I agree he rounded out as a player despite looking less threatening himself but taking Kikau out of that edge isn’t going to be fixed overnight when our whole left hand shape was built around his presence. We go years without our right working at all and there’s a limited amount Jarome can do in his role because Yeo and Cleary aren’t doing the work inside. Luai also had a rotation of edge forwards and Peachey as much as anyone to combine with. I’m confident the way Luai/Clearys roles were evolving last year and the stability we’ll have in our spine, we’ll see a better season out of both.
He didn’t have Kiks but Sorro went alright in that edge; he looked plenty dangerous running off Luai.
I thought Luai was pretty good in the middle part of the season. The start was admittedly down on his high standards (with the ball) but the whole team looked disjointed at that point (albeit I do concede that as a half, Jarome (alongside Nathan) should take more of the criticism for that) and he was injured for the last big of the season. But in the middle he was good.
I personally think his skills and physical attributes have probably peaked, and will go on a slow decline for the rest of his career. His ability to maintain and even enhance his effectiveness will be down to the role he plays and therefore coaching. I really thought that in the Prelim he looked awesome, particularly in his combination with Nathan as they were switching roles and sides. Cogger also did that during his stints in the side, so it was obviously a coaching thing. And I thought it was great for all the players involved; allowed Luai to play straight and Nathan more time with the ball.
Obviously not Luai’s best game in the GF, he did look to be carrying that arm in a way he didn’t in his comeback.
But at the end of the day, if Luai has played his best footy and even if he didnt lace up a boot again, he was in the halves for a team that threepeated, he was the NSW halves for the first two game when NSW flogged QLD in QLD and led his Tier 2 nation to a World Cup final.
Guys a f@cking legend!!