By Dan Walsh
In the nicest, or maybe just the bluntest, way possible, Jarome Luai isn’t interested in discussing his future halves partner Lachlan Galvin wanting out of the Tigers.
Or that Stefano Utoikamanu is thinking the same way, despite having a five-year, $4 million offer to stay.
“I don’t really care what’s going on over there at the moment,” the Panthers five-eighth says. “I’m worried about winning my fourth [premiership] ring here, so that’s what matters to me. I’m not too worried about that.”
The Tigers have worries coming out of the walls at Concord, but Luai offers sorely needed relief as he fills out Nathan Cleary’s No.7 jumper for the premiers at the moment.
He’ll earn $6 million over the next five years as the Tigers halfback from next season, with Benji Marshall and Shane Richardson staking the club’s turnaround on Luai as the mother of all statement signings.
His performances on both sides of the ball speak to a confidence Ivan Cleary has rarely seen from one of the game’s most confident figures, with Luai’s running game and other key involvements off the charts against the Warriors, Sharks and Sea Eagles.
Especially compared to the last time he played halfback in Cleary’s absence three years ago. In three games steering the Panthers around en route to their 2021 title, Luai ran the ball 20 times for a combined 95 metres.
These past three weeks, he has run 49 times for 424 metres, with two tries, two assists and 18 tackle busts to boot.
“I really know I have to step up without [Cleary] being there so I’m relishing that role,” Luai says. “I’ve just got to be more hands on I think, especially with the kicking and the direction of where we’re going as a team and how our sets are looking … I had a bit of a slow start this year and I think that was more to do with my shoulder surgery.
“This being my last year [at Penrith], it’s the last ride and I want to make sure I have my best year.”
Can Jarome Luai really turn around the Tigers?Credit: Getty
In Penrith’s entertaining 32-22 win over Manly on Sunday, Luai was in absolutely everything, niggling Luke Brooks into a defensive lapse, forcing another error with contact on Tof Sipley and bundling Jason Saab into touch.
Afterwards, Brad Fittler was left raving about Luai’s running game, constantly shifting Penrith’s attack from left to right, skipping across the line and dragging reluctant defenders in.
Luai’s crossfield searching can exasperate fans at times, particularly behind a struggling pack. But even for a 12-man NSW side last Wednesday night, tries to James Tedesco and Zac Lomax followed Luai turning on a dime and taking a hard right with left-edge plays.
Of course, steering the Penrith ship might just be the best job in rugby league.
Tigers skipper Api Koroisau can tell his old premiership-winning teammate how quickly life changes when you move across town and down the other end of the ladder.
The Tigers are bullish about hanging onto Galvin despite the 18-year-old’s numerous release requests. CEO Shane Richardson is ready to offer an immediate upgrade and longer deal beyond 2026 to keep him.
In the nicest way possible, Richardson and rookie coach Marshall’s challenges seem to be growing by the day.
But so did Penrith’s a month ago, when Cleary tore his hamstring against the Bulldogs after back-up No.7 Brad Schneider had gone down with a knee injury earlier that night.
“It was a real opportunity for [Luai],” Ivan Cleary says, “not just an opportunity for him though, we needed him. He’s absolutely stepped up and played really well.”
In his own words, Luai has relished it.
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