NRL 2024: Ivan Cleary said Jarome Luai is a risky choice as a $1 million general but the Penrith coach is glad to be proven wrong

Ivan Cleary boldly declared Jarome Luai a $1 million risk as an unproved chief playmaker but the Penrith boss has conceded it was the wrong call.

(L-R) Nathan Cleary and Jarome Luai.

Jarome Luai is a risk no more.

Eight months after questioning whether Luai was worth the $1 million price tag, Ivan Cleary will once again hand the No.7 jumper to the NSW Origin star in place of the injured Nathan Cleary.

In doing so the Penrith coach admits Luai has proven that he is a genuine chief playmaker.

“Look, he hadn’t done it. I always said he could, and he has,” Cleary said on Tuesday.

“I was always hoping he could do that for us this year.

“Nathan having been out so long and so often has helped that a bit.”

Nathan Cleary and Jarome Luai.

In November, coach Cleary weighed into the contract negotiations surrounding Luai, who will join Wests Tigers from 2025 on a $6m deal, saying the No.6 was yet to establish himself as the main man.

“Is he ready for that? That’s a question mark. Could he do it? I’m sure he could do it. Has he done it (yet)? No, he hasn’t,” Cleary said at the time.

“I guess that’s a risk everyone will have to take.”

But Luai stepped into that role this season after Nathan suffered a second hamstring injury in round 10.

Coach Cleary handed the keys to Luai and he guided the side to four from five wins with the No.7 on his back.

Luai will take charge again, starting against Canberra on Saturday, now that Nathan is expected to be sidelined until the first week of the finals series with a shoulder injury.

Jarome Luai and Ivan Cleary. Picture: NRL Photos

“He’s embraced it and really grabbed it with two hands,” Cleary said. “It’s not just the way he plays. It’s his leadership. His kicking game probably has been a big part of that. He’s really improved that.”

Cleary’s concession over Luai comes as he opened up about the difficulty of balancing his role as a father to Nathan with his role as a coach.

Cameras captured the pair in a solemn moment in the sheds after the Melbourne loss as Nathan, in a hoodie and heavily iced shoulder, told his father about the shoulder injury, which has rubbed him out for at least three weeks.

The three-time premiership-winning coach, normally a stoic figure, revealed his heartbreak at seeing Nathan injured for a third time this season.

“It’s not that easy … on the weekend, the crossover between the relevance to the team and where we are in the season, also, just as his dad, just to know how shattered he’d be,” Cleary said.

“There’s a bit of a moment there where I had to get myself back in the present and focus on what I was doing.”

Cleary revealed Nathan’s shoulder injury, that was first suffered during the pre-season, was “significant” at the time. But Panthers medical staff are hopeful the halfback can avoid surgery for now.

The shoulder injury, and the one-week suspension to hooker Mitch Kenny, has forced Cleary to name the side’s 11th spine combination this year.

Penrith coach Ivan Cleary. Picture: NRL Imagery

Luke Sommerton will replace Kenny in the No.9 jumper, while Brad Schneider has been named to partner Luai in the halves at five-eighth. Jack Cole was named on the bench but Cleary will make the final call on his halves combination later in the week.

The Panthers travelled to Kiama on Tuesday afternoon for a five-day retreat ahead of the Raiders clash at GIO Stadium.

Cleary is unlikely to rest any of his troops ahead of the finals series as the Panthers look to cement second spot on the ladder ahead of the Sydney Roosters and Cronulla.

As well as Cleary, Dylan Edwards (knee), James Fisher-Harris (shoulder) and Scott Sorensen (hamstring) have all been recently sidelined with injury and the club’s Origin contingent have all been rested during that period.

Blues hard man Liam Martin got a forced rest after he missed the Storm clash to a one-week suspension.

Originally published as NRL 2024: Ivan Cleary said Jarome Luai is a risky choice as a $1 million general but the Penrith coach is glad to be proven wrong