New Eels coach Jason Ryles has made one of his first big calls by selecting his captaincy replacement for Clint Gutherson.
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Scans deliver good news for Luai, Wests Tigers
Concern at the Wests Tigers over the fitness of $6 million signing Jarome Luai has been eased after scans cleared the newly minted co-captain of serious injury.
Luai will be kept on ice for several days after sustaining a quad injury late last week, with the Tigers’ first trial game against the Bulldogs three weeks away.
Jarome Luai meets Tigers fans during pre-season training.
© Rhett Wyman
The star Tigers recruit was sent for scans on the injury over the weekend and results have eased concerns of a hampered lead-in to his first campaign at the club.
Last week, Luai participated in a pre-season army camp in Queensland’s Moreton Bay, where he impressed club officials and camp organisers.
The 28-year-old’s move from four-time premiers Penrith to the wooden spooners makes him the biggest recruitment story in the NRL. Luai has been honing a new halves combination with rising star Lachlan Galvin for the past month.
The Tigers have trial matches scheduled against Canterbury (February 16) and Parramatta (February 21) ahead of a March 7 start to the season against Newcastle. Given the short turnaround between trials, it’s expected the Tigers will only field a full-strength spine in one of those games.
Luai is slated to be a senior voice in round one given co-captain and hooker Api Koroisau is serving the last week of a suspension from 2024, making for a young play-making spine of Galvin, fullback Jahream Bula and replacement No.9 Tallyn Da Silva around Luai at halfback.
Luai’s rise to share the captaincy with Koroisau comes after Samoa’s tour of the UK meant he only arrived at Concord late last year, but the NSW Origin star has impressed plenty at the Tigers since.
“He’s been huge already for our young guys Lachie [Galvin] and [Latu] Fainu, he’s an Origin and grand final-winning half,” Koroisau said.
“Both the young guys are asking questions all the time and Romey’s very vocal anyway. You don’t have to ask for his opinion.
“That’s something we’ve needed. The more voices the better, and we need that guy leading the team at halfback. You can just see the confidence he gives people.”
Koroisau played alongside Luai in two premiership wins at Penrith before making his own move to the Tigers in 2023. Luai’s five-year, $6 million deal includes a player option for 2027 that could allow him to leave the club early, but Koroisau is backing him to be a circuit-breaking signing and deliver as a marquee recruit.
“He’s very different these days,” Koroisau said.
“Romey did his job at Penrith, he didn’t need to be the big dog, the leading, mature guy.
“He was the guy that when you gave him the ball, he made something happen, and he did that quite well.
“But he’s progressed now too, he’s a leader, he’s older. He took the reins when Nath [Nathan Cleary] was out and you could see him maturing right in front of you. He can be the five-eighth with the big plays and the game manager, because he’s grown into such a good leader.”
Jarome Luai running the show at Tigers training.© Rhett Wyman
