Signings, Suggestions & Rumours Discussion

[Leck]

Looks very sharp with the ball, but no shots of his defence ? Can he tackle ?
Certainly has potential but I notice Heath Mason featuring as well, and we know what happens when he hits first grade.

That charge down shows that he knows how important defence is and how it can change a game.

Our young guns can make a difference in the last seven games for us.

 

[pawsandclaws1]

Kid looks good , tall , fast and has a nice step , couple kg added to his frame in the off season be good for him , I would def have him on the bench rest of season in games like dragons , Eels , raiders , reserve grade is good for him but a taste of nrl in small hits also be good , Luai leaving and API slowing a bit we need to keep Andrew’s , Haywood , Latu in the nrl at small hits also be, Latu gets more time but in the half’s no more lock , hooker crap , play the kids where they normally play , Andrew’s in 2027 with Latu for me , they have to be given a crack ,

He is 190cm and 97kg.

 

[Terry T.Nuts]

This video just went up on Youtube - love the title!

A half who actually passes to his outside men, sign him up long term.

 

[king_sirro]

Kid looks good , tall , fast and has a nice step , couple kg added to his frame in the off season be good for him , I would def have him on the bench rest of season in games like dragons , Eels , raiders , reserve grade is good for him but a taste of nrl in small hits also be good , Luai leaving and API slowing a bit we need to keep Andrew’s , Haywood , Latu in the nrl at small hits also be, Latu gets more time but in the half’s no more lock , hooker crap , play the kids where they normally play , Andrew’s in 2027 with Latu for me , they have to be given a crack ,

I dont want him to add any weight. Just strength. For me its important he stays lean. I remember bigger halves from the past, Trent Barrett and Brad Fittler. Both werent as good when they added size. Late in Fittlers career he leaned up again and he had a resurgence in form. Barrett was soooo much better in his early days when he was tall and lean.

 

[pawsandclaws1]

A half who actually passes to his outside men, sign him up long term.

Hopefully with the money saved on Luai, the club is moving to re-sign him long term.

 

[pawsandclaws1]

In the highlights, Mason looks to be a better player with a half who provides the ball in space.

 

[426Tlgerland]

He is 190cm and 97kg.

Muscle only then , didn’t realise he was 97 kg , hope he gets a chance this year just a taste see how he goes

 

[Bellend]

Let Javon and Latu stay in KOE for balance of this season if possible and let them loose next season and with AD as the utility player.

 

[Tom Shines]

Yeah I might be unpopular for saying this because everyone seems to love the idea of the NRL expanding, but I wish PNG and Perth were not a thing. I’m ok with the way the comp is now. Though in all honesty, I’d rather less teams than more.

No expansion. … no $5.3 Billion TV deal … you probably don’t care .. but I’m sure everyone associated with the game is already spending that sweet money… players admin and owners

 

[king_sirro]

Let Javon and Latu stay in KOE for balance of this season if possible and let them loose next season and with AD as the utility player.

Im ok with that. Personally I would have both in the NRL for the remainder of the year, but I'd be happy enough with throwing them in together in Cup.

 

[Tito Santana]

Yeah I might be unpopular for saying this because everyone seems to love the idea of the NRL expanding, but I wish PNG and Perth were not a thing. I’m ok with the way the comp is now. Though in all honesty, I’d rather less teams than more.

I more or less agree.

PNG is a free team. Government funded. That makes sense.

Perth is purely for broadcast rights but will be a disaster.

 

[mtd#2]

How $3 million PNG third party deal triggered Jarome Luai’s early exit from Tigers

It is the $3 million third-party deal with Papua New Guinea that convinced Wests Tigers to jettison Jarome Luai.

Luai’s impending third-party commitments to his future NRL employer, PNG, and the multimillion-dollar ramifications for the Tigers, was a critical factor in the joint-venture club’s decision to part ways with the playmaking superstar.

Luai will embark on a one-year cameo with the Eels next season before taking up a tax-free, $3.6 million, three-year deal to spearhead the Chiefs in their foundation year in the NRL in 2028.

But while Luai’s debut with the Chiefs is still 18 months away, it is a mega third-party deal, brokered with a PNG corporation, that sealed his fate at the Tigers.

The lucrative third-party agreement (TPA), said to be worth north of $3 million, tax-free, over a four-year period, will be activated from next season, 12 months before PNG’s entry, and that’s what rang alarm bells for Wests Tigers chiefs.

This masthead can reveal at least one PNG-related third-party deal, negotiated by his management, has already been registered for Luai with the NRL as required under salary-cap rules.

And because PNG won’t enter the league until 2028, Luai’s TPA had to be lodged via his existing club, the Wests Tigers, which went down like a lead balloon at Concord.

Luai’s PNG third-party sponsorship was approved by Tigers coach Benji Marshall, who had asked club hierarchy to be made aware of any TPA deals for his playing group.

Aside from the absurdity of the Tigers having to lodge a TPA deal with links to a rival team from a foreign country, the other sticking point surrounded the impact of the agreement, and how Luai stood to service it while still playing for the Tigers.

Luai’s third-party commitments to the Papua New Guinea conglomerate begin next season. It means the newly-signed Parramatta star will be required to undertake trips to Port Moresby in 2027 to actively service the deal with his Pacific sponsors while on the Eels’ payroll.

That was a scenario that angered Wests Tigers bosses, especially when the club faces outlaying millions to upgrade their next wave of young guns headlined by Samuela Fainu.

So the Tigers made the decision to expedite Luai’s release, believing his impending commitment to the Chiefs - not only on the field but off it - could destabilise their push for finals and premiership credibility next season under Marshall.

Sources close to negotiations say at least one of Luai’s third-party deals in PNG could be valued at $1 million next season.

Over the duration of his Chiefs contract, which expires in 2030, Luai stands to make at least $3 million from TPAs, and potentially more if his profile and gravitas swells in coming years as PNG’s marquee recruit in a nation besotted with rugby league.

Such was the angst over Luai’s third-party interest, Tigers CEO Shaun Mielekamp made internal inquiries on how best to handle the matter. Contacted on Wednesday, Mielekamp declined to discuss Luai’s third-party situation, saying he wished the playmaker well at the Eels.

“I don’t want to comment on that, that’s noise we don’t need,” he said. “Jarome has been absolutely professional. “He has brought plenty to this club. “We will be forever grateful and we have a job to do now to finish this season on a high. “I’m looking forward to Jarome leading us around for that.”

A well-placed source said the demands Luai would face in servicing his PNG third-party deals was the final straw for the Tigers.

“The Tigers are having to deal with third parties Jarome has with PNG because the Chiefs aren’t in the comp yet,” the insider said.

“Wests Tigers have been hit with a whole range of third parties for Jarome that they have to lodge, yet the Tigers get no benefit from it.

“More importantly, Jarome Luai has to service them next year while playing for the Wests Tigers, or now the Eels.

“It’s a major part of the reason why the Tigers decided to move on.

“They may as well take the money and upgrade and extend young players they’ve got.”

I didnt realise the tigers inherited the admin related to his tpa's. What a stitch up!!

 

[bptiger 0]

No expansion. … no $5.3 Billion TV deal … you probably don’t care .. but I’m sure everyone associated with the game is already spending that sweet money… players admin and owners

Don’t mine the expansion, but I really hate that PNG gets 10 years , with players not paying tax ,
1) it’s our tax payers money that dumb ALBO is throwing away
2) it is so harsh on the other teams , if after 2-4 years and it’s running smoothly, there will be a flood of players lining up , to take the tax fee money 💰 , and what will that do , Australian teams they will have to pay WHY over the odds to keep players

 

[hammertime]

This video just went up on Youtube - love the title!

Geez he's got some skills.

I think next year we run with

6. Andrews
7. Doueihi
13. Twal

14. Latu.

Bring Latu into 7 at some point and move Doueihi to lock once there is a bit of fatigue. Twal into prop rotation.

 

[mtd#2]

Don’t mine the expansion, but I really hate that PNG gets 10 years , with players not paying tax ,
1) it’s our tax payers money that dumb ALBO is throwing away
2) it is so harsh on the other teams , if after 2-4 years and it’s running smoothly, there will be a flood of players lining up , to take the tax fee money 💰 , and what will that do , Australian teams they will have to pay WHY over the odds to keep players

Its geo political and nothing to do with rugby league. The nrl is nothing but a pawn.

 

[supercoach]

No expansion. … no $5.3 Billion TV deal … you probably don’t care .. but I’m sure everyone associated with the game is already spending that sweet money… players admin and owners

It makes no difference what the salary cap is because every team gets it. So no one team gets an advantage. The status quo will be the same. Same teams will battle because they have to spend more on players than other teams so get a lot less value for the money they spend. Pathway is our only saviour but even than there is a risk we are just a breeding ground for the parasite clubs

 

[Lestronge]

Id be surprised ,,,he signed that deal ages ago ,,,anyway does it really matter ? I’ don’t particularly care which year on the salary cap the money for releasing Luai is accounted for …it’s still money we do without ,,

Nah , he signed an extension just after his debut from memory . He was hot shit at the time , and was being chased hard by Gus .

 

[Tom Shines]

Nah , he signed an extension just after his debut from memory . He was hot shit at the time , and was being chased hard by Gus .

he got upgraded to Top 30 early in the 24 season and signed a deal to the end of 26 a few weeks before making his NRL debut.. who knows , could even be less than $200

 

[Lestronge]

he got upgraded to Top 30 early in the 24 season and signed a deal to the end of 26 a few weeks before making his NRL debut

That’s right . I knew it was around his debut . But he was chased hard by the dogs

 

[user118245]

This video just went up on Youtube - love the title!

Don’t know how people can watch this and still choose to not start him next year. Latu and Javon combine beautifully, so good in fact they’ve made Heath Mason look classy in cup. Benji’s spoke about tough decisions for the clubs best interest, benching AD or moving him out of the halves is the next move he has to make for the clubs future