$6m Luai threat in boardroom bloodshed; Benji’s big Bula dilemma — Tigers State of Play
Mark St John from Fox Sports
December 4th, 2025 6:00 am
Wests Tigers’ messy boardroom clean-out has their CEO considering quitting and it could have a disastrous impact on their ability to retain co-captain Jarome Luai amid huge roster implications.
The joint venture club has a history of infighting between the two factions from Balmain and the Western Suburbs Magpies, and it is exactly the sort of instability that could see Luai exercise a get-out clause in his $6 million deal.
If the club lose Luai, they will have lost the two playmakers they planned on building the club around for the next five years after Lachlan Galvin’s departure to the Bulldogs.
And it is not the only roster issue the Tigers have, with star fullback Jahream Bula off-contract in 2026 and yet to reach an agreement over an extension amid links to following Galvin to the Bulldogs.
Meanwhile, the club has struggled to sign star forwards with their pack looking thin, despite the arrival of England international Kai Pearce-Paul from the Knights.
And despite a massive overhaul over the past two seasons under Benji Marshall, their roster is far from settled and in need of more depth and star power to return to the finals.
Meanwhile, they have 13 players coming off-contract in 2027, so the bulk of their squad will need to be re-signed over the next two seasons, while they have just five players signed for 2028 and none beyond that.
Of the players they have signed until 2028, Api Koroisau is the lone star and is likely on his last deal, while Alex Seyfarth, Jack Attard, Javon Andrews, Kai Pearce-Paul and Starford Toa are hardly household names you can build the club around as yet.
The Tigers roster still needs a lot of work to make them a contender and if they lose Luai they may need to start again from scratch.