Bigscreentv
Well-known member
If Sullivan ends up looking like he can control the team I’d sign Luai, otherwise I’d invest in Galvin.
Jarome Luai
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GNR4LIFE
Well-known member
So wait till at least halfway through next season? I don’t think Luai will be available that long. Again, the time to worry about the next crop is later. For now, we need established marquee players. Anyone who thinks it’s worth holding off signing him for players who aren‘t established or even debuted needs their head examined.
Bigscreentv
Well-known member
But we already have Sullivan, Sezer and Fainu who’s not far off first grade.
I don’t know..I think we’d end up with too many halves when we really need outside backs
GNR4LIFE
Well-known member
Sezer will only be around for a year. Won’t affect Luai. Who knows if the other two will even make it long term. I don’t see anything wrong with people having faith in them, but so many seem to think it’s a given that they are going to make it as our halves combo long time. They are still unknowns. It’s why you sign a guy like Luai. If we had millions invested in the current 3, then you would think it’s money better spent. But we’d be lucky to have a million combined invested in them.
crazycat
Well-known member
Yes, we would.
However I agree with GNR (Grandmar?)4LIFE. None of those halves are ready for prime time.
Sullivan can kinda do a good game, really needs solid buildup. Curious how he and Benji will develop...
Sezer is a hasbeen.
Fainu is a Maybe.
Now this is where I would do something smart.
Penrith has cap issues. Offer to take Jerome Luai for a season and Loan Sullivan or Fainu.
Penrith gets cap space and can keep Luai while we get halves partner experience and not having a rookie coach 2 newbie halves.
Bird in the hand right
Agreed. A bird in the hand is worth 2 in the bush.
How many times have we heard about the next big thing coming through and they never make it? And even if they do they leave anyway.
I get some Penrith articles associated with my local area.
Interesting reading his perspective, could only be one’s opinion or a greater view shared by the team / community.
Jarome Luai faces a sliding doors moment. The end result doesn’t really matter.
By Troy Dodds-
November 8, 2023, 8:15
I was 18, just about to finish high school, when I had my first Jarome Luai-esque moment.
A life choice: go to university as planned to study journalism, or take a gig that had been offered to me already as a result of a hobby that was annoying to the big players.
The money was vastly different to what Luai is currently pondering. In fact, I ended up taking the gig and netted $22,500 per annum for my trouble. I thought I was rich.
I’ll never know what would have happened had I taken the other option.
That’s what these sliding doors moments in life are all about.
In the mid-80s, my parents had a choice between moving to Penrith or Campbelltown. They chose Penrith.
What would have happened if they didn’t? You probably wouldn’t be reading this column and who knows, maybe I would have purchased a winning Powerball ticket at a local newsagency in Campbelltown and I’d be living on an island sipping Margaritas right now.
We have all faced these choices – in work and in life – that send us on different paths.
And it is why there is no right or wrong choice for Jarome Luai at present.
Just a fork in the road.
Luai is contracted to Penrith until the end of next season but is now on the open market and can talk to other clubs about a move from 2025.
The Panthers are willing to offer him around $850,000 per year. Other clubs will likely go above $1 million.
And not surprisingly, every man and his dog wants to tell Luai what to do.
Journalists, analysts, fans, his coach. The list goes on.
You can’t blame the media for obsessing over the Luai story. He generates clicks and sells newspapers. You can’t get angry at media organisations for listening to their readers and delivering content they want to read.
But none of them are relevant.
Not a single word.
If you don’t know that Jarome Luai is his own man by now, who rarely listens to outside noise, you may as well give up.
Those who believe Luai is an unproven game manager are right. That opportunity has not and will not present itself at Penrith while Nathan Cleary is wearing the number seven jersey.
But that doesn’t mean Luai couldn’t do it. That doesn’t mean that he couldn’t prove every cent of what another club is willing to pay him.
Proving doubters wrong is what Luai does best.
It’s also true that Luai is a born Panther. Came through the junior system, plays with some of his best mates, and is Penrith through and through. He thrives in this environment, and nobody disagrees that this is his comfort zone.
But being out of your comfort zone is also something that is in Luai’s DNA.
It really matters little if Luai bleeds Penrith and has bought a house in South Penrith, or plays alongside his mates. They are minor pieces to the puzzle. This is a job at the end of the day – the mates and the house will still be there. Go somewhere else and there’s probably another couple of houses too.
The rugby league world is currently obsessing over Luai’s next move.
I doubt Luai is.
He is in the box seat here, and he’ll ultimately make a decision that he deems best for him and his family.
My take, for what it’s worth (which by the way, is very little)?
I’m comfortable with whatever happens.
I’m proud that Penrith has developed a recruitment and retention system that does not pay overs, no matter what your name is. The team will survive with or without Luai, and the next man up mentality will see the side through.
Those critical of the club’s stance were the same ones who wanted to find a way to keep the likes of Viliame Kikau, Api Koroisau and Matt Burton. It would have been nice, but the club’s position on money and salary cap management was proven right when it went on to win the next year’s Premiership despite the loss of those players.
If Luai stays, I’m proud of him and the sacrifice he’s made for the emblem on his chest. It would be the ultimate move and show of loyalty.
But if he goes, you can’t blame him. You’d likely do the same thing.
This will indeed be a sliding doors moment, for both Luai and Penrith. And yes, you may get a glimpse of what the other decision would have delivered, but only a glimpse. We will never really know the result of the other path.
After all, who says Luai doesn’t start to get stale and unmotivated, weighed down by three Premiership rings on his fingers.
Conversely, the best couple of years of his career could be ahead of him. This is the gamble both parties take in sport.
Time will tell, but one thing will never change: Luai was involved in a Premiership three-peat that will make him a Panther for life, even if he does wear another club’s jersey for a chunk of his career. 117
Last edited by a moderator:
balmain boy
Well-known member
Doubt it. A versatile 18 year old won't be impacted by signing an elite playmaker. Sezer or Sullivan may go though
Kaito
Well-known member
I get some Penrith articles associated with my local area.
Interesting reading his perspective, could only be one’s opinion or a greater view shared by the team / community.
Jarome Luai faces a sliding doors moment. The end result doesn’t really matter.
By
Troy Dodds
-
November 8, 2023, 8:15
Share this story
I was 18, just about to finish high school, when I had my first Jarome Luai-esque moment.
A life choice: go to university as planned to study journalism, or take a gig that had been offered to me already as a result of a hobby that was annoying to the big players.
The money was vastly different to what Luai is currently pondering. In fact, I ended up taking the gig and netted $22,500 per annum for my trouble. I thought I was rich.
I’ll never know what would have happened had I taken the other option.
That’s what these sliding doors moments in life are all about.
In the mid-80s, my parents had a choice between moving to Penrith or Campbelltown. They chose Penrith.
Jarome Luai. Photo: Melinda Jane.
What would have happened if they didn’t? You probably wouldn’t be reading this column and who knows, maybe I would have purchased a winning Powerball ticket at a local newsagency in Campbelltown and I’d be living on an island sipping Margaritas right now.
We have all faced these choices – in work and in life – that send us on different paths.
And it is why there is no right or wrong choice for Jarome Luai at present.
Just a fork in the road.
Luai is contracted to Penrith until the end of next season but is now on the open market and can talk to other clubs about a move from 2025.
The Panthers are willing to offer him around $850,000 per year. Other clubs will likely go above $1 million.
And not surprisingly, every man and his dog wants to tell Luai what to do.
Journalists, analysts, fans, his coach. The list goes on.
You can’t blame the media for obsessing over the Luai story. He generates clicks and sells newspapers. You can’t get angry at media organisations for listening to their readers and delivering content they want to read.
But none of them are relevant.
Not a single word.
If you don’t know that Jarome Luai is his own man by now, who rarely listens to outside noise, you may as well give up.
Family could help keep Jarome Luai at Penrith. Photo: Megan Dunn.
Those who believe Luai is an unproven game manager are right. That opportunity has not and will not present itself at Penrith while Nathan Cleary is wearing the number seven jersey.
But that doesn’t mean Luai couldn’t do it. That doesn’t mean that he couldn’t prove every cent of what another club is willing to pay him.
Proving doubters wrong is what Luai does best.
It’s also true that Luai is a born Panther. Came through the junior system, plays with some of his best mates, and is Penrith through and through. He thrives in this environment, and nobody disagrees that this is his comfort zone.
But being out of your comfort zone is also something that is in Luai’s DNA.
It really matters little if Luai bleeds Penrith and has bought a house in South Penrith, or plays alongside his mates. They are minor pieces to the puzzle. This is a job at the end of the day – the mates and the house will still be there. Go somewhere else and there’s probably another couple of houses too.
The rugby league world is currently obsessing over Luai’s next move.
I doubt Luai is.
He is in the box seat here, and he’ll ultimately make a decision that he deems best for him and his family.
My take, for what it’s worth (which by the way, is very little)?
I’m comfortable with whatever happens.
Jarome Luai and Ivan Cleary. Photo: NRL Images.
I’m proud that Penrith has developed a recruitment and retention system that does not pay overs, no matter what your name is. The team will survive with or without Luai, and the next man up mentality will see the side through.
Those critical of the club’s stance were the same ones who wanted to find a way to keep the likes of Viliame Kikau, Api Koroisau and Matt Burton. It would have been nice, but the club’s position on money and salary cap management was proven right when it went on to win the next year’s Premiership despite the loss of those players.
If Luai stays, I’m proud of him and the sacrifice he’s made for the emblem on his chest. It would be the ultimate move and show of loyalty.
But if he goes, you can’t blame him. You’d likely do the same thing.
This will indeed be a sliding doors moment, for both Luai and Penrith. And yes, you may get a glimpse of what the other decision would have delivered, but only a glimpse. We will never really know the result of the other path.
After all, who says Luai doesn’t start to get stale and unmotivated, weighed down by three Premiership rings on his fingers.
Conversely, the best couple of years of his career could be ahead of him. This is the gamble both parties take in sport.
Time will tell, but one thing will never change: Luai was involved in a Premiership three-peat that will make him a Panther for life, even if he does wear another club’s jersey for a chunk of his career.
Enjoyed the article, thank you for sharing .
He's enigmatic, would love 2 have him here
Magpie_Magic
Well-known member
You want him for 24?
Luai without Nathan is akin to Popeye without spinach
Jedi_Tiger
Well-known member
he probably leaves anyway regardless of whether we sign Luai or not
Curly_Tiger
Well-known member
There was a Douehi to ‘riff rumour floating around
Maybe that could end up being part of a swap hopefully with Simpkin
Trade Blore for Olam, pick up Best, job done
Maybe that could end up being part of a swap hopefully with Simpkin
Trade Blore for Olam, pick up Best, job done
Fainu Brothers
Well-known member
What could Douhei be upset about? He has spent more time on the sidelines and on the field he isnt a 1 and a garbage 6 plus he has been getting payed well. Luai is a game changer!! If true
Robbie's Love Child
Well-known member
Totally agree, people saying we have these among kids and need to look after them and overlook current rep and premiership players are having a laugh. These kids may turn out great but could well be poo and provide yet more misery. I can't believe some people are putting all their eggs in the basket of some 16-17 year olds, Jesus wept.
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