Why the Wests Tigers are moving to offload their $1.2 million playmaker
When Jarome Luai flew to Port Moresby by private jet in April and signed with the PNG Chiefs, the Wests Tigers handled the loss of their $6 million star with great grace.
Tigers coach Benji Marshall admitted it was an opportunity “too good to refuse” for Luai. He waived the 10-day waiting period and began planning for the future, while vowing that the club would make the most of his co-captains for the remaining 18 months he had with him.
The team had won five of their first seven games at this point – three of the wins coming while Luai was away with a knee injury – and were sitting high in the NRL standings.
Just over two months later, the four-time title winner is leaving the team as the Tigers’ hopes of ending their 15-year finals drought quickly fade.
Surprisingly, the Tigers effectively asked him to leave just two seasons into his initial five-year contract with the club.
Last Thursday Luai was given permission to speak to other teams and began talks to train him to move to Parramatta for a single season in 2027 before starting his Chiefs contract on time next year.
They decided to cash in on his $1.2 million per season contract and re-sign brothers Latu and Samuela Fainu.
However, there was a belief at Tigers that Luai was distracted by a future move to PNG and signed him on a two-year deal worth an estimated $1.2 million per year, tax-free.
He was already being paid through PNG-related third-party deals while at the Tigers, which has not endeared him to his current club, according to sources with knowledge of the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The Tigers declined to comment ahead of Friday night’s crucial clash against the New Zealand Warriors at Campbelltown Stadium and Luai’s manager did not respond to a call or messages.
But after being singled out as the Tigers’ savior upon his arrival in Concord, his anticipated departure is the latest chapter of failure in the club’s history.
Luai’s form has been mixed since he was announced as PNG’s first signing, “Player 001”, in late April.
A month earlier, against the Gold Coast Titans in his last game at Leichhardt Oval, he had suffered a blindside brace before being replaced and scoring a treble of tries in the second half to inspire a come-from-behind victory. A week later, he assisted four tries in a 36–22 defeat against the Dolphins.
But the injury-hit Tigers have won just two of eight matches since Luai’s move to PNG was announced to move out of the top eight; but he cannot be blamed for the last kick-off defeat against last-placed St George Illawarra, where he was out with a delayed concussion.
Luai signed a five-year deal with the Tigers in January 2024, following the arrival of experienced manager Shane Richardson at the club.
He played that season at Penrith and collected another championship ring, then joined the Tigers after they claimed a third wooden spoon.
“When you take charge of a club, you have to make a statement with a player,” Richardson said on Friday.
“We brought the ‘GI’ [Greg Inglis] At Souths and Preston Campbell when I was at Penrith. That was Luai’s statement at Wests Tigers. “It attracted the attention of other players and, more importantly, convinced the players who were already there to stay.”
Luai’s signing to the struggling club was so important that the Tigers agreed to include an exit clause in his contract, allowing him to leave the team during his deal that runs through 2029.
Ultimately, Luai decided to stay on just 18 months into his tenure when the Chiefs came knocking with the offer of tax-free wealth and the chance to highlight a historic expansion side backed by the Australian government.
Richardson, who stepped down as chief executive last December following a split in which the club’s owners, Holman Barnes Group, took over the majority of the Tigers board, said Luai brought great leadership and training ethic as well as a winning mentality to Marshall’s squad.
“People expected him to win matches single-handedly but it doesn’t work that way when you win three wooden spoons,” he said.
“Obviously it’s a disappointment for him [signed for PNG] when he did that, but we said we are developing players who are now coming in big leaps and bounds that we need to retain and expand. That’s what it is at the end of the day. “I understand why the club wants to get this money and make sure they keep hold of the new players coming out.”
At the top of the list are Latu and Samuela Fainu, whose contracts expire at the end of the 2027 season.
The Tigers have selected 21-year-old Latu as a long-term playmaker, while 22-year-old Samuela was one of the most impressive back-rowers in the competition before suffering a foot injury that sidelined him for more than two months.
With Adam Doueihi, Jock Madden and promising youngster Javon Andrews on their books, as well as project player Josh Schuster, they are not missing in the half either.
The Tigers are set to offset Luai’s salary by around $200,000 next season, but they may have to chip in more than that to get him to sign a one-year contract with another club in Sydney, which is his preference.
The most obvious destination is Parramatta, where he could link up with captain and halfback Mitchell Moses, where he has a perfect record in three State of Origin matches, including the 2024 series decider at Suncorp Stadium.
The Eels are cautious about committing to another one-year bridge deal after Jonah Pezet’s largely unsuccessful stop at Parramatta on his way to Brisbane next season, and they have rising talents in Lincoln Fletcher and Lorenzo Talataina.
However, Luai is a ready option for Parramatta, who will not stand in the way of youngsters in the long term and prevent them from pursuing a catalog of key players out of contract at their club after 2027.
In an indication that he will likely wear the blue and gold, contract talks between Parramatta and Ronald Volkman, who spent most of the season in the top grade as a fifth- or eighth-grade player or halfback, failed.
Eels coach Jason Ryles told this imprint on Thursday night that Parramatta could be interested in Luai.
As for the Tigers, there were fears that Luai’s signature with PNG could trigger an exodus from the club, especially with the Chiefs’ war chest at their disposal.
A handful of key players have actually recommitted since then.
Fullback Jahreem Bula, outside back Sunia Turuva and May sisters Terrell and Taylan have extended their contracts until the 2030 season, while promising three-quarterback Heamasi Makasini has signed a contract until 2029.
After all, the world did not fall.
Instead, there was a show of confidence in Marshall, who also signed a contract until the end of 2030.
But the Tigers’ season has gone backwards, which will inevitably put pressure on the manager.
Marshall was close to Luai but is now planning a life without him.
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Chris Barrett is senior sports reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald. He is a former Southeast Asia correspondent for the Herald and The Age newspapers.Connect with: X or email.
