Tigers star out for 16 MONTHS as brutal triple blow confirmed —

Tigers utility Adam Doueihi’s brutal bad luck with injury continues, with the club confirming the 24-year-old has suffered a third ACL tear in his left knee.

Doueihi, who sustained the injury during the 28-22 loss against the Eels on Easter Monday, is expected to be on the sidelines for 12-16 months, according to Tigers Head of High Performance Peter Moussa.

Doueihi will require revision ACL surgery due to it being the third such injury on the same knee.

It’s another unfortunate blow to the career of Doueihi, who has played only 87 games across six seasons for the Rabbitohs and the Tigers.

The Lebanon representative first suffered an ACL injury in his debut NRL season in 2018 for Souths and then again in Round 21 of the 2021 season before his third on Easter Monday.

Tigers coach Tim Sheens said post game that the whole team was “pretty disappointed” after Doueihi’s most recent injury.

Doueihi wasn’t the only Tiger injured in the loss to the Eels, with outside back Brett Naden to miss the next 2-4 weeks with a grade 3 AC joint injury.

Sheens has named Brandon Wakeham at five-eighth to replace Doueihi for this Sunday’s clash against Manly, with Daine Laurie to come off the bench.

Starford To’a moves into Naden’s right centre position with Sheens making the call to unleash promising fullback Jahream Bula who is set to make his NRL debut against the Sea Eagles.

Adam Doueihi has opened up on the tough moments he went through after suffering the third ACL injury of his career back in April, declaring there was no time to feel sorry for himself as he plots his return.

“You can’t just sit here and sook about it and try to think of all the negative stuff that can happen,” the Lebanese international told NRL.com. “If you’re going to be like that, then you’re not going to get through the rehab process.”

Adam Doueihi reflects on his third ACL injury

The Wests Tigers’ playmaker was injured when he collected a drop out during his side’s loss to Parramatta on Easter Monday.

“I just went up to catch the ball off the drop out and landed normal,” Doueihi said.

“But as I landed on my left leg, I just felt a few clicks and stuff in my knee.

“I knew something wasn’t right. I didn’t fear for the worst but when I came off and the doctor did the Lachman test on the knee, it was pretty certain that it was gone.”

Doueihi suffered his first ACL injury during his debut season in the NRL in 2018 before injuring his left knee once again towards the end of the 2021 campaign.

“I’m in the process of speaking to some surgeons and I’m still trying to finalise what the best solution is because it is the third one,” he said.

“I want to make sure I get this one right and tick all of the boxes to make sure that it doesn’t go again.”

Tigers coach Tim Sheens couldn’t hide his shock and disappointment post-match after seeing Doueihi suffer the devastating blow.

“Ask me tomorrow [how I’m feeling] when I wake up and I realise it wasn’t a dream, or a nightmare,” he said.

“Obviously, it’s a very daunting time for those 24 hours,” Doueihi said while discussing the immediate aftermath of his injury.

“Especially seeing my parents and my siblings come into the sheds after – my mum sort of got a bit teary.12

“It’s never fun seeing people be sad, but you absorb it all in and accept what’s happened.”

Doueihi maintained that he was remaining positive despite the setback, stating that he wasn’t concerned with his future despite only inking a one-year deal which will take him through at the Tigers until the end of the 2024 season.

“I don’t really think about a contract or when I’m going to return or anything like that,” he said.

“I’ve done two before, so I’m sort of an expert at it now, so I’ll get through it.”

Adam Doueihi latest injury news

Following scans after the Parramatta match, the club confirmed Doueihi had suffered a “high-grade partial tear of his ACL”. They applied a tentative timeline of between 12-16 months.

Although the 24-year-old revealed he was still in the early stages of his recovery.

“I’ve spoken to a number of surgeons here in Sydney, a few in Melbourne and then a few overseas in England and France,” Doueihi said.

“The club has been good in not rushing me and I want to make sure that we find the best surgeon that I can to find the right surgery to do.

“I’ve been asking questions about why it’s happened this many times and we’re starting to get some answers as of late.

“The next step is to pick a surgeon to use and what surgery to do.”