Jarome Luai on being called a ‘traitor’, his family-first mentality and learning from Benji Marshall
He’s a hometown hero, but it didn’t take long for at least one Penrith local to turn their back on Jarome Luai. Now the king of Concord, Luai opens up on leaving the Panthers dynasty, Benji Marshall and more.
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“Why, Dad? Why are you changing teams?”
Fans, opponents, critics and coaches have questioned the reasons behind Jarome Luai’s decision to quit the four-time premiers for the three-time wooden spooners.
But when six-year-old son Israel looks at his dad to ask why he’s no longer at Panther, Luai gave the only answer that really matters.
“This is for our family,” Luai began to tell him.
It’s a good thing Luai has never been short of things to say.
Whether it’s potshots at teammates, learning from his new coach or even – can you believe this – Penrith fans who now call him a traitor, Luai isn’t one to bite his tongue.
So as fans count down to his first appearance in the pre-season, the new Wests Tigers co-captain sits down with Matt Encarnacion to discuss his life in Concord.
HE’LL KNOW ONE DAY
Breaking down his motivation for leaving a modern-day dynasty to his kids hasn’t been easy.
Even if he uses Batman and Robin, or Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, as ways to explain his previous partnership with the greatest player of his generation, Nathan Cleary.
“I couldn’t really explain all the reasoning behind it, but I just said to him, ‘This is for our family’. He’ll know one day, the magnitude behind the reason,” Luai said.
“I probably won’t be able to show them (personal motivation) until we play, you know what I mean? Out there.
“That’s where they find the greatest joys, watching me do my thing out there on the field.”
It’s even harder trying to justify a change of colours to their three-year-old, Akira.
“My oldest daughter hasn’t converted yet. We’re trying hard to. She’s three years old now, and she won’t take her Tigers jersey. She’ll just hold on to the jersey,” he said.
“My missus keeps trying to get her to put it on, but I think until she sees me out there on the field playing, I think that’s when she’ll be able to accept it.”
STAYING SAINTLY
Part of the challenge is that the Luai family haven’t actually changed postcodes.
The Samoan international, his wife Bailey, and their three kids, have remained at the foot of the mountains, where Israel will be making the switch from soccer to rugby league this year.
And he’ll be wearing the same olive green of the St Marys Saints that his old man wore.
“I think so, yeah. My mum will kill me (otherwise),” Luai said.
“He’s ready for it. I didn’t want to pressure him into playing footy.
“If he wanted to do it, then he wanted to do it.
“And I think he’s just been around it too much now to not want to play it and give it a try.”
Bailey needed a little convincing.
“Well, she’s seen the good and the bad with it, with me,” Luai said.
“And, you know, in a way, I don’t know if she wants him to go through it as well … the pressures and the lifestyle.
“But I’m excited. And I guess that’s why us footy heads want a son to pass that down on. And if he loves the game, if he wants to learn and become great, then I can help him.”
Jarome’s brother Calvary, who is following his sibling at Patrician Brothers High, is also playing for the Saints and is in the Panthers development system.
“He’s a bit shy. I got all the other stuff,” Jarome laughed.
“But he’s a bit the same in how I want to be with my son – if they want to learn, they’ll come and ask. I’m an open book. He’s in the Panthers set-up there so we’ll see how he goes.”
HATERS AND TRAITORS
Even if his residential address hasn’t changed, it didn’t take long for at least one of the Penrith locals to turn their back on a hometown hero.
The flashpoint came not long after their 14-6 grand final triumph over Melbourne in October.
“I probably shouldn’t talk about this, but I was in the shopping centre and I heard, ‘Here’s the traitor’. So that put into perspective for me how quick things can change,” Luai said.
“I didn’t want to bite at it, and I don’t know if they meant it or not.
“But it’s another good lesson. You’ve got to savour every moment and not be too high with the highs, and never be too low with the lows.”
There was a time when the now 28-year-old wasn’t as discerning.
It was only a couple of years ago Luai copped some public backlash for his social post where he called out ‘idiots’ who had to ‘work tomorrow morning’ after an Origin series defeat.
And he’s been working on turning haters into fans ever since.
“I’ve gotten a lot of that for the past couple of years now,” he said.
“Especially last year – it was a really good year, with a lot of Origin fans and things like that. It’s been a pretty common scene.”
Because there was a time when the old Jarome wouldn’t care and immediately shoot from the lip – or his mobile phone – whenever he saw fit.
“With no repercussion and sort of no consequence,” he said.
“I don’t think I had the understanding of, you know, we’re in the spotlight. I got kids and I want to be a role model for them, but they’re going to see everything I do here.
“So there’s a lot of things you have to think about.”
SLEEPING GIANT
Such as leading the awakening of the sleeping giant that is the Wests Tigers.
The incumbent NSW Origin five-eighth has been handed the keys to a squad that is overflowing with rugby league potential, but light on delivering on it.
Instead of playing alongside the league’s best player in Cleary, Luai will partner 19-year-old Lachlan Galvin, who is entering his second season, in the halves.
“I built that connection with Nate because we played so many games together. The main thing (Lachlan and I) have to do is work hard and prepare ourselves for round one,” he said.
“Then the best teacher is out there on the field.”
Which is where you’ll also find Luai’s new coach, Benji Marshall.
Like his childhood hero, Luai is seeking to transition from five-eighth to halfback at almost the exact same stage of their careers.
Marshall was 29 when he returned from his short-lived stint in rugby union to join St George Illawarra, where he wore the No.7 alongside Gareth Widdop.
“He never really lost his running game or his greatest asset, which was obviously his footwork, what he was known for. He always had that in the bag,” Luai said.
“But he had so many other tools around him as well to use and to utilize, which then brought that out in his game. So he’s always just told me to never really lose what got you here.
“If you’re trying to compare me and him as players, I don’t think you can do that yet.
“But you know, it’s pretty refreshing to be coached by someone who’s done what you sort of want to do. So it’s pretty cool.”
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