OFFICIAL Jarome Luai - #295

innsaneink said:

‘The finished article’: Five ways Jarome Luai has already improved the Tigers​


Wests Tigers may still be outside the top eight, but the signing of Jarome Luai has already been hailed a success.

Tigers CEO Shane Richardson praised Sunday’s rivals, premiers Penrith, for presenting the Tigers with the “finished article”.

“Penrith provided him with the polish that’s made him what he is, on and off the field,” Richardson said.






“At our club’s he’s the alpha leader, he’s taken on that role, and I’ve been surprised at how good he has done at that role. I’m just glad we’ve got him.”

Luai inked a $6 million, five-year deal with the Tigers, and while his sole focus is winning premierships, there are five simple way he has already improved his new club.

Natural-born leader​

Coach Benji Marshall quickly elevated Luai to the co-captaincy alongside Api Koroisau. The dummy-half, who played with Luai at the Panthers, noticed how far the halfback had come in terms of leadership.


Jasrome Luai’s time at the Wests Tigers has already been hailed a success.

Jasrome Luai’s time at the Wests Tigers has already been hailed a success.© Getty Images
“When he talks, it’s right on point, there’s no fluffing about,” Koroisau said. “As a leader, there are a lot of times when you want to say things, but you’re unsure if it’s the right time. But he picks his times, knows exactly what to say and when to say it.”

Improved Koroisau’s game​

Koroisau has always been a dominant dummy-half, especially last year when Lachlan Galvin was still learning his craft, and there was no one dominant playmaker.






But with Luai’s arrival, Koroisau has noticed teams devoting much of their attention to him, which in turn has started to open up more space through the ruck.

The Dolphins only had eyes for Luai and Galvin in a recent match, and Koroisau was able to pinch easy metres before scoring a try.

“Everyone watches him when he’s on the field,” Koroisau said. “They’re waiting for him to get the ball, [looking] at the shape on his outside, which frees up the middle of the ruck a bit more, and that helps my game.

“People are always watching him. He’s a big talker out there, which has helped me as well.”

Long kicking game​

There were plenty of questions about how Luai would handle running a team now he was without former halves partner and Penrith chief controller, Nathan Cleary.

Panthers coach Ivan Cleary noted Luai had started to take on more responsibility last year while Nathan was out injured, and part of that transition included doing a lot of more work on his long kicking game.






“He’s always had a good short game, but his long game is definitely getting better,” Cleary said this week. “He’s touching the ball more, being around both sides of the footy, and dangerous.”

A marketer’s dream​

The Tigers brand has been boosted by Luai and his natural charisma and charm in front of the camera and with sponsors. Richardson cannot recall the last time the recruit knocked back a chance to promote one of the club’s community or Polynesian programs in Sydney’s west.

Before Christmas, at his first signing session with fans at Concord, Luai stayed back for nearly an hour and a half after training to sign every autograph and pose for every photo.

Anthony Field, blue Wiggle and longtime Tigers fan, has spent his entire life in the entertainment industry. After welcoming Luai and a few of the players into the recording studio at the start of the year, he was so blown away by Luai’s vocals he said he was prepared to produce an album for him.


Jarome Luai leads the way at Tigers training back in March.

Jarome Luai leads the way at Tigers training back in March.© Sam Mooy

Overdue professionalism​

The best thing about signing premiership-winners is they know the lofty standards required to achieve success.

Luai has had a direct influence on the squad’s youngsters, with Richardson saying: “He sets a good example for the younger players, and has shown them what you need to do to be a professional – he’s the ultimate professional.”


Marshall said on Saturday: “Jarome’s impact on the club, you can’t measure it. In terms of what he’s brought to us in terms of standards, professionalism, competing on every play, leadership, all the things he’s really good at, he’s been outstanding for us.

“We won six games last year, four games the year before, and four games [in 2023]. We’ve won five so far [in 2025] – we’re not happy with that, we think we’ve got more in us, but he’s added a lot to us. We love having him here.”
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I agree with all this (except maybe the long kicking game) but outside of half a game against Panthers he has not been performing particularly well on the field. He hasn't been bad, or lacked for effort. He just has not delivered to his pay bracket.
I do think he has been somewhat hamstrung by few attacking threats outside him and inexperience partnering him. Nonetheless he has failed to take control when games are on the balance and produced very little attack himself.
I'm not a hater, I think it is great the club has signed him. Assuming Latu Fainu develops as expected (or perhaps Mason better than expected) and we get him a running threat on the edge or centre outside him I think he will eventually deliver on field as well as continue to do so off field. He simply has not yet.
 
GNR4LIFE said:
Called into the squad right? Burton probably plays. Can’t have a Tiger play. Ya nuts?
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Pretty sure he will play 6 as he is not a utility to be 18th man. Although it does call to attention the issue with the 18th man being unavailable for his club, especially when the position is 5/8 and that what Burton plays week in week out for the dogs.
 
TheClaws said:
Pretty sure he will play 6 as he is not a utility to be 18th man. Although it does call to attention the issue with the 18th man being unavailable for his club, especially when the position is 5/8 and that what Burton plays week in week out for the dogs.
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Honestly I couldn't give a shit. Let the bulldogs suffer. Until it impacts the tigers my care factor is 0. Other clubs can suffer for all I care haha
 
I don't really understand why Wests supporters would be happy to lose Jarome for a must win game.
At very best he flies back across the country heavily compromised.
Explain why I should be happy again?
 
Ron Brodrick's Spirit said:
I don't really understand why Wests supporters would be happy to lose Jarome for a must win game.
At very best he flies back across the country heavily compromised.
Explain why I should be happy again?
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You should be happy because its reasonably well known players from the tigers don't get picked, hence other potential signings think it will kill their rep careers. So you should be happy on that front it could be seen as though your not thrown into the rep wasteland playing for us.
 
Ron Brodrick's Spirit said:
I don't really understand why Wests supporters would be happy to lose Jarome for a must win game.
At very best he flies back across the country heavily compromised.
Explain why I should be happy again?
Click to expand...
We were never beating the raiders

Its not a bad chance for Latu and mason to go 6 and 7

IF you can't be happy for a tiger to make origin then yeah I can't help ya
 
When Laurie Daley spoke to Jarome Luai before Origin I to inform him he would pick Mitchell Moses in the NSW No. 6 jersey, Luai thanked Daley for the call, and assured him he would be ready to go if needed later in the series.

Around lunchtime on Thursday, after Moses had broken down with a calf injury at training, and was quickly ruled out of next Wednesday night’s clash in Perth, Daley knew he had to get in touch with the Wests Tigers’ co-captain.

Matt Burton was NSW’s 18th man, already in camp, and completed the session at Blue Mountains’ Grammar at five-eighth.

But knowing Burton gave the Blues versatility in the event of an injury once the state arrived in the west next week, Daley was more than comfortable sending an SOS to Luai.

“I said at the time Jarome handled [his Origin I snub] with such class, and he said that if I needed him, he’d be ready to go,” Daley said.

“So when I called him today, he said, ‘sweet, I’m ready to go’.

“That filled me with confidence. I said, ‘what are you doing?’, he said. ‘I’ve just finished training’. I said, ‘you fit?’, and he said, ‘I am’.

“I said, ‘do you want to play Origin?’, he said, ‘yes’. It was as simple as that.

“It’s terrible, isn’t it [for Moses]? Mitch played really well in game one, and he started off looking really good this week, then injured his calf.

“We’re unsure how bad it is, but he won’t be any good for Wednesday with the short turnaround. He’s gone for scans.

“Luai’s played there before, he’s got a good combination with Nathan, he’s that left-side player, so he’ll do a fine job.

“He’s won four grand finals, and won the Origin series last year. Everyone will have a lot of confidence and faith in him.

“I don’t know Jarome that well, but he’d believe in himself, too, that he can come in and do the job at short notice.

“There will only be a couple of training sessions, but the fact he’s played with that [NSW] left edge last year is an advantage. It’s not like you’re bringing in someone who hasn’t been here before, or played with those players.

“We’re disappointed for Mitch, but excited for Jarome.”

Moses grabbed the ball and went to run down the short side and then he immediately clutched at his left calf. He pulled up with calf tightness after the 18-6 win in game one at Suncorp Stadium, but spent the remainder of the week on the massage table before taking the field for Parramatta.

NSW have the chance to seal the series with victory at Optus Stadium, and Daley said he would be disappointed if the Moses disruption, six days out from the game, would be used as an excuse.

The fact Burton and Luai were both available was a reminder of the tremendous depth in the NSW playing stocks right now.

Luai tried his heart out against Penrith on the weekend, and poleaxed his old halves partner Cleary on a couple of occasions. He will join the team in Leura on Thursday evening, with Daley joking “Jarome will be heard before he seen”, a reference to his boombox and taste of music that is completely different to the coach’s.

Cleary and Luai have already combined as statistically the most successful halves combination in rugby league history as they delivered four-straight premierships at Penrith, while the Tigers star played five-eighth alongside Moses in last year’s series triumph.
 
Coastie_Tiger said:
You should be happy because its reasonably well known players from the tigers don't get picked, hence other potential signings think it will kill their rep careers. So you should be happy on that front it could be seen as though your not thrown into the rep wasteland playing for us.
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I'm in two minds about Luais selection, Im glad he has gotten a call up as it proves he is at least the third best halve for NSW and he gets $50k. However, I'm pretty sure even if we win and moses is fit, he will come back in for game 3 and if we lose ppl will be pointing the finger at him and Laurie picks moses for game 3.
 
mtd#2 said:
Honestly I couldn't give a shit. Let the bulldogs suffer. Until it impacts the tigers my care factor is 0. Other clubs can suffer for all I care haha
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I hate the dogs with a passion, my most irritating mates are Dogs fans, so I'm ecstatic that Burton unavailability screws them over. My whatsapp blew up when they found out Luai was parachuted in over the top of Burton...so there's that too however it does potentially play into the hands of his replacement so I'm hoping he has a really shit game against the bunnies this weekend, maybe even drops the ball over the line when scoring.
 
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