OFFICIAL Jarome Luai - #295

PNG are our only hope of Luai leaving. Perth have better options.

I don't have an issue with him having a go at our guys if they aren't playing as they should. That's what team leaders should do.

The problem is that he just isn't a very good player. There's a reason why Penrith only offered him 700k a year. Yes salary cap issues form part of it, but they knew his job was replaceable since all he did was sit 2/3 wide and chime in every now and again.

We're basically stuck with Brooks 2.0 here, except Luai's contract is arguably worse since it was a total unforced error signing him to it. At least Brooks was a local junior and we'd just lost a bunch of other young talents at the same time so we needed a win of sorts. There was just no reason at all to give Luai such a monster contract.
 
Demps said:
Wild takes.

it's his first year at a club coming off three spoons.

His origin days are probably over so now he can focus on how to elevate the Tigers.

Seasons almost over but its early days for Luai.
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I can’t say I hate him by any means … but my enthusiasm about him has diminished over the course of the season … perhaps the opposition concentrate on him given lack of other current attacking options, so someone else needs to step up even in addition to when Bula is back …let’s hope there is an excuse and he can improve because he isn’t playing to his contract value …
 
After paying Luai a massive amount of money I would have to say that 90% of his payment was based on reputation and 10% ON PERFORMANCE. Since joining the Tigers he has been such a disappointment! Against the Warriors he ran the ball maybe twice in the match - his kicking was off and generally he showed a lack of intensity that we have come to expect from him. In fact, the team looked much better without him e.g the Roosters game. I hope he will exercise his get out clause. So much expectation and such a disappointment.
 
clontarfkid said:
Think he will be Perths marque player..same $$..fresh start away from this self imposed mess
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it's a bit optimistic to think that perth will come in and have a better roster than the tigers.
they have exactly the same salary cap... so the money still needs to be split the same as every other NRL team. there are no cap exemptions.
i have big concerns for them as a club in the early years..
 
mtd#2 said:
it's a bit optimistic to think that perth will come in and have a better roster than the tigers.
they have exactly the same salary cap... so the money still needs to be split the same as every other NRL team. there are no cap exemptions.
i have big concerns for them as a club in the early years..
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The benefit they will have is starting form a clean slate with no deadwood to move on. We're still moving deadwood - but certainly in a better palce than we have been.
 
Batmans Parents said:
Love Benji but the moment he brought that oaf, Heighnington, on to the coaching staff was a massive red flag. The same oaf who all but handed the Roosters the 2010 semi-final because he decided to take his sweet old time in the scrum and I’ll never forgive him for that. That’s the guy helping coach our forwards.

And bringing in Hodgson who did nothing last time he was here and has done nothing since he got the sack last time.

At least Morris has the experience and has demonstrated some success with the Sharks.
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Benji just wants his mates around. Whether it’s coaching staff or players, doesn’t matter. Remember this is a guy who admitted he went into his kitchen and cried when he found out Heigno and Beau Ryan were going to the Sharks. It’s also why hd peddles the family card so hard. That’s all he cares about. Winning is optimal.
 
Tezbajo310 said:
After paying Luai a massive amount of money I would have to say that 90% of his payment was based on reputation and 10% ON PERFORMANCE. Since joining the Tigers he has been such a disappointment! Against the Warriors he ran the ball maybe twice in the match - his kicking was off and generally he showed a lack of intensity that we have come to expect from him. In fact, the team looked much better without him e.g the Roosters game. I hope he will exercise his get out clause. So much expectation and such a disappointment.
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I don't think he is being asked to do the same as he did at the Riff; he has to drive this team more as it doesn't have the same level of quality. My own view is that he is bringing more to the club off the paddock than he is on it as our lack of stike means the oppostion can focus on him and Latu. Especially if the forwards can't lay a platform. We are heading very slowly in the right direction and I can't see who we would buy in that could perform behind our average pack.

Having said that, he certainly didn't have a great game yesterday; however, he was trying to get the team motivated and to the right positions around the park. What he didn't do was change up the gameplan to try and disrupt what the Warriors were doing in defence.

If we don't want to be a side that is reactive to the opposition we need to invest in a capabilty to lay a platform (more dominant forwards). Until we can do that we need to have a plan, or three, in the backpocket, that have been rehearsed, to overcome an oppostion that is winning the defensive battle. Every defensive strategy has weaknesses, if our game plan is being nullifed we need to change the plan during the game and we aren't. To me that is where Luai's weakness lies. This can be overcome.
 
WesternSuburbsBoy said:
Luai 4x time premiership winner at the Panthers, State of Origin winner with the Blues & took Samoa to a World Cup Final as the main guy yet all of a sudden he's shit? how many times does a player come here & dip in quality. Jarome Luai isn't the issue here.
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Brenko Lee is an origin winner and Momirovski has 3 premierships. So? He's also directly contributed to origin losses, one of the premierships he "won" had a grand final which only went Penrith's way the minute he left the field for Jack Cogger of all people.

The Samoa one whatever, they won a bunch of coin flips in essentially a 5 team tournament.

Take these paper achievements away and watch him on the field. He's just not all that as a player.
 
Lukic said:
Brenko Lee is an origin winner and Momirovski has 3 premierships. So? He's also directly contributed to origin losses, one of the premierships he "won" had a grand final which only went Penrith's way the minute he left the field for Jack Cogger of all people.

The Samoa one whatever, they won a bunch of coin flips in essentially a 5 team tournament.

Take these paper achievements away and watch him on the field. He's just not all that as a player.
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Watched him do plenty on the field & be a big contributor to the achievements he's earned in his career. You know we weren't the only club chasing him & offering him those sorts of dollars so it's not just the Wests Tigers who valued him pretty highly & this was all before he filled in at halfback for Penrith last year & did a pretty good job at it too. By that metric is Nathan Cleary a failure because he's directly contributed to Origin losses too (yet to win a decider as the halfback actually)
 
Luai is the ultimate professional in that he trains hard, prepares very well and competes hard on game days, nobody can deny this.
The theory was our team was lacking professionalism and the ability to dig in and compete when things got tough on game days.
No doubt he has helped in these areas, particularly the first half of the season, but over the past month or so in particular his demeanour has started to change, he’s now looking stressed, drained and stuck for ideas.
He’s trying his backside off no doubting that, but ultimately he has not yet shown anywhere near 1.3 million per season of value.
Let’s hope he can rectify this for the remainder of the season.
 
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Vicious said:
Luai is the ultimate professional in that he trains hard, prepares very well and competes hard on game days, nobody can deny this.
The theory was our team was lacking professionalism and the ability tj dig in and compared when things got tough on game days.
No doubt he has helped in these areas, particularly the first half of the season, but over the past month or so in particular his demeanour has started to change, he’s now looking stressed, drained and stuck for ideas.
He’s trying his backside off no doubting that, but ultimately he has not yet shown anywhere near 1.3 million per season of value.
Let’s hope he can rectify this for the remainder of the season.
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All you say is inarguable. My point is that at that salary and with that reputation he should deliver more. He IS the Nathan Cleary for the Tigers! He has the proven ability to run the ball and when he does that he has the opposition at sixes and sevens but to merely be given the ball on the 5th and then kick down the middle doesn't justify his value. We all know he is better than that.....what's going on??
 
Tezbajo310 said:
All you say is inarguable. My point is that at that salary and with that reputation he should deliver more. He IS the Nathan Cleary for the Tigers! He has the proven ability to run the ball and when he does that he has the opposition at sixes and sevens but to merely be given the ball on the 5th and then kick down the middle doesn't justify his value. We all know he is better than that.....what's going on??
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My guess is that Jerome and Api would have a big influence in our game plan, so when it’s not working they have to be held just as accountable as what Benji is.
The only explanation for so much one out boring play is that it’s very Penrith and Melbourne like.
The problem is we don’t have the class and strike players or a good enough defence to afford playing this boring style of play and wait for our class players to come up with the special plays.
Let’s try getting more strike in our 17, play a lot more expansive and try winning games 36-30.
 
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