NRL Nines: Rising Panthers star Jarome Luai helps his mum wipe off family mortgage with spare cash
He’s tipped to be among the surprise stars at this year’s Nines in a side touted as a genuine title smokey – and Panthers young gun Jarome Luai knows where all his prizemoney is going.
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If Jarome Luai leads Penrith to an NRL Nines title this weekend, he will take all prizemoney home to Mum.
This, see, is what the rising Panthers No.6 always does.
Every pay day.
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At 23, and even now with a young family of his own, refusing to leave his parent’s Mt Druitt home until, together, they have completely wiped the mortgage off.
Which is some story for this fella who speaks quietly, attends church Sundays and is quickly firming to replace departed NSW star James Maloney in the Panthers halves.
But as for Jimmy 2.0?
Um, no.
“Don’t even bet,” the youngster will tell you, grinning.
Instead, this playmaker tipped to be among the surprise stars of this year’s Nines – and in a side touted as a genuine title smokey – sends all spare cash towards that family mortgage.
Cornered by News Corp Australia at Perth airport on Wednesday, Luai was reluctant to make a fuss about his promise to mum Marau, but did reveal it would likely be another two years before he, his partner Bailey and young son Israel moved into a place of their own.
“Right now, I’m just trying to help out the family -- do my part,” he said humbly.
“And once everything is sorted, yeah, then I’ll move into a place of my own.
“And we’re getting close. In two years, I reckon we should be done.
“It’s just something that’s important to me because, for a long time now, my goal has been to make sure my family, my younger brothers and sisters, are set up for life.
“And it’s because they’ve always been so supportive of me. My mum, she’s done so much for us four kids and I want to repay that.
“Her and my partner, they’re my rocks.
“So once the house is set, I’ll head out with my own little family and get our own spot. And I can’t wait for that.”
Despite being widely tipped to wear the Panthers six this year, Luai conceded he wasn’t exactly a mirror image of Maloney - that NSW and Kangaroo widely regarded as of the code’s greatest punting larrikins.
“But I’ve never been into betting,” he grinned when asked if he shared Maloney’s love of racehorses, dishlikers, everything.
“I like watching the NBA ... but that’s about it.”
And as for taking over Maloney’s tag of No.1 Penrith pest?
“Ah, I do joke around a lot,” Luai continued.
“But there’s pest, and then there’s Jimmy Maloney pest.
“I know that from last season, when he would just chirp, and chirp and chirp.
“I’m definitely not at that level.
“But in Jimmy’s time here, I really did try to learn as much as possible from him.
“He accomplished so much in the NRL – a lot of things that I want to now accomplish too – so I’m really eager for the season to get here and establish myself in that No.6 jersey.”
Asked the biggest thing Maloney taught him, Luai said: “Always find the positive.
“Even at times when it seems like there aren’t many.
“He told me that when you go find that positive, the energy spreads throughout the team.
“So I want to be that guy. The one who brings a positive energy others can feed off.”