Luai skips Panthers training after messy $6m exit plan leaks as tensions build at club

Jarome Luai skipped Penrith training on Monday amid continued tensions over his exit from the premiers and plan to join Wests Tigers.

The SMH reports the Panthers superstar’s representatives told the club he would not be appearing at Monday’s session.

It came after he was forced to explain to his teammates during Saturday’s session of his plan to take up a five-year, $6 million offer at Wests Tigers at the end of 2024.

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The report said Luai “needed time away from the club” after the story of his expected departure broke during Panthers training. He left the session more than an hour before his teammates.

Penrith is scheduled to train on Tuesday and Wednesday and Luai’s attendance plans are unclear.

While Luai has not requested his release the growing tensions could see the Tigers ask for him to make an immediate transfer – though this would rely on Luai being willing to leave, the Panthers being willing to let him go, and the Tigers finding $780,000 of cap space.

He has already been paid for two months’ service in this NRL calendar year by the Panthers.

Their current offer stands at around $2.55 million for three years.

It comes as a controversial new rule makes the Luai chase more complex.

Under the new CBA, there is a 10-day cooling off period after a player receives an offer they’d be willing to accept from another club.

That gives the player’s former club the chance to negotiate and potentially up their offer if they would like. Those 10 days also gives the player the option to change his mind if he wants to.

As an NRL spokesman explained to News Corp back in September, “once the 10 day period ends, the player is free to sign with either club.”

“Players have no obligation to accept an offer from their incumbent club even if it matches the offer from the new club.”

The below is the rule explained in depth and what was said to each team when the CBA was finalised.

Every player must provide his incumbent Club with a last right of negotiation for a 10-day period from the date of notice that the player has received an offer from a rival Club, and that offer has been submitted to the NRL, that he is prepared to accept.

In order to give effect to this clause:

a) the player must provide notice to his incumbent Club that he has an offer that he will accept in 10 days’ time (subject to negotiations with his incumbent Club);

b) the Club can then engage in contract negotiations with the player for a period of up to 10 days, or the Club may waive its rights in writing (at which point the player is free to sign with the rival Club);

c) the offer from the rival NRL Club must be an official offer and submitted to the NRL Salary Cap Auditor (the contents of which will remain confidential, but the NRL Salary Cap Auditor can provide verification to the incumbent Club that an official offer has been received). The offer must remain open for acceptance for a minimum of 14 days, and for at least 48 hours beyond the expiry of the 10-day negotiation period with the incumbent Club. There is no requirement for the player to disclose the terms of the offer to his incumbent Club;

d) at the expiry of the 10 days, the player may sign (or reject) the offer from the rival Club.

SMH reporter Michael Chammas outlined this new rule under an X (formerly known as Twitter) post breaking the Luai-to-Tigers deal.

It appears that Luai won’t be returning to the Panthers, so the new rule gives another team a bolter’s chance of signing the three-time premiership winner.

The only team other than the Tigers seemingly in the running are the Bulldogs.

The club’s general manager of football, Phil Gould and head coach Cameron Ciraldo both have strong ties with the Panthers and Luai.

At this stage, their offer is worth about $750,000 less than that of the Tigers after The Daily Telegraph reported CEO Shane Richardson upped what they were willing to offer Luai to $1.2 million over five years.

However, these ten days will give the Bulldogs a chance to re-evaluate and potentially increase the pay package needed to sway Luai.

Again, based on reports, last season’s wooden spooners are in the box seat to have Luai play for them from 2025, but with the Bulldogs hanging around, now isn’t the time to pop the champagne yet Tigers fans.