Ivan Cleary adamant Penrith will hold on to Jarome Luai

The minor premiership and the signature of a star playmaker are the two things Penrith coach Ivan Cleary is after.

Penrith coach Ivan Cleary says Jarome Luai “belongs” at the Panthers, adamant a huge deal for fullback Dylan Edwards won’t impact the club’s ability to hold onto the star five-eighth.

Luai, who will miss his team’s Saturday clash with the Cowboys that could help seal the minor premiership for Penrith due to a shoulder injury, will enter the final year of his contract next season with cashed-up suitors chasing him.

This week, the Panthers locked away superstar fullback Edwards on a four-year contract extension, worth an estimated $850,000 a year, which ties him to the club longer than any of his premiership teammates.

But Cleary remains adamant the massive pay rise for Edwards won’t impact the club’s ability to keep Luai and pay him “what he’s worth”.

“We still feel that way,” Cleary said.

“Each one‘s difficult because obviously the values go up and they’ve got families to consider and all that.

“But we feel confident that we can offer Romey what he’s worth. We feel that he, like Dylan, is a Panther. He belongs here. I think he knows it and we know it.”

Jarome Luai hurt his shoulder against Parramatta.

Melbourne’s take-down of Brisbane on Thursday night has opened the door for Penrith to seize another minor premiership and secure the No.1 ranking going into the finals.

While the Storm and Broncos chose to rest a host of stars for the final-round clash, the Panthers have been icing their key players at various stages over the past month to get ready for the finals.

Only Luai, Izack Tago and Mitch Kenny are missing from an otherwise full-strength team for the clash with North Queensland, and Cleary couldn’t deny the lure of finishing on top wasn’t one to be dismissed.

But he also said it wouldn’t impact their plans for the game, with finals clearly in their minds.

“The fact that (the minor premiership) is back on the table is quite cool,” Cleary said.

“There’s something about finishing at the top that you should be proud of.

“(But) I don‘t like to change things halfway through a week. It hasn’t changed anything for us.”