Jarome Luai confirms Penrith Panthers departure as Wests Tigers firm

The Wests Tigers closing in on one of the biggest signings in their history, but one man stands in the way of them signing Penrith superstar Jarome Luai.

Jarome Luai is nearing a final decision over his future. Picture: Jonathan Ng

A Wests Tigers legend up against an old Dog needing to use every trick in the game to land NRL superstar Jarome Luai.

The stage is set for a 10-day bidding war between rookie Wests Tigers coach Benji Marshall and Bulldogs GM of football Phil Gould after an emotional Luai informed Penrith on Saturday that after more than a decade at the club, he was leaving.

The Wests Tigers are the clear frontrunners to sign Luai after offering a five-year $6 million mega-deal, beginning in 2025.

Luai’s decision to inform his Panthers coach and teammates on Saturday was the catalyst for reports to emerge that the battling Wests Tigers had secured one of the biggest signing’s in their history.

Jarome Luai took to Instagram to confirm no deal had been done.

However, Luai took to Instagram to deny any deal had been done. His manager was also in contact with Canterbury to confirm they remained in the hunt for his signature.

“No pen to paper here. I’ll yous know when a deal is done. BigLove,’’ Luai posted.

However, as has been the case for the past month, the Wests Tigers boast a genuine confidence they will get their man. It is understood talks in the past 48 hours accelerated negotiations, prompting suggestions a deal was imminent. Luai and the Tigers were the talk of Friday night’s No Limited boxing event at The Star amid talk on social media that a deal was imminent.

Their $1.2 million per season offer is an extraordinary pay rise for the three-time premiership-winner.

Penrith were only able to offer a three-year contract worth $850,000 per season – they initially offered two years but tacked on another year in the hope it would convince Luai to stay.

However, neither the Panthers or Bulldogs are out of the race until Luai officially signs with the Wests Tigers.

Chair Lee Hagipantelis and chief executive Justin Pascoe were both pushed out the door at the Tigers. Picture: Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images

Under the NRL’s new guidelines, both Penrith and the Bulldogs would have 10 days to respond once Luai has agreed to accept an offer from the Tigers or any other club.

It’s understood Luai hasn’t activated the 10-day cooling off period with Penrith. But that is likely to happen early next week.

Under the new NRL contracting rules, even if Luai tells the Panthers he is going to take the Wests Tigers offer, at the end of the 10-days he can still renege on the deal.

The Tigers, having undergone a major overhaul earlier this week with the departure of their chair Lee Hagipantelis and chief executive Justin Pascoe, will need to wait to see if Gould is willing to compete with their offer.

Helping the Bulldogs cause is Luai’s close relationship with head coach Cameron Ciraldo, who formerly coached the playmaker through the lower grades at Penrith and as an assistant coach prior to making the move to Canterbury.

Marshall – who Luai idolised as a boy – has taken a personal interest in his pursuit, making it a priority for the club.

Wests Tigers interim chief Shane Richardson is backing a push to sign Jarome Luai. Picture: David Swift

Interim chief executive Shane Richardson has also intensified his focus on Luai, a player he has coveted since his time at South Sydney.

The Tigers backed off moves for Addin Fonua-Blake and Justin Olam to focus on Luai and his decision could have ramifications for both those players.

Should the Wests Tigers prove successful in landing Luai, the next chapter from the saga will be the salary cap impact of their roster.

Front-rower David Klemmer has already been identified as a player that the club could release to ease pressure on their salary cap.

No club has more to gain from his decision than the Tigers, who are in the midst of a transition after the independent review into club governance recommended wholesale changes at the very top of the club.

Originally published as Jarome Luai confirms Penrith Panthers departure as Wests Tigers firm