Origin 2020: Jarome Luai insists his allegiance lies with NSW despite Queensland protestations
Forget it Queensland, Jarome Luai has no intention of pulling on a Maroons jersey. Born in Penrith and raised in Mt Druitt, for one, his family would probably disown him.
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Jarome Luai has laughed off suggestions he should be ineligible for the NSW Origin side, revealing: “Even when I tipped Queensland once, my family wanted to fight me.”
Despite having represented Samoa nine times – and once siding with the Maroons on camera – Luai has been catapulted into coach Brad Fittler’s 2020 NSW Origin squad.
Which of course, has Queenslanders frothing.
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Indeed, more than questioning the Blues’ selection of a Samoan international, Maroons types have also dredged up an old Luai interview dating way back to the 2017 World Cup.
In that clip, the young Penrith No.6 is asked a series of questions about himself, and different things he prefers – which at one point includes choosing Queensland over NSW.
Which wasn’t a big deal back then.
But now?
The Bananabenders are filthy.
“And, yeah, I know the video you’re talking about,” Luai laughed after Thursday’s training.
“But that question, you have to understand the context it was in. Which was: Who is going to win the next Origin series?
“That’s where it came from. And at the time, Queensland had a spine including guys like Cameron Smith, Johnathan Thurston, Cooper Cronk … so I couldn’t see them losing. But still, when my family saw that clip they wanted to fight me.”
He isn’t joking, either.
“They really wanted to fight me,” Luai stresses.
“Because I was born in Penrith. Raised in Mt Druitt. And I do bleed blue, brother.”
Better, Luai says, he also gets to represent that beloved suburb once panned in the contentious Australian TV documentary, Struggle Street.
“To be here representing my area, it’s crazy,” he says.
“Already I’ve got so much support from back home.
“Myself and Critter (fellow Blues newcomer Stephen Crichton), we’re just two guys from Mt Druitt trying to make it.
“And that’s a great thing because out where we come from there aren’t as many opportunities.
“Which means you have to work really hard for everything you get. And yeah, some people look down on us. But that’s also mad, knowing with hard work you can still go places anyway.”
Elsewhere, Luai also struggled to see the conjecture surrounding him representing both NSW and Samoa – which is permitted under the code’s Origin eligibility rules.
Again, the Maroons hand-picked a quote from Luai recently saying his “heart was with Samoa”, even though rugby league’s rule book allows him to play both.
“Growing up within the Samoan culture, obviously I want to do my family proud,” he said.
“That’s what I meant by that. But I’ve always believed that if an opportunity came to represent NSW, I would take it with both hands. I guess I’ve never really thought about it too much because I never believed I was at the same level as these guys.”
Regardless of those ongoing rants from north of the border, Luai also stressed he would have no issue playing for the Samoans again in 2021.
In fact, the 23-year-old said he was keen to help make the nation a rugby league powerhouse, similar to what the likes of Andrew Fifita and Jason Taumalolo have done for Tonga.
“Right now, there are so many talented young Samoans out there,” he said.
“And I really do believe we can be just as good as the Tongan boys. What they’ve done already, it’s really shown us the path.”
The Blues gun whose ‘heart is with Samoa’
- Travis Meyn and Peter Badel
The Queensland Rugby League has called for the end of Origin’s dual-eligibility rules after Penrith dynamo Jarome Luai was picked for the NSW Blues despite declaring “my heart is with Samoa”.
Luai’s breakout season with the Panthers helped him clinch a berth in NSW’s 27-man squad ahead of Origin I at the Adelaide Oval on Wednesday.
Luai, 23, was born in Sydney but through his parents’ heritage represented the Junior Kiwis and has played five Tests for Samoa since 2017.
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Samoa is currently a Tier 2 league nation, meaning Luai can represent Samoa and also the Blues.
Earlier this month, Luai told a Sydney newspaper he never envisaged playing State of Origin.
“It’s never something I’ve thought about (playing for NSW), only because I thought I wasn’t good enough and it was a confidence thing,’’ Luai said.
“I’d be eligible for the Blues, but my heart is with Samoa.”
But Luai clarified his comments after being called into NSW camp following Penrith’s grand final loss to Melbourne on Sunday.
“That (story) was me showing I wanted to play for Samoa. If NSW popped up, then I was happy to take the opportunity,” he said.
“It’s something I thought I was not good enough to play, (so) I never thought about it - ever.”
In a video recorded during a Samoa camp in 2017, Luai was asked whether he supported NSW or Queensland and responded: “Queensland”.
The Origin eligibility debate has reignited after the Blues selected Ipswich-born Luke Keary, who wrote a letter to the NRL pleading to be declared a Queenslander.
Queensland debutant Moeaki Fotuaika represented the Junior Kiwis and was eligible for Tonga, but switched allegiances this year.
While Luai was born in Australia and qualifies for the Blues, QRL chairman Bruce Hatcher wants eligibility rules to be overhauled to prevent Origin players from representing multiple nations.
“The most recent discussion, which I wasn’t part of, was to increase the eligibility of more players to play Origin, including Islanders and New Zealanders who declare their allegiance to their country of birth,” he said.
“One would expect it would not be too hard to give allegiance to a state, and if you do that then you should really want to represent Australia.
“There needs to be a common sense approach. But I have no doubt the current Origin qualifications need to be closely guarded.
“The passion any NSW or Maroons enthusiast has for his jersey stems from the pathways through to the top of that competition which is the NRL.
“I wouldn’t like to change the qualification rules for Origin to let people who haven’t committed to their state and want to play for their nation.
“We’ve got to keep that tight rein on Origin otherwise it loses its competitiveness to a great extent.”
Originally published as Origin 2020: Jarome Luai insists his allegiance lies with NSW despite Queensland protestations