OFFICIAL Jarome Luai - #295

[Lestronge]

What do you mean? My point with all of this is that we have a huge issue with retention. We can’t retain players to save ourselves and it’s been an issue for years. It’s not about Luai individually. We lost two juniors last year. Our fullback is not secured. Our younger players are free agents soon. How do we convince them to stay if our captain wants to leave? Newcastle have been crap but Ponga still chose to stay. Titans re-sign their players. For some reason here they can’t wait to get out.

Mate you’re off your head ! His legacy will be the culture he helped establish for the long haul as much as what he’s done on the field.
When he leaves Latu will be 22/23 , Andruws will be 21/22 , Heyward 21/22. Bula 26/27 or Attard 21/22.
He will be leaving with a strong foundation and if we continue with our current ways , a strong future.

The club has retained all the core of the next generation , and the current core are nearly to a man looking at going around again with new contracts.
He’s doing the club a favour IMO. Those last 2 years have real potential of killing the clubs cap as they’re ratchet claused and could be 1.5 to 1.6 million dollars .

 

[wstigers11]

Like I said up thread … the team is winning now ( they didn’t in the era you are describing previously ) … From what we see on May’s podcast …they seem happy …

Players are gunna come and go whether Luai stays or not ..and in three years he is out of the club anyway …

If players don’t want to stay in a winning team .,then I don’t know what anyone can do about it ?

The two juniors reasons for leaving were well documented… The hooker would have stayed but they preferred Api

You’d think winning fixes everything but Bula isn’t done and god knows with Jarome now.

 

[Vicious]

You wanted to hold off re-signing Bula. You think this gives him the confidence to stay now?

Nobody is irreplaceable.

 

[Tom Shines]

I thought we were his bag

We are just his coin purse if he goes to PNG

 

[Lestronge]

I thought we were his bag

Maybe . But a 600k bag is not the same as a 1.5mil bag is it ?
Thats generational wealth type shit , if you’re smart with your money .

 

[wstigers11]

Nobody is irreplaceable.

Hahahaha. The ol WT motto. Teddy’s still carving up.

 

[ShanghaiCharlie]

Good on him if he goes. Cash in.
He has been a circuit breaker for this club - along with Richo and Benji.
Hope we can consolidate the culture change with success this year and next before he possibly goes.

Worth every penny of the 1.2mill for such a central role in changing the 15 years of shit culture here.

 

[Tom Shines]

You’d think winning fixes everything but Bula isn’t done and god knows with Jarome now.

Who knows about Bula ? He hasn’t made a call either way yet

 

[Lestronge]

Like I said up thread … the team is winning now ( they didn’t in the era you are describing previously ) … From what we see on May’s podcast …they seem happy …

Players are gunna come and go whether Luai stays or not ..and in three years he is out of the club anyway …

If players don’t want to stay in a winning team .,then I don’t know what anyone can do about it ?

The two juniors reasons for leaving were well documented… The hooker would have stayed but the club preferred Api

They preferred the present of Api and the future of Heyward. And it’s looking like a very clever bit of business right now .

 

[Tom Shines]

They preferred the present of Api and the future of Heyward. And it’s looking like a very clever bit of business right now .

Yes ..I didn’t agree at the time about Api ..but it looks a good call now

 

[Lestronge]

Who knows about Bula ? He hasn’t made a call either way yet

Bula is good . But honestly if we take his option and kick the can down the road and he goes to PNG with luai or the dogs . We have 18 months to really develop attard and Brooke’s . They’re both going to be special .

 

[mtd#2]

Because I’m having a discussion about Luai …and you are then claiming I want the club to go back to having HBG picking the teams

Maybe I've come on too strong, but I am sick of this BS. Its same crap different year.

This all stems from what happened in december.

The club was finally in a strong position on and off the field.

Luai isnt in PNG today if december didnt happen, because those clauses were going.

There would be no conjecture about Bula because he was ready to sign in december.

I am an optimistic guy, but to be optimistic about this club while we have the same rotting head would just be stupid of me.

Take a look back at my blind optimism from 14 years ago, thinking things would get better.

I want the club to succeed, the owners say they want that too, but the priority is protecting the magpies.... we are not aligned.

 

[wstigers11]

Who knows about Bula ? He hasn’t made a call either way yet

If Jarome isn’t staying that’s probably not going to help unfortunately. Stability with the roster is near impossible for this club

 

[Vicious]

Who knows about Bula ? He hasn’t made a call either way yet

I’m mindful of keeping this thread on topic and keeping the discussion about Jerome Luai, but geez Logan Brookes has a lot of similarities to a young Dylan Edwards.

 

[Jimmy]

Been on the cards for a while, we did opt to extend Doueihi early on. If Luai can get a 4 year deal from 2028 onwards worth over 5 million it would be very hard to turn down.

 

[mtd#2]

If Luai ends up staying with us it probably means we would lose Latu Fainu due to lack of opportunity, so it probably works in our favour if he does chase the money being offered by PNG.

Latu will stay here even if it means he is a cateer #14. He isnt leaving benji.

 

[Jedi_Tiger]

Think Bula is gone
i dont begrudge luai he has won comps and origins good luck to him chase the cash.

May brothers are off contract end of 2027 too. Both of them would attract interest from a number of clubs

interesting times ahead

 

[TYGA]

Maybe . But a 600k bag is not the same as a 1.5mil bag is it ?
Thats generational wealth type shit , if you’re smart with your money .

This is what people forget. I did the same years ago in PNG. That was fir alot oess than 1.5m. It really sets you up. He will get a 3-4 year deal on 1.5m and theres massive corporate sponsorship in PNG. The face of the franchise there may get 1m on top. He will go for certain.

 

[Vicious]

Latu will stay here even if it means he is a cateer #14. He isnt leaving benji.

You would think Latu will be too good and too valuable to be a number 14 come season 2028.

 

[Lestronge]

Maybe I've come on too strong, but I am sick of this BS. Its same crap different year.

This all stems from what happened in december.

The club was finally in a strong position on and off the field.

Luai isnt in PNG today if december didnt happen, because those clauses were going.

There would be no conjecture about Bula because he was ready to sign in december.

I am an optimistic guy, but to be optimistic about this club while we have the same rotting head would just be stupid of me.

Take a look back at my blind optimism from 14 years ago, thinking things would get better.

I want the club to succeed, the owners say they want that too, but the priority is protecting the magpies.... we are not aligned.

Whilst I don’t disagree , as I keep saying a half who bounces around everywhere as his main skill , usually loses that bounce and first step by the time they’re early 30s .
I love Romey , but years 28and 29 scared the shit out of me more than anything , as Andruws will be the Queensland 6 moving forward imo . And Latu is a gun , just needs his adult body to grow and get those hammys right .
There’s already people who were speculating about Latu needing to move on , as his road to nrl is blocked . This is a good thing imo . I can’t see a negative .