NRL market watch: Jarome Luai latest, Wests Tigers Justin Olam-Shawn Blore swap deal, Junior Tupou to Dolphins
Jarome Luai is set to confirm his future as he weighs up a monster $6m deal from Wests Tigers - who will make several pre-Christmas moves in their latest roster shake-up.
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The Wests Tigers’ roster overhaul continues to gather momentum as the club braces for the departure of winger Junior Tupou to the Dolphins and they rekindle their interest in a swap deal involving Justin Olam and Shawn Blore.
This masthead also understands that the club is growing increasingly confident they will be in position to confirm the signing of Penrith superstar Jarome Luai in coming days in a huge boost for coach Benji Marshall.
Tupou has entered the final year of his deal and has attracted a significant offer from the Dolphins, which he has indicated he will accept, making him the poster boy for the game’s new 10-day contracting window.
While the Tigers wanted to keep Tupou, it is understood they are unlikely to engage in a bidding war for the 21-year-old, who had also attracted interest from Canberra and had been linked with the Sydney Roosters.
The Dolphins look to have won the day, although they face a nervous two weeks given Tupou is well within his rights to renege on any agreement over the next fortnight.
Under the new contracting guidelines, once a player indicates he is ready to accept an offer from a rival club, the deal must be lodged with the NRL.
His incumbent club then has 10 days to convince him to change his mind. Even if they can’t convince him to stay, the player can shift their stance, reject the rival offer and go back on the open market.
The Tigers are believed to be comfortable with their position given the impending arrival of Luai and the fresh interest in Olam.
The Tigers had been locked in talks with Melbourne over a deal for Olam that would have involved an immediate swap for Blore, who has agreed to join the Storm from 2025.
The negotiations went cold but it is understood it has been rekindled as the Tigers look to strengthen their backline stocks and the Storm attempt to add more punch to their forward pack heading into the upcoming season.
Olam is well down the pecking order at the Storm as Melbourne prepare to move Nick Meaney to the centres – they also have Reimis Smith and Marion Seve in their squad, while youngster Jack Howarth has played some centre as well as back row.
The big prize for the Tigers is Luai and the club is edging towards a formal announcement of his signature in a huge boost for Marshall heading into his rookie season as head coach.
While Luai won’t arrive until 2025, his signature on a $6 million deal will provide Marshall with the tactical and spiritual leader he craves as he looks to improve the club’s fortunes.
It is understood the Tigers are yet to officially lodge their offer with the NRL but hope to do so in coming days. The Bulldogs were also in the mix for Luai but it is believed the Penrith superstar has his heart set on joining the Tigers after talks with Marshall and interim chief executive Shane Richardson late last week.
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Originally published as NRL market watch: Jarome Luai latest, Wests Tigers Justin Olam-Shawn Blore swap deal, Junior Tupou to Dolphins
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