old man would have done to me if I’d done this. This is a total crock what he has done and what the club has come out and said. It’s a disgrace and they need to have a look at themselves.”