Tigers coach Benji Marshall has revealed an “emotional” conversation with Jarome Luai in his office that proves the star five-eighth’s move to Papua New Guinea is about more than “just himself”.
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Luai and Marshall both fronted the media on Wednesday morning in the wake of news the co-captain would be leaving the club at the end of 2027 to join the NRL’s 19th team.
Luai was adamant the decision was not about the money despite the tax-free incentives being one of the greatest advantages the Chiefs have at their disposal in building a team that can compete right away.
Instead, Luai said the chance to “grow a nation” was what resonated with him along with the opportunity it provided for his family. That isn’t to say it was an easy decision though.
In fact, Luai said he had a “really difficult” conversation with Marshall, who told reporters the NSW Blues representative and Samoan international came to him “a bit broken down” in his office.
“One thing about Jarome is he’s been transparent through the whole process and communicated very clearly to me about what his plans are, and what he’s going to do,” Marshall said, in a response that exploded on Fox League social accounts with fans praising the coach.
“We sent him there with our blessing to explore that opportunity and I had a guy in my office who was a bit broken down and emotional about making the decision that clearly wasn’t just about himself. His family and an opportunity that was simply too good to refuse.”
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While there have been suggestions that Luai’s decision could derail the Tigers, Marshall shut down those claims by instead stressing he and the rest of the playing group will only look at the 29-year-old’s presence at the club as a “positive”.
“Because I’ve got a guy who I begged to come out of a four-time premiership winning team to help a club off the bottom of the table progress into a better position, and he took that challenge with us,” Marshall added.
“He’s 18 months into that deal and what he’s done in 18 months has only been positive, and we get to make it positive for the next 18 months to actually get some more out of him before he takes that opportunity.
“There’s nothing but gratitude from me for what he’s done for our club so far, and what he will continue to do for 18 months and I’m looking forward to seeing what he does in that 18 months.”
Marshall said he has “no ill feelings” towards Luai for his decision and that his message to Tigers fans is to “celebrate” the four-time premiership-winner for what he has already achieved at the club and will continue to do.
“It’s a unique situation because he’s still here for another 18 months, which is quite weird, I think everyone feels like he’s leaving now. He’s not, and he’s got a job to do still,” Marshall added.
While it is obviously a setback to lose a player of Luai’s calibre, Marshall confirmed that the Tigers have waived the 10-day cooling period to allow his contract with PNG to be registered before his option for next season is activated.
Now that the Tigers have clarity on Luai’s future, they are able to plan for the future.
That includes settling on Luai’s long-term replacement, with Marshall singling out Latu Fainu, Jock Madden and Javon Andrews as “potential options to fill that void”.
“But that’s 18 months away too,” he added.
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“So there’s a lot of time between now and then. But we are and we have been planning for 2028 now anyway, so it’s a great opportunity for us to have a look at what we got and make decisions accordingly based on what we think is best for our club.”
That could include finalising a new deal with fullback Jahream Bula, who has a mutual option in his deal for 2027. The Tigers, meanwhile, have until May to activate the club option, which would see them retain Bula on a salary of $900,000 for next year.
But it would make sense for both parties to instead lock in a long-term contract, should Bula want to remain at the club.
Marshall won’t elaborate on the club’s recruitment and retention process, but said Luai’s decision would not impact their approach to the Bula negotiations.
“Jahream has always been of high importance to us,” he said.
Marshall, however, was happy to address the clauses in Luai’s contract which ultimately allowed him to make the PNG switch and according to the Tigers coach, it is no regrets.
“Those player options are what got him here and if we don’t get him here, we probably don’t get off the bottom of the table like we did given what he’s given us,” Marshall said.
Marshall also admitted that the Chiefs, with their tax-free incentives, clearly pose a threat to rival NRL clubs but dismissed suggestions some of Luai’s Tigers teammates could follow him to PNG.
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“I don’t think anyone was probably that worried about it before until now,” Marshall said.
“So yeah, it’s realistic. If you’re chasing more money and a better deal, then there’s great opportunities for you. I think every club need to be on their toes for a bit.
“My job has always been to create an environment where players want to be and want to stay and want to have that opportunity here. If they want to get the opportunity to go somewhere else, well, then that’s up to them.
“One thing with rugby league, and you guys all know this, is that no matter what happens, players come and go, but the club is always bigger than anyone, any individual. That’ll always be the same.”
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