‘Just dumb’: NRL world turns on Jarome Luai in Tigers’ narrow loss

Tigers fans took aim at Jarome Luai after the skipper’s awful discipline proved crucial in a narrow loss to the North Queensland Cowboys.

Jarome Luai’s moments of madness proved incredibly costly in the Wests Tigers’ narrow loss to North Queensland on Saturday.

The Tigers were trailing 32-6 midway through the second half before a stunning comeback, scoring four tries in 13 minutes to roar back into a game that looked dead and buried.

Their effort to equal the NRL’s biggest comeback ever fell just short and their captain played his part in allowing the Cowboys to rack up an 18-6 halftime lead.

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After teenage five-eighth Lachlan Galvin finally got his wish and joined the Bulldogs on Friday, ending a drawn out saga, coach Benji Marshall injected youngster Heath Mason into his starting line-up to face North Queensland in Townsville.

Marshall would have expected a strong showing from Luai, but his captain let himself and the side down with a series of infringements that led to 10 minutes in the bin in just the 12th minute of the match.

In a horrendous display of ill discipline, it began with big Royce Hunt holding on for too long just outside his own try line and gifting the Cowboys another set.

Enter Jarome Luai.

Watch Luai’s sin bin in the video player above

Jarome Luai kept making the same move. Photo: Fox Sports

In what could only be a brain explosion, or a misguided attempt to give his teammates a chance to reset their line, Luai twice held on for far too long in consecutive tackles, testing the patience of referee Gerard Sutton.

The first may have had a little extra feeling when he clung onto former Tiger John Bateman, giving North Queensland yet another set.

Sutton could be heard barking at Luai, but he didn’t listen as he did it again on the next tackle on Cowboy Sam McIntyre.

“Luai again, oh, trouble. Gone. Luai is out of here for 10 minutes,” Dan Ginnane said on Fox League.

Sutton said to Luai: “That’s three rucks, back to back to back, in the same set of possession.

“It’s a mandatory sin bin. You had two six mores, then that, it doesn’t matter.”

Gerard Sutton counts out the infringements. Photo: Fox Sports

And sends Luai on his way. Photo: Fox Sports

Adding to the Tigers’ woes, Api Koroisau was also placed on report for an infringement during the same Cowboys set.

With the one-man advantage, North Queensland quickly scored tries through Bateman and Jaxon Purdue to break the game open.

Tigers fans were absolutely livid with their skipper.

“Luai is supposed to be our captain but is letting us down with pathetic leadership. Really tough to watch,” was one comment on X.

“Luai showing his leadership qualities yet again,” said another sarcastically.

The Cowboys were having a day out after the Tigers’ ill discipline. (Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images)

Sutton also sent Adam Doueihi to the bin in the first half. (Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images)

“Wests fans try tell us Luai is better than Galvin? The guy that crabs sideways all game, the guy with 1 try assist all season, the guy that gets binned for stupid continued ruck infringements letting his team down,” tweeted another.

“Well that’s just idiotic from Luai there … could see that sin bin coming from a mile away,” wrote a fourth.

A fifth claimed: “Jarome Luai deserved to go there. It’s so unnecessary for giving away a penalty as stupid as that and he then doubled down on it.”

Other comments labelled Luai “brain dead”, “just dumb” and he was accused of “losing the plot”.

One fan even had a cheeky dig at the club’s contract drama, tweeting: “Galvin wouldn’t have done that.”

The home side took a comfortable 18-6 lead into halftime, with Adam Doueihi also spending 10 minutes in the bin late in the first half as the Tigers fell apart.

Starford To’a had given the visitors a little hope with a try in the 25th minute, but the Cowboys finished the half well on top.

“That will be all she wrote for the first half,” Ginnane said. “Boy the Tigers make it hard for themselves.”

Speaking during the break, Fox League’s Yvonne Sampson said: “Benji Marshall will be steaming on the discipline.

“It has spoiled any of the Wests Tigers’ sense of adventure in Townsville so far.

“Jarome Luai, the sin bin, started off a chain reaction that really went in the Cowboys’ favour.”

Benji Marshall talks to the troops at halftime. Photo: Fox Sports

To their credit, the Tigers fought back and gave themselves a shot at a great escape.

But it proved a bridge too far and Marshall will surely point at the lack of discipline as a key factor in the four-point defeat.

After the game, a Tigers fan tweeted: “Without the two sin bins I think we win easily. It was our most experienced players that let us down.

Another said: “If we don’t commit 2 professional fouls, we win that game. So frustrating.”

A third wrote: “Glad to see the fight back from the Wests Tigers. Club needs to improve on discipline, it was there to be won today.”

Originally published as ‘Just dumb’: NRL world turns on Jarome Luai in Tigers’ narrow loss