Wests Tigers are poised to announce the signing of South Sydney utility Adam Doueihi on a four-year-deal.
The 21-year-old Lebanon representative played 12 games at fullback for the Rabbitohs in 2019, but found himself surplus to requirements after the club signed Latrell Mitchell for the No.1 position.
Seeking stability while playing some of his best football, the 21-year-old will join the Wests Tigers with an eye on the vacant fullback position under head coach Michael Maguire.
Maguire left the Rabbitohs as head coach at the end of the 2017 season while Doueihi was playing reserve grade. He made his NRL debut the following season under former coach Anthony Seibold.
Although a deal is yet to be finalised, it’s understood the Rabbitohs will contribute a significant portion of his 2020 and 2021 salary to the Tigers, which is estimated to be around $450,000 per season.
The length of the deal is somewhat of a gamble for the Tigers given Doueihi has played just 30 NRL games over the past two seasons in various positions, interrupted by an ACL injury at the end of the 2018 season.
The Tigers have previously stated they intend to be smart about recruitment, refusing to throw big money and long deals at players because they have been burnt in the past.
However, the luxury of a long-term deal is also understood to have been a selling point for Doueihi who attracted interest from rival NRL clubs.
Doueihi is the latest addition to the Tigers’ backline after the club signed Canberra star Joey Leilua earlier this week.
The Tigers have been desperate to add some strike force to their backline following their disappointing end to the 2019 NRL season where they narrowly missed the finals for the eighth season in a row.