‘I’ve never felt better’: Luai makes successful return but surgery still an option for injured shoulder

Jarome Luai made a stunning return from a dislocated shoulder to help Penrith reach another grand final, but the injury could force him out of Samoa’s end of season Tests.

Jarome Luai made a successful return from a shoulder injury, but the Panthers star says he may still require surgery. Picture; NRL Photos

Panthers star Jarome Luai says he’s “never felt better” after he made a successful return from a dislocated shoulder which he concedes might require off-season surgery that would rule him out of next month’s Pacific Championships.

Luai dislocated his left shoulder a month ago in the loss to Parramatta which plenty of people thought would have ruled him out for the entire finals series in a huge blow to Penrith’s quest for three titles in a row.

There were fears Jarome Luai would miss the rest of the season when he dislocated his shoulder in Round 26. Picture; NRL Photos

But scans the following day were better than expected and Luai always planned on coming back for the preliminary final which they won 38-4 to end Melbourne’s season.

The Samoan star has spent the past two weeks tackling prop forwards from Penrith’s NSW Cup team who have run at him fresh during sessions to make it as realistic as possible to simulate what Luai would experience during a game.

The physical sessions paid off with Luai showing no signs of discomfort in Friday’s win where he made 14 of his 15 tackles and earned an early mark with 22 minutes to go.

“I’ve never felt better and I’m ready for next week,” he said.

“I’m always optimistic with injuries, and it’s all about belief and confidence.”

The Panthers were always bracing for the Storm to send their big boys at Luai but Melbourne’s errors meant they weren’t able to test out his shoulder.

“I knew they were trying to get at me, but I wanted to let them know that I was sweet with my body language and things like that,” he said.

“I just wanted to make a tackle head on and it felt sweet after that. That gave me a lot of confidence. I’m not sure how I looked, but it felt good.”

Luai’s injury could rule him out of next month’s Tests for Samoa. Picture; Matthew Lewis/Getty Images for RLWC

While it felt good on Friday, Luai says he might need surgery after the grand final to repair his left shoulder which would rule him out of the Pacific Championships which start next month against Australia in Townsville.

The two-time premiership winner is still managing the pain although he has no idea if that’s because of any potential ligament damage.

“I’m not too sure because I didn’t even read the report, but I just knew it was a bit sore,” he said.

“It’s a bit weird when I sleep at night. That’s probably the thing that gives me the most dramas.

“When I wake up each morning it feels a bit weird, and that’s been the case every morning since it happened so I might have to get surgery because of that.

“Once it warms up and I get going, it’s all good.

“If I need surgery then I’ll get that done which means unfortunately I’d miss (the Tests). But it’s something I might need if I want to get right for next year.”

The Panthers head into next Sunday’s grand final without any injury concerns after hat-trick hero Brian To’o (cork) was cleared of any serious damage to his calf.

It capped a stellar night for the premiers who were expertly led by Nathan Cleary who overcame a finger injury from earlier in the week.

He should get more support from Luai next week, with Panthers coach Ivan Cleary in awe of his five-eighth’s recovery and will to return.

Luai earned high praise from Panthers coach Ivan Cleary for his efforts to return from injury. Picture; Matt King/Getty Images

“He was very courageous,” he said.

“Not just physically, but mentally, the whole way he’s approached this injury (has been excellent).

“From the moment he came off that night, he was saying all positive things. Everyone was talking about it this week, but for us, he wasn’t really in doubt.

“I had to check myself a couple of days ago and had to think about it a little bit more because of what everyone else way saying.

“There’s obviously some management of risk there, but he just went 100 per cent with everything and that helped him to play like he did tonight.”