The end of the season can't come soon enough for the Wests Tigers.
The club has announced that star halfback Adam Doueihi will have season-ending shoulder surgery this week, despite previously planning to delay until after Round 27.
Doueihi suffered the injury while scoring a try against Cronulla in Round 9, sidelining him for two months.
The 28-year-old returned in Round 17 but, with the Tigers out of contention for the finals, both he and the club decided to schedule his surgery sooner.
"New scans on Adam's shoulder have showed the time has come to have his reconstruction done. This gives him enough time to be ready for the start of the 2027 season," stated Peter Moussa, Wests Tigers Head of High Performance, in a club statement on Tuesday.
As if the Tigers' situation wasn't difficult enough, Latu Fainu, who could have stepped in for Doueihi, has sustained a low-grade hamstring injury and will be out for an additional 1-2 weeks after completing a three-match suspension.
This setback could lead to Jock Madden getting another chance to play in the Round 25 match against the Roosters on Sunday.
It might also provide a second career start for 19-year-old Javon Andrews, who made his debut during the 56-10 defeat to the Raiders in Round 21.