Jarome Luai is set to sign one of the biggest deals in NRL history with the Wests Tigers in the coming days.
As first reported by the Sydney Morning Herald, Luai has informed Panthers officials that he intends to leave the club in 12 months, giving them 10 days to issue a counteroffer. With the Tigers trumping Penrith’s offer by close to $450k per season, Luai’s exit from the reigning Premiers is all but guaranteed.
Luai has been heavily criticised by the NRL community at large due to his off-field antics and the perception of his inability to lead a side without Nathan Cleary.
However, SEN’s Justin Horo believes his persona has been over-inflated by many and revealed why Luai could be the perfect signing to lead the Tigers back to a finals berth.
“In my opinion, he never had an ego into, ‘I need to touch the ball more, I’m a starting six in the competition I need this type of money, I’m Nath’s best mate’,” Horo said on SEN 1170 Mowers Club.
“He always understood he was a team-first player, they call him the chief energy officer at Penrith.
“He’s a bit like David Warner in the way that he’s much maligned from an outsider's perspective but I know (staff members) and people higher at Penrith that absolutely love Jarome.
“He’s a team-first player, he’s super humble, he’s a family man, if you’re going to put an investment into a player in that position and on that sort of money, then I think you really do have to tick all those boxes.
“I come to the Tino (Fa'asuamaleaui) situation when he re-signed at the Titans, Tino ticks so many boxes away from being elite at his position.”
Although Luai has denied putting pen to paper on a deal with the Tigers, footage from Penrith’s training session on Saturday suggests that he has informed his teammates of his decision.