Jarome Luai’s raw admission about Nathan Cleary relationship
Jarome Luai won four premierships alongside Nathan Cleary but he will embark on a fresh challenge in 2025 at the Wests Tigers.
NRL
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Jarome Luai says his desire to step out of Nathan Cleary’s shadow and prove to himself and his doubters that he can be the main man made up his mind that he needed a fresh start away from Penrith.
The 27-year-old made the bold decision to leave his long-time halves partner to join the Wests Tigers earlier this year, signing a five-year deal worth a reported $6 million.
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During his time at the Panthers, Cleary and Luai formed one of the deadliest halves duos in the NRL era and combined for four premierships.
But Luai was almost always playing second fiddle to Cleary and his individual class was often overshadowed by his No.7’s sheer brilliance.
Luai, however, has shown time and time again he can lead from the front, steering the ship for the Panthers both this year and in years gone by when Cleary has been out injured.
And while the Samoan international says he and Cleary will always share a close bond, moving to the Tigers gives him the opportunity to be the chief playmaker and shine in his own right.
“To sort of knock it on the head, everyone just saw it (the Tigers opportunity) as a great deal to take, for me I love a challenge, I am a competitive dude,” Luai said on the Behind the Roar podcast.
“So yeah I love a challenge and for me as a footy player I want to see how good I can be.
“There (at the Panthers) I was always the second fiddle guy, I was never going to be that (main) guy.
“When this opportunity came up, this was a way to show people how good I can be, and what better way to do it than come here and show what I’m made of.
“People want to see how I do on my own and I love a challenge. If anybody knows me, (they know) I’m up for it.
“A lot of people want to see me fail. Once again, it’s Romey against the world so I can’t wait for that. I’m ready for this new chapter.”
Luai’s desire to get off on the right foot at his new club was perfectly illustrated by him turning up to Tigers training in recent days far earlier than expected.
Luai missed the start of pre-season under coach Benji Marshall because he opted to take part in Samoa’s tour to England.
The extended season meant Luai wasn’t set to return to Tigers training until the new year but he decided to get stuck in early as he looks to form a formidable new halves partnership with young gun Lachlan Galvin.
“He’s a freak of nature, he’s a really good athlete... very talented and very raw. As a senior player, there’s so much to work with there,” Luai said about his new halves partner Galvin.
“Being fit is a big part of this game and he’s probably one of the fittest in the game, so having a guy like that beside you is a great asset.
“But his willingness to learn, he’s a bit like a sponge now so the more we can vibe off each other, talk and have a relationship off the field.
“It’s his shout, he’s going to shout me a coffee he said so it’d be good to get out in Concord somewhere.”
Originally published as Jarome Luai’s raw admission about Nathan Cleary relationship
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