By Dan Walsh
With a deliberate nod to LeBron James taking his talents to South Beach in 2010, and the distinct whiff of rugby league in the air, Jarome Luai took his seat.
On a table just outside the small, windowless room at the Novotel Darling Harbour, a single Wests Tigers hat sat on a table among the hotel’s refreshments.
On Luai’s head, an MLB baseball cap. But given the small room, 30-degree January day and family, friends, management, journalists and cameramen, this still smelled like rugby league.
Luai spoke, frankly as usual, about finding his place in the game, to the tune of about $6 million on a five-year Tigers deal from 2025.
“I’ve always been that kind of kid to prove people wrong,” Luai said of those questioning his eventual move from Penrith, three-time reigning premiers, to the back-to-back wooden spooners.
“But I think this one was more so to prove to myself.”
Jarome Luai - entertaining as usual - as he held court in Darling Harbour’s Novotel.Credit: AAP
Say what you want about Luai, but he’s never boring.
At 26, he has won three NRL titles, an Origin series, led Samoa to a World Cup final and in the last four years, won almost 90 per cent of NRL games he has played.
Does he still have a point to prove to himself? Apparently so because despite his pointed ‘Know Your Worth’ Instagram post after Ivan Cleary described Luai as a million-dollar risk as a club’s chief playmaker, the man of the moment agreed.
“He wasn’t lying,” Luai said with his father Martin alongside him.
Luai and coach Ivan Cleary after Penrith’s 2023 grand final triumph.Credit: Getty
“It is a risk to throw someone any amount of money ... But I’ve got full belief in what I can do and what I can bring and that all comes off the back of hard work. [Cleary’s comments] did shock me a bit, but he wasn’t lying … I think anyone saying ill about me motivates me. I’ve always had the edge and that chip on my shoulder.
“I just had to think about it and really at the end of the day, he was right. I haven’t proven [myself] on the biggest stage yet. That’s what I want to prove to myself.”
There’s no escaping the sheer enormity of Benji Marshall’s outlay to land Luai on one of the richest deals in the NRL.
Or the pressure that brings at a club that retains the rugby league spotlight due to stumbling from one mishap to another while being unable to reach a finals series in 12 straight attempts.
Luai hardly seems awed or apprehensive, though. He called this press conference – a la LeBron announcing his move to Miami from Cleveland more than 13 years ago – in lieu of the usual cliched press release with club-endorsed statements.
Despite waiving their 10-day cooling off period, Penrith didn’t know Luai was holding court on Wednesday until the alert was landing in inboxes.
Canterbury, the Tigers’ biggest threat to his services, were told in the morning that a decision was coming, but little more.
And the Tigers’ press release went live after Luai had already been speaking for several minutes. The club’s social media posts of Luai photoshopped into Tigers colours were also later discreetly replaced with him wearing NSW kit.
“It’s just Jarome, he does things his way,” his manager Wok Wright – resplendently rugby league in his shorts and thongs, said when thanked for a livelier than usual affair.
When word of Luai’s call to leave Penrith became public in mid-December, he was upset with how he perceived that news getting out, saying he still hadn’t decided where he was going. Only that he was.
He skipped a few days’ training before Christmas and went to ground, offers from the Tigers and Bulldogs weighing on him, along with interest from other clubs as well according to Wright.
“It was a bit of a misunderstanding. I’m not going to go into detail about it, but it’s been a tough process,” Luai said.
“I’ve had to move away from my home and think about that. It was a weird one, that’s why I had to step away for a bit [after this masthead’s report that he was leaving Penrith], because even we didn’t know what was going on.
Jarome Luai and Benji Marshall after representing Maori All Stars in 2021.Credit: NRL Photos
“I’ve got love for Ivan, love for my boys … I didn’t want any of this to get in the way of those relationships.”
In the end, Canterbury’s pursuit – “Cam Ciraldo’s like my second dad” – was trumped by Luai’s childhood idol and one-time Maori All Stars teammate Marshall.
One of the most mercurial to ever lace up a boot, you suspect Marshall’s pitch that “he saw a lot of himself in me” rang just as loudly as the promise to make Luai the Tigers’ main man. It’s a hell of a compliment after all.
“It was pretty cool to hear it from him. He told me I was the guy to help them get back on their feet … Being my own guy, writing my own story, that was a big part of it too.”
As far as rugby league player signings go, Luai may have already broken new ground.
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