A three-way battle for Jarome Luai’s signature is set to heat up after the three-time premiership five-eighth hit back at comments from his coach Ivan Cleary.
Luai is one of the biggest names testing their value on the open market, and with a dearth of great halves available, has been seen as a potential million-dollar player at another club.
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The Panthers, who recently upped their offer to $850,000 a season, are said to be in a battle with the Canterbury Bulldogs and Wests Tigers to sign up the at-times controversial star.
But earlier in the week, Panthers coach Ivan Cleary appeared to suggest that Luai may not want the pressure that comes with running a team by himself.
“If any club, the money we are talking, the money he may consider leaving, it would have to be for that kind of role, which I would understand,” Cleary said.
“Is he ready for that? That’s a question mark I would think. Can he do it? I’m sure he could do it. Has he done it? He hasn’t really. In this team he has his role to play. That’s a risk everyone would have to take.”
Luai plays second-fiddle to Nathan Cleary, who is one of the game’s best players and almost single-handedly dragged his side to a remarkable NRL grand final victory — the club’s third straight.
But Luai didn’t appear to be too happy, hitting back with a reply via Instagram, writing: “Know your worth”.
Speaking on The Daily Telegraph’s NRL Podcast, Newscorp journalist Brent Read believes Cleary made a mistake with his comments.
“The fact is you are worth what someone is willing to pay you,” Read said.
“So to say that he is not worth $1 million, well you know what when he goes to open market he will get $1 million, so that is what he is worth.
“So it is whether you get value for the pay packet that is the issue.”
The other potential suitors for Luai in the Tigers and Bulldogs also have strong links to the Panthers, with Api Koroisau the captain at Wests, while Canterbury have the likes of former Panthers assistant Cameron Ciraldo as head coach and former players such as Matt Burton, Viliame Kikau and Stephen Crichton, as well as GM of football Phil Gould.
The Daily Telegraph’s Michael Carayannis said that the Tigers could have another card to play in new coach Benji Marshall.
“The Tigers have an interest,” Carayannis said.
“There are some interesting quotes from Jarome that he used to idolise Benji Marshall.
“Benji was the star player that he really looked up to.”
Read added: “They know they each other, they were roommates and teammates with the Maori All Stars two or three years ago,” Read said.
“That’s when Jarome made those quotes. He said he loved Benji from the age of five when he saw Benji in the 2005 Grand Final.
“He grew up with a Tigers towel that he used to dry himself with every day. It was a heartwarming story.”
While that may sound strange, that story came out of Maori All Stars camp in 2021 when Luai admitted Marshall’s flick to Pat Richards in the 2005 grand final was a “memory that I’ll have for the rest of my life”.
“I remember my mum got me a Tigers towel afterwards and I used it after every shower for the next five years – I just didn’t want to let go of it,” Luai said at the time.
“I’ve been a fan of Benji ever since.”
Anyway...
Read and Carayannis ruled out the likes of Canberra and St George to go for Luai, claiming it really is a three-horse race.
But Read said Cleary will have to do some relationship repair following his comments, particularly since Luai has another year left on his deal.
“The other thing about Ivan’s comments and the feedback to that is I reckon Jarome will be looking at that going, I can be the main man,” Read said.
“It could actually prompt him to leave.
“I think he would see that and go, well I can do it. If you doubt me I will go and do it somewhere else.
“That is his only choice right? Because he can’t do it at Penrith because Nathan Cleary is there and Nathan will always be the main man at Penrith.”
Carayannis agreed.
“It could light the fire in him,” Carayannis said.
“The type of person and player that he is, well if you don’t think I can do it guess what? Maybe I will and I will show you I can do it.
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“I kind of want him to leave because of the confidence that he has in himself and the headlines that he grabs he will wear it.
“He wears it pretty well. He will come out and he will know that if he leaves there will be the expectation and the pressure and he will own that. He won’t shy away from it.
“And then you have got the storyline of Jarome vs. Nathan and Jarome vs. Ivan and I think it is tantalising.”
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