Wests Tigers still banking on Jarome Luai to be the spark the club needs

Jarome Luai was meant to be the Tigers’ $6 million saviour, and while the club insists they couldn’t be happier with ‘Romey’ on and off the field, they concede more can be done to help their playmaker excel.

Wests Tigers chief executive Shane Richardson has conceded the club needs to ease the burden on Jarome Luai as their star recruit prepares for a meeting against his former club Penrith on Sunday afternoon.

Luai was hailed as the Tigers’ saviour after joining the club in the off-season on a five year deal worth upward of $6 million.

The early signs were promising but the Tigers have lost their past three games while dealing with the controversial departure of teenage prodigy Lachlan Galvin, who is expected to make his debut for the Bulldogs on Monday.

Luai, meanwhile, paid the price for the Tigers’ mixed form when he was overlooked for the NSW side, with Parramatta playmaker Mitchell Moses preferred at five-eighth for the opening game of the State of Origin series.

Richardson insists that the club couldn’t be happier with Luai’s input since his arrival and hailed the Samoan international for his leadership on and off the field.

“Oh, he’s a revelation,” Richardson said.

“From day one, his enthusiasm, his leadership, his buy-in to what we’re trying to do, his mentoring of the young players - he’s been nothing but a revelation.

Jarome Luai quickly took charge at the Wests Tigers, Picture: Getty Images

“His challenge has not been working with the team - he does a great job. His challenge has been coming from a championship club to rebuilding a club and then spending a fair bit of time trying to mentor young players instead of having to just concentrate on his own game.

“We’re more than happy with his form and what he’s doing but we’ve got to try and take a little bit of weight off him and make sure that he’s able to play the game we know he can play.”

TAKING FULL CONTROL

Luai was lured to the Tigers for his leadership as much as his talent. At Penrith, the Tigers playmaker shared a dressing room which was bloated with leaders.

Nathan Cleary and Isaah Yeo shared the captaincy in his final season but Luai was in the background, always cajoling and playing his part.

At the Tigers, he has been in the foreground with Api Koroisau, exemplified by the way they were front and centre during the Galvin saga.

Even after he was axed from the NSW team for Origin I, Luai stopped to speak to journalists who were waiting outside the dressing room at Campbelltown Stadium.

If the Tigers wanted leadership, they have received it in spades from Luai.

Wests Tigers' Jarome Luai and Sunia Turuva bring out the claw celebration.

“Mate, it’s just crazy,” Tigers winger Sunia Turuva, another former Penrith player, said.

“Back at Penrith you have all the leaders there, so I guess he didn’t really get to speak as much as he does here.

“But just seeing the way that he’s just taken full control here with Api - it started with the army camp that we had at the start of the year and his energy when the boys were down and out, it was unmatched, picking the boys up.

“I think the key one with Romey is just after a loss, how positive he is with the boys.

“Especially because we’ve got a young group, he’s able to give good chat and good energy to the boys around us. If you know Romey, he’s pretty smart, he’s well-spoken.

“For myself, I’ve been fortunate enough to see it in the last couple of years.

“I’ve played outside him. He’s got the captain and leadership under his belt now.

“So it’s just good to see the way he’s growing as a player and as a man off the field, it’s really cool to see.”

THE WINNER

There was a stat that largely flew under the radar during Luai’s time at Penrith - the Panthers’ winning record when Luai was in the team was better than when Cleary was present.

As important as Cleary was to Penrith’s success, that one stat suggested that Luai was a vital piece of the puzzle.

Certainly the Panthers have struggled this year in his absence - they are 15th heading into Sunday’s game at Campbelltown Stadium.

“He’s a winner,” Richardson said.

“Everything he does is meticulous and thorough, whether it be playing touch football, whether it be hit ups, whatever you want to talk about.

“Everything is done at 100 miles per hour. He’s an enthusiastic talker without talking shit. He’s a magnet for the players. Nothing is too much trouble for him.

“He’s the first bloke to pick up the dishes and wash them up. He’s humble.

“He doesn’t think about things other than winning.”

Jarome Luai came to the Wests Tigers to win a ‘ring.’ Picture: Getty Images

Many thought Luai had turned his back on the chance to win another premiership when he arrived at the Tigers. Richardson insists Luai’s only motivation during talks over his deal was the chance to add to his four premierships.

“That’s what it’s all about - rings,” Richardson said.

“He believes we can win another ring for him here, which will be massive. He’s here to win. He doesn’t like losing, but he’s not a bad tempered loser.

“He’s the first one to walk around the room and check on everybody.

“He knows what it takes to build a team. Don’t forget, he came through the hard times at Penrith. They weren’t always winning.

“The big thing about him, I noticed when he was 15 years old, he didn’t have to be the captain to create the enthusiasm in the team.

“He’s the first one to jump in when they score a try, he’s the first one too pull them together. Whereas Cleary would have led them over there ….. he was a spark.

“And he’s the spark here.”

THE GET OUT CLAUSES

Much has been made about the clauses in Luai’s five-year deal with the Tigers that give him the ability to head to market on November 1.

His first two years were locked in but he has player options for the three years after that.

Remarkably, when Richardson first took over negotiations, the parties were talking about a deal with clauses at the end of every year.

Richardson convinced Luai to give him some time to demonstrate that the club was on the rise and he says he harbours no concerns over Luai’s commitment.

“I’ve got no question mark that he is in for the crocodile roll,” Richardson said.

“I don’t worry at all.

“I know what we promised him …. and why I let it go in the second year, because I wanted to prove in the first year that we’re going to do the things we said we’re going to do.”

(L-R) Benji Marshall and Jarome Luai are a dynamic pair. Picture: Getty Images

Richardson insists they have done just that. The club has certainly improved their form on recent years and they continue to recruit with vigour - on Friday they announced they had signed Newcastle and England back rower Kai Pearce-Paul for the next three years.

“In my experience, wherever I have been, you’ve got to get a marquee player to build the club around,” Richardson said.

“I was fortunate we got Preston Campbell when Penrith were wooden spooners and we built the club around him.

“Greg Inglis, there’s no doubt whatsoever, was the turning point for us to win a premiership at Souths. I see Luai in the same category - he’s a great leader, a great player, he’s marquee and you can build a club around him.

“He’s got a very close relationship with Benji (Marshal). I think Benji sold to him on the basis that we’re building for something special and you could be part of that.

“You can leave a legacy at this club. It’s really just he’s got this amazing ability to win. I mean there’s a game of inches and yeah we haven’t got the inches (at times this season).

“But at the end of the day, we’ll get better and better as the year goes on and we’ll get better and better next year.”

Originally published as Wests Tigers still banking on Jarome Luai to be the spark the club needs