Brutal Jarome Luai truth the Penrith Panthers won’t admit amid premiership hangover

A startling truth about Jarome Luai has finally become clear to all NRL fans - but don’t expect the Panthers to admit it any time soon.

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With the mighty Panthers moving from the Foot of the Mountains to the foot of the ladder, everyone’s trying to pinpoint why they’ve soured like last week’s milk.

Is it the departure of James Fisher-Harris, the injury to Brian To’o or the wider dismantling of the Mt Druitt Massive? Or did Phil Gould lure the club’s desire across to Canterbury too?

Are the players tired of the same voice, mainly because it’s difficult straining all day to hear Ivan over the air conditioner?

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Or is it the move away from Penrith Park, and we’ve all underestimated the competitive advantage of having the same toilet seats since 1987?

In a season of relative misery like Penrith’s, there’s a bevy of reasons why they suck- but only one is chiefly responsible for their astonishing collapse.

Jarome Luai was a caricature to many outside the Penrith bubble, a long-haired lout whose role in the premiership anthology was dismissed as a mere handkerchief in Nathan Cleary’s pocket.

But his influence on the Panthers golden era can no longer be denied.

The Panthers are nowhere near the same team without Jarome Luai and Nathan Cleary in the halves. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

Whether you like him or not, the exit of the spicy five-eighth has unexpectedly imbalanced this team’s tang like removing the pickle off a cheeseburger.

Joining the Wests Tigers in 2025 on a jaw-dropping $1.4m per year, Luai’s signature was immediately lashed as the game’s most expensive personality hire.

Labelled a second fiddle whose only impact was anecdotal and judicial, the 10-time Origin rep was tipped to struggle switching from Panther co-star to headline Tiger act.

However, his value has skyrocketed over the opening rounds in inverse proportion to the Panthers ever-bloating premiership odds.

While Cleary struggles to corral a disjointed attack - still boasting its fair share of premiership deities - Luai is at the Tigers making a case that his former club stumped up the big dollars for the wrong representative playmaker.

And not just because he’s passing the vibe check either.

Jarome Luai warms up before he takes on the Cronulla Sharks at Leichhardt Oval. Photo: Tom Parrish

Based on wins, table position and wartime leadership, Luai is proving his chops outside the Panthers structure and leaving a floundering Cleary in his dust.

While the Tigers are poised with an encouraging 4-4 record, Cleary’s four time premiers are languishing in outright last as the only team in the league with six losses.

Furthermore, the champion halfback has lost his mojo and started impotently crabbing across the field in attack so often he should be running the water.

Speaking on Fox League’s ‘Matty and Cronk’ show, Cooper Cronk highlighted the concerning trait of hook-turning from Cleary that has become emblematic of a “frustrated” team.

“With Cleary when your hips are East-West as opposed to North-South, you become less effective as a ballplayer.

“You can run across the field four or five times, but you need to then get your hips back square to the defensive line and then be able to move.”

Isaah Yeo and Nathan Cleary don’t bring the same energy as Jarome Luai once did at the Panthers. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

Furthermore, Luai has outshone his former teammate all while steering his new club through the Lachie Galvin issue, a typical Tigers spat which only six weeks in to the season was later than he would’ve expected.

Sure, it was a bonfire he contributed to personally with another inflammatory social media post, but he earned praised for wasting no time cleaning up his own mess by holding up the proverbial index finger to the boys and screaming “one set”.

On the other hand, Cleary still can’t get his side to play a tune despite enjoying a stable front office and squad peace.

Penrith curdling with his departure is not only a win for Luai’s reputation as a stand-alone footballer, but also his widely doubted role of Chief Energy Officer.

While many consider his boom box antics to be uncouth and in some cases, a breach of noise pollution bylaws, the simple fact is Penrith now lacks personality with altar boys like Cleary and Isaah Yeo leading the charge.

Jarome Luai’s energy at training was unmatched. Picture: Jonathan Ng

Jarome Luai and his $600 boombox are greatly missed. Credit: NRL Images.

They miss Luai’s energetic trolling big time- and it’s a telling blow struck for the Samoan international and his fellow vibesmen.

The benefits of the energy merchant in footy is like peeing in a dark suit- it creates warmth on the inside but nobody outside notices.

Unlike your big money clutch agents, jumper-leads like Luai will never blow the doors off a SuperCoach score because what they offer doesn’t manifest in line break assists, highlight reels and cheap Dally M points.

And whatever this intangible value is, Luai delivers it in spades.

Sure, it’s only early days and there’s plenty more time on the clock for it to go arse-up at the Tigers, but there’s a lesson within.

Nathan Cleary and Jarome Luai formed a lethal halves pairing at the Panthers. Picture: Jonathan Ng

Not only should his detractors give themselves an uppercut for letting their prejudices get in the way simply because he lacks table manners.

But Penrith will be feeling it too.

After four years marvelling at Cleary and his reams of programmed plays, they lost sight of the intrinsic value of a street-smart ratbag who addresses the referee as ‘bro’.

- Dane Eldridge is a warped cynic yearning for the glory days of rugby league, a time when the sponges were magic and the Mondays were mad. He’s never strapped on a boot in his life, and as such, should be taken with a grain of salt.

Originally published as Brutal Jarome Luai truth the Penrith Panthers won’t admit amid premiership hangover