hank37w
Well-known member
Bad enough doing FIFO to the Pilbara from the East Coast.
Fit In or F*ck Off as they say. 🤣
OFFICIAL Jarome Luai - #295
- Thread starter Frecal
- Start date
Fit In or F*ck Off as they say. 🤣
pawsandclaws1
Well-known member
Slater is one of the best, if not the best commentators in the NRL. He is correct with what he has said in support of WTs.
They don’t have to offer him any more money , as the $1.2 million will be tax free .
On nrl 360 , they said that png still have a salary cap , but all players get tax free
Odessa
Well-known member
Did he ? Richo would have been all over that he only finished in March
Canberratiger
Well-known member
With PNG, I can understand families being hesitant, but as long as security is tight, then I would be going for it. Single guys would be mad not to go.
Tiger_Yoshi
Well-known member
If J.L. signs with the chiefs he gets:
Crazy not to take it if he can handle the different lifestyle....
We still have him next year to further develop Latu and Andrews to take over....
I say go!....and thank you for everything you have done for the WT. A great signing he has turned out to be!...as long as many WT don't follow him..
- Minimum $1.2m per year tax free.
- 3rd party deals taxfree (there would be plenty of those on offer).
- Subsidised travel for him and his family back to Australia.
- Subsidised accomodation
- Free education for his kids
Crazy not to take it if he can handle the different lifestyle....
We still have him next year to further develop Latu and Andrews to take over....
I say go!....and thank you for everything you have done for the WT. A great signing he has turned out to be!...as long as many WT don't follow him..
hank37w
Well-known member
You can easily get them to sign a deals with ratchet clauses that still gives them their current percentage of whatever the new cap is.
SIMPLES
or you can beg like a Meerkat
You think Luais disrespecting Benji?
When we are talking about a possible.3 or 4 million dollar difference in his income...Benji knows all about leaving clubs.
Benji and the club were well.aware everything has been transparent...i guess he disrespected Ivan as.well when he came.here
pawsandclaws1
Well-known member
I heard a few minutes ago Luai was given a tour of the hotel where the families would be accommodated.
Not been rude , but do u really think he has not made a lot of money already, I don’t begrudge him to make as much money as he can , what pisses me off as he came here on big money , and he has said all the right things , like we love the place and I love all the players , and he has BEEN a big reason that we have improved, and I think we could go close to win the competition over the next couple of years , wish him all the best
Yeah I get that. My comment was in regards to someone suggesting Richo was going to offer Luai more money.
U mean there prison, because they and their families won’t be able to go shopping or wonder the area
pawsandclaws1
Well-known member
Luai's wife should have been given the tour. Let's face it, it is his wife and family who have to be happy with the lifestyle. Downtown Boroko is a bit different to your Westfields shopping plaza.
Hes obviously made decent money already but who knows how many he is supporting with that money.
Pretty common for Pacific Islanders that make it to be supporting more family than just their own wife and kids.
I wonder how poms would.go living in PNG.
Bateman has disappeared.off the face of the earth in Townsville lol.
Btw did anyone watch 100% footy last night? They had Hudson Young on and he said he watched our game from home i think he said with Bateman...didnt quite catch it
Didn't watch it but he and Bateman are great mates from Batemans time in Canberra. It was also reported that Bateman has been in Canberra the past couple weeks with family. So makes sense.
hank37w
Well-known member
Maybe one too many crocodile rolls.
If he does it for 2-3 years minimum it’s life changing cash. Most people wouldn’t knock that back. The family side of things is the biggest impact for them and will take a toll being confined to the compound. Don’t blame him at all.
hank37w
Well-known member
Hey Coach, any idea what is going on with the Chiefs franchise?
Will they have a reserve grade side in the Queensland cup, would it be the PNG Hunters?
Are there any problems with games currently played in Port Moresby in the Queensland cup? eg. crowd violence etc.
Just trying to get a handle on how many players they will actually need overall, not much information around about these things currently.
Jolls
Well-known member
I have deliberately avoided this thread since I heard the news. It has been an interesting read this morning looking at the differeing points of view. There’s a bit going on with the PNG visit, but I think the reaction from some is overcooked. If you strip the emotion out of it, there are some very real positives and a few legitimate concerns.
On the surface the trip raises eyebrows; but, a trip to PNG for a high profile player isn’t something that gets organised on a whim. For a player of Luai’s profile, travel like that would have been known well in advance. There’s no way he boards a plane into a developing rugby league market without the club being across it and the timing of his contract extension decision and the ten day turn around provide more weight to this being a planned event that is highly unlikely to have blindsided Benji.
The PNG franchise needs credibility and star power. Luai ticks both boxes. That makes him a logical target, not necessarily a guaranteed defection. From Luai’s perspective, this kind of visit is smart business: understanding the landscape, building relationships, and, strengthening his negotiating position.
For us it depends on your perspective of Luai and his value for money. The worst case and best case are almost polar opposites. If you are a fan the worst case is that he leaves and the best case is that he comes back more committed, having seen what’s not yet built compared to what he’s trying to help build at the Tigers. If you aren't a fan the worst case is that he stays and best case is that he leaves and frees up cap space for moe important acquisitions.
Regardless of personal opinion - if Luai leaves it will be a significant void to fill due to what he has bought to the club and his footy IQ. On the other hand it frees up a significant chunk of cap space. We’re talking marquee money that could be redistributed across multiple positions that could potentially strengthen the roster more broadlyr. This would normally be a problem for us as out depth for over a decade has been poor. However, at the moment it may not be a straight swap but we have some quality on our books with plenty of upside.
It’s alss worth remembering that Luai has been here before in a different context. He signed with the Tigers well in advance while still producing elite football at Penrith. His professionalism during that period never wavered; if anything, he doubled down.
That suggests to me that he is capable of separating contract situations from on-field performance and that movement or discussions of movement don’t equal disengagement. He was open and honest at Penrith so there is no reson to believe that whatever happens it will nto be transparent to the players, the club or the fans in this case.
There’s almost no chance Benji and the club weren’t in the loop. With a player like Luai, communication lines are constant. This would have been discussed and likely framed as an opportunity rather than a risk. Benji, in particular, understands the importance of empowering players while reinforcing the vision of the club. The conversations are probably less “are you leaving?” and more “what do you need to stay and how do we build this together?”
So where does that leave us? In a good postion; this is not a breaking point it is simply a decision point. Yes, there’s risk; but we have good depth with a development path so nothing to be overly concerned about. BUT, until there’s actual movement on a contract, it’s noise. Interesting noise, but noise nonetheless.
The story isn’t the PNG visit; it’s how the we (as a club) were prepared and how we respond. We know that Benji and the club will not come out and speak about recruiting and retention. If the playing group was not aware fo the visit (and it may have been kept out of the loop to prevent any leaks) you can bet there will be a discussion first thing this morning where Luai doubles down on his commitment to the playing group.
This is not a Galvin/TDS contract breach situation based on not wanting in. This is built in exit clause that, depending on your outlook, benefits Luai, the club, or both.
Personally, I don't have an issue either way. While he is a driving force at the club and in the current environment is a huge motivator,he is not irreplacable and our depth has high ceilings. Time to turn our attention to the real focus: belting the Sharks on Sunday.
On the surface the trip raises eyebrows; but, a trip to PNG for a high profile player isn’t something that gets organised on a whim. For a player of Luai’s profile, travel like that would have been known well in advance. There’s no way he boards a plane into a developing rugby league market without the club being across it and the timing of his contract extension decision and the ten day turn around provide more weight to this being a planned event that is highly unlikely to have blindsided Benji.
The PNG franchise needs credibility and star power. Luai ticks both boxes. That makes him a logical target, not necessarily a guaranteed defection. From Luai’s perspective, this kind of visit is smart business: understanding the landscape, building relationships, and, strengthening his negotiating position.
For us it depends on your perspective of Luai and his value for money. The worst case and best case are almost polar opposites. If you are a fan the worst case is that he leaves and the best case is that he comes back more committed, having seen what’s not yet built compared to what he’s trying to help build at the Tigers. If you aren't a fan the worst case is that he stays and best case is that he leaves and frees up cap space for moe important acquisitions.
Regardless of personal opinion - if Luai leaves it will be a significant void to fill due to what he has bought to the club and his footy IQ. On the other hand it frees up a significant chunk of cap space. We’re talking marquee money that could be redistributed across multiple positions that could potentially strengthen the roster more broadlyr. This would normally be a problem for us as out depth for over a decade has been poor. However, at the moment it may not be a straight swap but we have some quality on our books with plenty of upside.
It’s alss worth remembering that Luai has been here before in a different context. He signed with the Tigers well in advance while still producing elite football at Penrith. His professionalism during that period never wavered; if anything, he doubled down.
That suggests to me that he is capable of separating contract situations from on-field performance and that movement or discussions of movement don’t equal disengagement. He was open and honest at Penrith so there is no reson to believe that whatever happens it will nto be transparent to the players, the club or the fans in this case.
There’s almost no chance Benji and the club weren’t in the loop. With a player like Luai, communication lines are constant. This would have been discussed and likely framed as an opportunity rather than a risk. Benji, in particular, understands the importance of empowering players while reinforcing the vision of the club. The conversations are probably less “are you leaving?” and more “what do you need to stay and how do we build this together?”
So where does that leave us? In a good postion; this is not a breaking point it is simply a decision point. Yes, there’s risk; but we have good depth with a development path so nothing to be overly concerned about. BUT, until there’s actual movement on a contract, it’s noise. Interesting noise, but noise nonetheless.
The story isn’t the PNG visit; it’s how the we (as a club) were prepared and how we respond. We know that Benji and the club will not come out and speak about recruiting and retention. If the playing group was not aware fo the visit (and it may have been kept out of the loop to prevent any leaks) you can bet there will be a discussion first thing this morning where Luai doubles down on his commitment to the playing group.
This is not a Galvin/TDS contract breach situation based on not wanting in. This is built in exit clause that, depending on your outlook, benefits Luai, the club, or both.
Personally, I don't have an issue either way. While he is a driving force at the club and in the current environment is a huge motivator,he is not irreplacable and our depth has high ceilings. Time to turn our attention to the real focus: belting the Sharks on Sunday.
