OFFICIAL Jarome Luai - #295

[weststigers]

It has to be one of Latu or Andrews. It would be madness to get Luai off our books just to sign another non-elite guy like Nikorima.

Assume Latu and Doueihi are the halves next season and we carry Madden on the bench as the 19 for injury cover during a match. 3 halves tend to get carried into each match these days.

Then assume Andrews takes one cup/depth half position and maybe Schuster or some other option is chosen to partner him.

Now assume Doueihi and/or Latu gets injured at some point in the season...this will absolutely happen as it does every year.

Where is your depth in that event?

Depth will be tested every season. Form will go up and down. You need that experience sometimes and it helps if they can fill into a second position which Nikorima can.

 

[jstigers]

Assume Latu and Doueihi are the halves next season and we carry Madden on the bench as the 19 for injury cover during a match. 3 halves tend to get carried into each match these days.

Then assume Andrews takes one cup/depth half position and maybe Schuster or some other option is chosen to partner him.

Now assume Doueihi and/or Latu gets injured at some point in the season...this will absolutely happen as it does every year.

Where is your depth in that event?

Depth will be tested every season. Form will go up and down. You need that experience sometimes and it helps if they can fill into a second position which Nikorima can.

If Latu and AD are injured that's what Madden and Andrew's are for depth..... you don't need to sign 5-6 halves in a squad that's just dumb.

 

[Curly_Tiger]

If Latu and AD are injured that's what Madden and Andrew's are for depth..... you don't need to sign 5-6 halves in a squad that's just dumb.

Plus there’s Averillo as an extra backup already

 

[happy_tiger]

If we can save almost $1m that is so very unlike WTs....sounds too good to be true which we know what that usually means.
Im suss on this figure...PR?

Yeah agreed I reckon we will be lucky to save 700k

 

[Telltails]

You know .. I really hate this narrative implying Luai leaving was the reason they collapsed this year …particularly on the back of the same thing supposedly happening with Galvin .., if it’s true that a player moving on in 18 months is the reason for the crap effort they have put on display the past few months… then they need to flush all these mental weaklings and start again for the 18th time …

Fortunately I think other factors are to blame … most notably major injuries to their best half a dozen players … and having reserve graders taking their place

Yep

 

[GNR4LIFE]

I don’t see him leaving as a bad thing at all. However, we seem to be in a loop of making one player the scapegoat, and once they are gone, watch out. Brooks, Galvin and now Luai. Groundhog Day.

 

[Betterdays22]

I don’t see him leaving as a bad thing at all. However, we seem to be in a loop of making one player the scapegoat, and once they are gone, watch out. Brooks, Galvin and now Luai. Groundhog Day.

Watch out Latu is all I'll say.

 

[Telltails]

I don’t see him leaving as a bad thing at all. However, we seem to be in a loop of making one player the scapegoat, and once they are gone, watch out. Brooks, Galvin and now Luai. Groundhog Day.

This - it's pathetic. And makes us look like a joke of a club to players who get out, have experienced a successful club, and or find success elsewhere.

 

[mtd#2]

Have to laugh at all the HBG haters - they must think some debenture holder is sitting in an office at Wests Ashfield wondering how he can screw over WT again - i know lets tell Luai he can leave - totally laughable. This decision would have been made by the football dept and Shaun M. They whine that the club needs to be run more professionally and more business like and then when the club does just that they whinge and whine again. Luai for the money he is on just hasn't worked and getting him off the books early is a good decision.

Luai has lost a lot of respect around here, myself included. Whether long term this is better for the club or not, we can debate until the cows come home...

But I find it bemusing that you and Vicious have bought up HBG, because their hands aren't clean in this.

Luai was ready to remove his clauses in December 2025. He would have been a tiger until 2029. This means no PNG signing. This means the tigers wouldnt be letting him go after 2026.

So whilst there has been many moving parts in what has happened, it all started with the boardroom chaos back in 2025.

And before you come at me, you brought them up, not me.

 

[mtd#2]

It has to be one of Latu or Andrews. It would be madness to get Luai off our books just to sign another non-elite guy like Nikorima.

Yeah this nikorima chat is crazy talk..
We have a plethora of halves in waiting.

 

[Tom Shines]

Yeah this nikorima chat is crazy talk..
We have a plethora of halves in waiting.

I’m not gunna be pounding the table for Nikorina … but is the thinking that he will be the primary 14 covering hooker and halves on the bench …also Api is out a lot and whilst I like Latu, he is made of glass

 

[Buttface]

I'm one of Luai's biggest supporters here...

But this cryptic post has me questioning whether he is a mature leader... What did he tell them? Who did he tell? Did he tell Benji to play Latu? Did he tell the boys to make sure they didn't take the dragons easy?

For a supporter base already struggling, this isnt the sort of post you expect from a leader.

When I see this sort of post I feel like an idiot for buying into his lip service.

View attachment 40083

I’ve retired my JL signed hat avatar.

 

[BlackWhiteGold]

I’m not gunna be pounding the table for Nikorina … but is the thinking that he will be the primary 14 covering hooker and halves on the bench …also Api is out a lot and whilst I like Latu, he is made of glass

Where has the whole talk of Nikorima come from?

We need some reality around this ...

1 Why would he come to the WT to play 14 when Dolphins could offer him a similar arrangement?
2 Super League will offer bigger $$$ and more years than what we would anyway.

 

[diedpretty]

Luai has lost a lot of respect around here, myself included. Whether long term this is better for the club or not, we can debate until the cows come home...

But I find it bemusing that you and Vicious have bought up HBG, because their hands aren't clean in this.

Luai was ready to remove his clauses in December 2025. He would have been a tiger until 2029. This means no PNG signing. This means the tigers wouldnt be letting him go after 2026.

So whilst there has been many moving parts in what has happened, it all started with the boardroom chaos back in 2025.

And before you come at me, you brought them up, not me.

i didn't bring them up at all - the haters were at it pages before my post. I just find it laughable that certain people on here just jump straight to the conclusion that this was all HBGs doing.

 

[innsaneink]

I’ve retired my JL signed hat avatar.

Haha i was thinking about this yesterday lol
Good move

 

[mtd#2]

i didn't bring them up at all - the haters were at it pages before my post. I just find it laughable that certain people on here just jump straight to the conclusion that this was all HBGs doing.

It obviously wasn't a HBG director sitting in a dark corner with a plot, which is the point you were making. So fair enough mate. But they are part of the reason why it's happening.

 

[innsaneink]

Where has the whole talk of Nikorima come from?

We need some reality around this ...

Nowhere really...just 1 person thinking out loud...a fleeting thought

 

[Tom Shines]

Where has the whole talk of Nikorima come from?

We need some reality around this ...

1 Why would he come to the WT to play 14 when Dolphins could offer him a similar arrangement?
2 Super League will offer bigger $$$ and more years than what we would anyway.

I saw it mentioned from Coach Adel last night … he is the one podcast source that has some clout in my view … knows people both within the Tigers from his time coaching here , and apparently says he heard it from the Dolphins side as well…

Like any rumour though - feel free to take it or leave it

 

[BlackWhiteGold]

Nowhere really...just 1 person thinking out loud...a fleeting thought

I'm not underestimating the progress of Haywood onto the NRL bench next season. A big pre-season continuing to work on his body & strength, this kid will kill it off the bench relieving Api.

Not only that, he is a very good half which often gets overlooked (so could easily slot into halves at times off the bench with AD or Latu pinch-hitting at lock late in halves next season).

I don't think we would consider Nikorima because we have Haywood coming through quickly.

 

[BlackWhiteGold]

I saw it mentioned from Coach Adel last night … he is the one podcast source that has some clout in my view … knows people both within the Tigers from his time coaching here , and apparently says he heard it from the Dolphins side as well…

Like any rumour though - feel free to take it or leave it

I love Nikorima as a player & be great at the Tigers, just don't think he will be on our radar.

Think our primary need now to fill what we don't have with some extra $$$ is a starting prop partner for Terrell who brings experience, leadership, intensity, aggression & leg speed. Pole has proven he is not ready & better off the bench as is Sione Fainu.

Yes a Spencer Leniu or Moses Leota but they may still be unrealistic!