OFFICIAL Jarome Luai - #295

[hammertime]

I don't really get how those TPA's are even allowed before he'd even began his tenure at PNG?

Obviously must be legal since it's so open, but how is that ok?

They are supposed to be independent of the club. e.g. Jordan and Nike.

In reality, it's more grey than that, and this one is a problem because of the distance to get there to represent. PNG companies will be capitalising on the hype next year, which wouldn't happen in other scenarios.

The clubs lodge these with the NRL to validate that the deals are independent, which has caught the Tigers admin up in all of this.

 

[Halbrowne61]

Other thing is were trying to build and move up the ladder, couldnt help if Luai is on a plane a few times a month heading to and from PNG, missing large chunks of training.

I think Benji must make the call “ for the good of the team” to start putting him in the bench to give our young guys a go.

IMO there’s something ( don’t know what) not right about this whole saga , but whether we’ll ever know is unlikely.
Or maybe I’m just cynical in my old age.

 

[Telltails]

If every good player was benched because he committed to another club the following season a lot of good players would not be playing much footy.
It's a professional sport. Fans are emotive we don't make the best judgement in situations like this. It's been dealt with - every coach in the NRL with the squad we have currently available would pick him and so should Benji.

 

[Tom Shines]

They are supposed to be independent of the club. e.g. Jordan and Nike.

In reality, it's more grey than that, and this one is a problem because of the distance to get there to represent. PNG companies will be capitalising on the hype next year, which wouldn't happen in other scenarios.

The clubs lodge these with the NRL to validate that the deals are independent, which has caught the Tigers admin up in all of this.

TPA’s have always reminded me of that old saying “it’s only a rort if you aren’t doing it”…

For some reason it’s a game that our club doesn’t want to play …. Puts as at a disadvantage

 

[TheEnz]

100%. Something is different from when Luai originally signed. Players might be off him. Maybe theres a split in the sheds. Yesterday Luai said in his presser a shout out to the guys who are with him through everything on his side, they know who they are called them his team. Wasnt sure if it was family related or teammate. If it was teammate sounded like others were off him.

Dont know if they are "off" him, however i have seen a bit of a shift in the dynamic and to be entirely honest even from the start he seemed to be a bit aloof from the rest of the team. He has a number of businesses he pursues outside of the WT so you very rarely see him in any of the pics the guys share when they are out with each other. On the field and in the media he is all in with the team, however outside of that i don't think he really socializes with them.

 

[TheEnz]

I think Benji must make the call “ for the good of the team” to start putting him in the bench to give our young guys a go.

IMO there’s something ( don’t know what) not right about this whole saga , but whether we’ll ever know is unlikely.
Or maybe I’m just cynical in my old age.

Even if deep down Benji has decided our chances of making the top 8 are zero, he will still be committed to winning more games and finishing higher than last season....that's probably more critical for him and the club than giving a few young guys a taste.

 

[426Tlgerland]

Could send them on a cruise and transfer it in international waters.

Yep PNG cash over to USA cash back to Aussie , not sure if it would work but who knows , if it did happy days

 

[Halbrowne61]

I don't claim to be an expert ( as I start commenting like I am one, lol) but I think a lot of this was in a whole package of investment into PNG as part of a defence strategy to curtail China. Wasn't that long ago that Cook Islands did a deal to allow Chinese military to have a base there, and it explains government's recent trips to Pacific nations. I suspect altering tax laws for a relatively few Australian football players is small stuff in the scheme of things for them. (and all governments do offer 'tax incentives' for other reasons. In my industries lots of US companies are offered 'unfair' tax treatment to entice them here to spend money. Whether or not it is benefit to my industry is another matter).

It is small potatoes but the Govt did play the rugby league card very well. They knew how big it is up there and using as leverage was a clever political move.
Step one has gone smoothly but I think there’s going to be a few roadblocks along the way.

 

[Illek]

Also had me wondering - so their money tax free statis is land locked unless they clean it , shuffle it out of PNG.
When Sterlo and that era of player went to mother England for a top up,they used to pay them in flight coming back to Australia in international air space to avoid tax laws /or so the story went

As someone who has worked overseas it’s not landlocked. On return you can transfer it as long as you paid that countries defined tax for that period. The issue becomes if you didn’t live in that country for the full tax year, and lived in Australia partially, then it’s subject to Australian taxation as well.

Finish your time there at the end of the financial year you can transfer it back without issues. The interesting part will be that the NRL season doesn’t line up with the tax year so could make it messy in that sense.

 

[EllisFan]

Decisions been made … may as well hope for the best that everyone just moves on .,, I don’t know about you, but I don’t think Wally Lewis or Nathan Cleary is walking out the door early…

They wouldn’t be at WT in the first place.

Feels to me like Benji’s hand was forced in this.

Luai should of been our 6 next year with Latu & Javon competing for the 7.

Instead we’ll enter 2027 as wooden spoon favourites and a coach under enormous pressure.

 

[EllisFan]

Even if deep down Benji has decided our chances of making the top 8 are zero, he will still be committed to winning more games and finishing higher than last season....that's probably more critical for him and the club than giving a few young guys a taste.

This is where a Head of Football steps in and says no, if our halves next year are going to be kids, we better get them some experience. Shame we don’t have anyone in that role.

 

[diedpretty]

If it's taxed bringing into the country that would be strange

Maybe if it's deposit straight into a AUS bank account

Will just have to setup Romey Inc. in the Cayman Islands

 

[Tiger Woods]

With our season on the line
It's make or break for Looi
🚽

 

[twentyforty]

This is where a Head of Football steps in and says no, if our halves next year are going to be kids, we better get them some experience. Shame we don’t have anyone in that role.

Agree 100% EllisFan. There would be plenty of work to do in that area of responsibility and if they haven’t got a HoF, then those tasks would be either ignored or farmed out to a single person or a handful of people with “other more important responsibilities.” Ones that have KPIs.
Other clubs have high respect for the role.

 

[Bellend]

Dont know if they are "off" him, however i have seen a bit of a shift in the dynamic and to be entirely honest even from the start he seemed to be a bit aloof from the rest of the team. He has a number of businesses he pursues outside of the WT so you very rarely see him in any of the pics the guys share when they are out with each other. On the field and in the media he is all in with the team, however outside of that i don't think he really socializes with them.

This was happening well before PNG signing.

 

[Alex Seyfarth's #1 Fan]

Can't wait to see the back of him. Don't care if everything was done by the book or not.

What an abject failure his signing has been.

Would you call signing May bros, Turuva, and some others a failure? Cause without him signing on we get none of them, or they come at an even higher premium.

 

[Alex Seyfarth's #1 Fan]

I saw this, it’s wrong. Don’t take tax advice from rugby league journos. I thought Kenty would be better than this.

Especially journos who have CTE from falling into a tree.

 

[Vicious]

This is where a Head of Football steps in and says no, if our halves next year are going to be kids, we better get them some experience. Shame we don’t have anyone in that role.

We will have 2 very experienced halves in Doueihi and Jock Madden and 2 young emerging halves in Latu and Javon Andrews.
That to me looks like a good balance and if we can recruit to ensure we have a bit more strength around them even if we have a few injuries, I can’t see how a combination of those 4 halves cannot get the job done.

 

[liltiger]

I think Benji must make the call “ for the good of the team” to start putting him in the bench to give our young guys a go.

IMO there’s something ( don’t know what) not right about this whole saga , but whether we’ll ever know is unlikely.
Or maybe I’m just cynical in my old age.

I agree, i dont blame either Luai or the club, i see both sides and believe theyre both valid in what theyve done. But for Luai to say it took a bit of time to sink in, shows me that the club would have told him your all good for next year then changed their position. I get its for the future but believe theres more. Just think its an excuse and think some in the dressing room are off him.

 

[liltiger]

Dont know if they are "off" him, however i have seen a bit of a shift in the dynamic and to be entirely honest even from the start he seemed to be a bit aloof from the rest of the team. He has a number of businesses he pursues outside of the WT so you very rarely see him in any of the pics the guys share when they are out with each other. On the field and in the media he is all in with the team, however outside of that i don't think he really socializes with them.

Just my speculation, thing that makes it hard is all the injuries to key players we've had. If we have this slump with our full team id be certain imo that we have a fractured group. With the injuries we've had and lack of depth at the club the heavy losses although they sting are understandable. Really hard to guage. Just strange that the club has changed footing.