‘He knew that he had to change things at this club’: Jarome Luai’s journey from ‘immature larrikin’ to architect of change at the Tigers

Jarome Luai used to be Penrith’s chief energy officer, but he’s been promoted to a far more important role while still keeping vibes high at the Wests Tigers.

Api Koroisau remembers Jarome Luai as an “immature larrikin” when they first met five years ago, but he could always tell that his good friend would develop into the leader he is now and the main reason why Wests Tigers fans are confident the tough times are over.

Luai and Sunia Turuva are a couple of the key signings for the Tigers in 2025, with the former Panthers stars bringing experience, confidence and a winning edge that has been missing at a club that has claimed three-straight wooden spoons.

While Luai is no longer the chief energy officer he was at the Panthers, he’s earnt his new role as co-captain in a sign Benji Marshall and club bosses see him as the man who can reshape their future.

The four-time premiership winner captained Samoa during their tour of England last year and has developed into a tremendous leader on and off the field, which is slightly different to Koroisau’s first memories with Luai at Penrith.

Jarome Luai has changed immensely since the first time he met Api Koroisau. Picture: Zak Simmonds

“He’s changed so much since when I first met him back in 2020,” the Tigers hooker said.

“When I first met him, he was really young and absolutely loving life and really immature, which is a good thing because I’m also immature.

“His footy IQ and the way he’s able to convey his ideas or what he thinks we should do is incredible.

“The way he walked into the place, he knew that he had to change things at this club. He’s come in and he hasn’t held back. Everyone looks up to him and loves him.

“I think everyone needs to get that early immaturity out of their system.

“He was always smart. He never came off as smart because he was always mucking around, but if you ever got him one-on-one, you noticed he was quite intelligent, articulate and you could see that he was going to go into that leadership direction.

“To see the way he’s done it (has been great). He hasn’t been shy about anything. If he needs to say something then he will, and that takes real leadership and courage.”

Luai has handed off the boombox to Sunia Turuva. Picture: NRL Images

There’s a different feel at the Tigers this pre-season, with no outlandish predictions coming from the players who are purely focused on ticking off daily targets.

The mood around the club hasn’t been great over the years, with players leaving, coaches moving on and wins hard to come by, but the energy feels a lot different thanks to Luai and Turuva who have been just as loud as they were in Penrith.

“The vibes have been great,” Koroisau said.

“A couple of those boys that have come in are really high energy and they’re a bunch of larrikins, so it’s been great having them.

“They’ve been just as loud as they were at Penrith. Turuva is leading the charge. He walks around with that boombox all day, and then Jarome comes in on the back of him.

“How you start your sessions at training is really important, and when the energy is a bit low, sometimes training can start that way as well.

“But (it’s not like that with those two guys) and the vibe they’ve created helps build connections off the field as well. The laughs you create off the field definitely translates to on the field.”

Originally published as ‘He knew that he had to change things at this club’: Jarome Luai’s journey from ‘immature larrikin’ to architect of change at the Tigers