Love it, saying all the right things. Im not expecting him to turn things around by himself but he is exactly the character we need.
‘He’s Batman and I’m Robin. I want to be Batman’
An emotional Jarome Luai shares the motivation behind his enormous decision to leave the Panthers, and why he wants to do NSW proud after regretting a social media post last year.
By https://www.smh.com.au/by/michael-chammas-hven c" target="_blank" rel="nofollow ugc noopener">Michael Chammas
JUNE 5, 2024
‘I want to be Batman’: Jarome Luai CREDIT:SYDNEY MORNING HERALD
NSW coach Michael Maguire asked his players to leave their clubs at the door when they walked into Origin camp. For the first 20 minutes of a half-hour interview with this masthead, Jarome Luai does just that.
But his emotions get the better of him when the line of questioning moves towards his impending departure from Penrith, where he has spent his entire NRL career to date.
Apart from a press conference in January when he announced his decision to sign a five-year, $6 million contract with Wests Tigers starting in 2025, Luai has been reluctant to expand on his reasons for walking away from the all-conquering Panthers, and his partnership with the game’s most influential player, Nathan Cleary.
“He’s Batman and I’m Robin,” Luai says, choking back tears, inside the library of the Fairmont Resort where the Blues have based themselves in the week before Origin I.
Nathan Cleary and Jarome Luai celebrate victory in last year’s grand final, their third straight premiership win together.CREDIT:NRL PHOTOS
“The time has just come for me to be my own Batman. Do you know what I mean? This combination that we have formed, it has been amazing. It’s been an amazing journey. [Would we be] the players [we are] today without each other? I know I’m not the player I am today without Nath.
“But I want to see how much I can grow and what I can achieve. When all is said and done, I want to see what I’m really made of. I don’t want to die wondering, you know? I reckon if I stayed at Penrith, in a couple of years I would have been thinking to myself, ‘What could I have done? Could I have changed the Tigers if I went there? Could I have been the guy to do it?’
“I didn’t want to finish my career thinking that way, living with regret. I’ve won premierships and I think now’s a good time to test myself and see how good I am.”
In the past 12 months, Luai has been on a journey of self-discovery. He has changed management companies, signed that life-changing deal to join the Tigers and embarked on a challenge to find “peace” in his life.
The trigger for change was a social media post after his last outing in a NSW jersey.
Jarome Luai ahead of game one.CREDIT:JAMES BRICKWOOD
NSW had just lost game two, and with it the 2023 series. Luai had been sent off for a tussle with Reece Walsh in the dying stages of the Maroons’ 32-6 victory.
As NSW followers licked their wounds and recriminations began to fly on social media, Luai took to Instagram, posting, “chill, all you idiots have work tomorrow morning. We go again”. The backlash was swift and fiery, and Luai regrets his emotional response.
Little did he know he would have to wait another 350 days to “go again” for NSW. If it hadn’t been for a spate of injuries to NSW’s halves options, that social media put-down could have been his final contribution as an Origin player.
On Wednesday night, Luai gets the chance to atone, once again representing the fans who took his attack so personally last year.
Jarome Luai and Reece Walsh lock horns during Origin II last year before both were sent from the field. CREDIT:GETTY
“I responded out of anger. I want to make amends for that,” he said. “I’ve gotten to reflect a lot about it, especially while that game three was being played without me. I’m not proud with how I dealt with that. I was a bit angry and a bit emotional about it. But I think, in a way, that just shows a bit of humanity.
“I don’t want winning the fans back to be a motivation of mine. I want them to see my passion for the jersey. I can draw that line of connection with them and feed off their passion for the jersey and wear it with pride. Passion for me is home and family. That’s what the blue jersey is for me. This is where I grew up. It’s my childhood.
“Those late nights out there on the streets as kids playing touch footy, pretending to be this Blues player or that Blues player. I’m sure everyone else in NSW experienced that as well. That’s what I want to play for; their childhoods, their home towns, and just show that passion out there.”
Luai struggled to deal with the abuse from NSW fans – including death threats –following game two and his incendiary social media post.
It was eye-opening for Luai, who started writing about his emotions in a journal most nights.
“I want peace,” he said. “And then when I find it, I want to protect that any way I can. In previous times, I’ve always wanted to look at my phone and check what people are saying. Searching my name and checking for articles … I knew there was a problem.
Jarome Luai with daughter Akira after clinching a place in the 2022 grand final.CREDIT:GETTY
“I’ve realised that no matter what you find, it’s not going to leave you with a good feeling. It wasn’t like someone told me that. Because people who know me know I was always that guy who didn’t really give an ‘F’ about anyone else’s opinions. I needed to see it for myself, and that’s all been part of my maturity and growth, to find balance and peace in my life.
“I don’t have to change, it is just about portraying my message better. The way I hold myself in public, the way I speak. I think any mistake that we [players] do, being under the spotlight, it’s going to get a lot more attention on it and our mistakes are going to just flow on to the people who are close to us as well. So I’ve made those mistakes and my family has been affected. Having kids, I don’t want any of my mistakes to affect them.”
Luai has shown that when his emotions are heightened, he can react abruptly. It’s part of what makes opposition teams hate him, and his teammates love him.
But, as was the case after game two last year, it often leads to him being trapped in the spotlight, preventing him finding the balance he now seeks.
At the end of last year, when Panthers coach Ivan Cleary said rival clubs would be taking a risk if they offered Luai more than $1 million a season to be their chief playmaker, given his inexperience in the No.7 role, he wasn’t happy.
Jarome Luai and coach Ivan Cleary after Penrith’s 2023 grand final triumph.CREDIT:GETTY
“When he first said that, I thought it was a shot at me,” he said. “But I think it was a way for him to sort of try and fend off other clubs. It was his strategy to try and keep me at the club. We laugh about it now. It’s all part of the journey, man. Footy’s a business, at the end of the day.
“If it was up to ‘Coach’, he would give us all what we’re worth. That’s just the nature of the salary cap, unfortunately. He was just doing his best, in a way, as well. So I don’t resent him in any way, shape or form. I’m just trying to love my rest of the time at the club. The last ride, bra.”
Luai is under no illusion as to the size of the task awaiting him at the Tigers. He also had the chance to join Cameron Ciraldo’s Canterbury revolution, and with the Bulldogs improving by the week, it could be assumed Luai would harbour at least some regret at having opted instead for Benji Marshall’s stuttering Tigers rebuild. Not so, he says.
“Hell nah, I’m a man of my word, brother. I’m a man of my word,” he said. “I’m actually excited about it. I said it before the year started, regardless of how these guys go, I’m going to make sure I’m able to bring something to that team and make sure it’s positive. To be honest, I thought I was going there [Bulldogs]. They had [former Panthers] Critta [Stephen Crichton], Burto [Matt Burton], Ciro [Ciraldo] and Kiks [Viliame Kikau] there.
Jarome Luai during Magic Round this year.CREDIT:GETTY
“But I wanted to go somewhere I was uncomfortable. The real challenge is, ‘Can I do it on my own?’ I was speaking to my dad about it, and we agreed that if I left Penrith, the Bulldogs would be a good fit for me. I would be comfortable there. I didn’t want to be comfortable. I wanted the real challenge.”
Challenges don’t get much bigger than Wednesday night’s Origin opener, knowing Mitchell Moses is waiting in the wings for a Blues recall in game two.
Gratitude. Opportunity. Leadership. They are some of the words Luai wrote into his journal the night he was handed the Blues No.6 jersey for game one.
“I also wrote, ‘Control the narrative’,” Luai said. “If I can do it here, I can do it anywhere.”
In memory of Geoff Chisholm (1965-2022)
It's hard to find specks of gold dust at the Wests Tigers as their season continues to career off the rails towards another likely wooden spoon. But those Tigers fans who are wondering why that put themselves through the torture can at least comfortable themselves with the thought that each new day brings them a step closer to Jarome Luai's arrival.
Luai won't be the panacea for all the Tigers' pain, but he looms as arguably the most important signing in their 25-year history. Benji Marshall has so much young talent at his disposal but they play like a car without a steering wheel – all over the shop.
Luai will play halfback and provide direction, calmness and a winner's attitude and confidence. His performance levels at Penrith have risen in Nathan Cleary's absence and he is now a must-pick Origin player.
Watching the rudderless Tigers crash to a record defeat at Shark Park on Friday night, Immortal Andrew Johns commented: "Since Nathan's been injured, he (Luai) has elevated himself as a genuine No.7." Phil Gould added: "If Nathan Cleary never existed, Jarome Luai would have been the halfback for the Panthers from the time he was a teenager.
"Because Nathan Cleary did exist, Jarome Luai took on the role of playing six and playing the way he does. Just because we haven’t seen him do it (play as the chief playmaker) in the top grade doesn't mean he couldn't do it. Jarome's got the ability to run football teams, don't worry about that." The Tigers' future relies on it.
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He is a fantastic player who has killed it this year playing halfback. But....unless we drastically improve our outside backs and forwards, it won't make a shred of difference. No single player could make a difference to this team as the roster currently stands.
Excellent post Joel and I was thinking about this today. Nobody knows for sure just how great the impact Jarome will have on the team next year but I think it's fair to say, given his form this year, he'll be the best 7 we've had at the club in some time. And sometimes a team can improve a helluva lot with a very good 7 leading them around. I just get the sense his exactly the kind of half Benji will be able to put faith in to do as he wants him to do. There's some similarity in playing styles if you look at how Benji played in the latter part of his career in how Jarome plays, Jarome has said he idolised Benji so understandable there'd be some influence there. We see a lot of Benji in the drills at training now but I can see Luai playing a larger role next year because he'll probably relate better to what Benji will want him to do and Luai will very much enjoy that leadership role if what we see of him now is any indication. I was also thinking today about a few of the young guys, Lachy, Sam, Jahream, Jordan and Luke in the main. How much improvement is in these guys, especially physically. You'd think if Lachy, Sam, Jahream and Luke can put on a bit more muscle, which they must surely have the capacity to do, then this can only benefit their game next season. And if Jordy can continue to work on his fitness his game will also improve. A few of these fellas have already surprised me this year yet they have so much improvement in them it's actually difficult to know how good they could be. Right now they're just learning what it's about but give them a full preseason working on their strength and with Jarome and Api then we might just be surprised by the improvement of the team as a whole next year. We're not going to world beaters quite obviously but I'm quietly confident we'll be giving plenty of cheek in 2025.It's hard to find specks of gold dust at the Wests Tigers as their season continues to career off the rails towards another likely wooden spoon. But those Tigers fans who are wondering why that put themselves through the torture can at least comfortable themselves with the thought that each new day brings them a step closer to Jarome Luai's arrival.
Luai won't be the panacea for all the Tigers' pain, but he looms as arguably the most important signing in their 25-year history. Benji Marshall has so much young talent at his disposal but they play like a car without a steering wheel – all over the shop.
Luai will play halfback and provide direction, calmness and a winner's attitude and confidence. His performance levels at Penrith have risen in Nathan Cleary's absence and he is now a must-pick Origin player.
Watching the rudderless Tigers crash to a record defeat at Shark Park on Friday night, Immortal Andrew Johns commented: "Since Nathan's been injured, he (Luai) has elevated himself as a genuine No.7." Phil Gould added: "If Nathan Cleary never existed, Jarome Luai would have been the halfback for the Panthers from the time he was a teenager.
"Because Nathan Cleary did exist, Jarome Luai took on the role of playing six and playing the way he does. Just because we haven’t seen him do it (play as the chief playmaker) in the top grade doesn't mean he couldn't do it. Jarome's got the ability to run football teams, don't worry about that." The Tigers' future relies on it.
mate he’s a good 6 alongside a quality 7… we ARE in trouble next yearHe is a fantastic player who has killed it this year playing halfback. But....unless we drastically improve our outside backs and forwards, it won't make a shred of difference. No single player could make a difference to this team as the roster currently stands.
THE REFS HATE US!! Need I say more
mate he’s a good 6 alongside a quality 7… we ARE in trouble next yearHe is a fantastic player who has killed it this year playing halfback. But....unless we drastically improve our outside backs and forwards, it won't make a shred of difference. No single player could make a difference to this team as the roster currently stands.
THE REFS HATE US!! Need I say more
I'm confident he has what it takes the make the transition to a 7.
In memory of Geoff Chisholm (1965-2022)
Luai will be a very good 7 for us next year he has all the skills
He is a fantastic player
I can't wait to see him in a tigers jersey. Just hoping that Richo and Benji can work some magic with this roster in the meantime
What I like about him is he is a driver , he is only positive for me at this stage moving into next season . If he comes into the club with the attitude he shows this could be the circuit breaker and trigger the team sorely needs .
Api, Luai, galvin will be amazing. We desperately need a top line prop forward. Watching origin it’s incredible how much it’s obvious we have no enforcers. Stef, pole etc these guys really are just kids who have only ever known losing. We need a winner at prop.
luai will drag the team along with him next year, the guy is a winner
