‘I’m good to go, coach’: Luai to back up for Tigers 48 hours after Origin
By Michael Chammas, Christian Nicolussi, Robert Dillon, Kayla Olaya and Billie Eder
Updated June 19, 2025 — 2.34pmfirst published June 15, 2025 — 1.35pm
Jarome Luai will run out for Wests Tigers when they face the Raiders in a crucial clash at Campbelltown on Friday night just 48 hours after playing in NSW’s State of Origin defeat.
The Tigers skipper spoke to Benji Marshall after Wednesday night’s clash in Perth, and his first words were, “I’m good to go, coach”.
“He’s pulled up pretty good apparently,” Marshall said. “They land at 6 o’clock tonight, so we’ll touch base tonight, but at the moment he’s playing.
“I thought he had a lot of good moments [in Origin], in the second half I thought he set up a lot of good play on their left edge. I reckon if they went there another time they probably could’ve jagged it [the win] at the end there.”
Marshall and Luai had a nervous hour or so late on Wednesday night as they waited for the judiciary charge sheet to drop.
Luai was
put on report for an alleged eye-gouge on Queensland second rower Reuben Cotter, but escaped with a fine for contrary conduct.
“I was [worried] but I don’t have to worry any more,” Marshall said. “He got a fine so he’ll be right to play. You just don’t know, I don’t think it was intentional what he did. Anyway, that’s not up to me any more. That’s been dealt with. He got a fine, it is what it is, and we move on.”
Luai was a late NSW call-up for game two after Mitchell Moses was ruled out with a calf strain, and Marshall said he was impressed but not surprised by how well Luai handled the situation.
“I felt a bit sorry for him because we flogged him [at training] on Thursday because we had the bye, and put a lot of fitness work into him. He wanted some extra stuff to get fitter again, and then he got called into camp,” Marshall said.
“But professional athletes ... it is what it is. You want to play at the highest level. He was hurting not to make game one so to be back in there would’ve been a dream come true for him.”
Marshall was even more impressed by his first conversation with Luai following the Blues defeat.
“I’ll tell you exactly the conversation. I said, ‘How’d you pull up?’ and he goes, ‘I’m good to go, coach, put me in’,” Marshall said.
“You’ve got to trust your senior players, but at the same time we’ll get a medical done on him tonight when he gets back, massage, and see how he pulls up tomorrow. We’ve got back-up options if he doesn’t play, and we’ve prepared all week like he’s not going to play. If he does play, it’s a bonus.”
After 80 minutes of toil for his state on Wednesday night, Jarome Luai told his club coach Benji Marshall he was ready to do it all again for the Tigers on Friday.
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