Why two-word jab won’t come back to haunt Luai; club most ‘at risk’ of PNG poaching: Talking Points

“I don’t think anything is going to change the output of Jarome Luai… but it can impact your teammates, especially those younger players that would be hanging off every word of Jarome Luai,” he said.

However, while Luai has obviously played an important role in establishing a winning culture at the club, as The Daily Telegraph’s David Riccio pointed out on ‘NRL 360’, Benji Marshall is ultimately the leading figurehead at the club.

“I think it’s under the management of Benji that holds this team together anyway,” he said.

To this point, Marshall has been able to largely keep the external noise out as the Tigers hype train rolled on and it’ll likely be the same here when it comes to Luai’s decision.

Plus, at least this gives the Tigers and the rest of the playing group certainty moving forward.

To that point, foxsports.com.au columnist Paul Crawley said this could instead “galvanise” the club.

“There’s an opportunity here, depending on how it goes and how he and Benji handles this, that it can also galvanise the team,” he said.

“They’ve proven they’ve got a squad capable of challenging right now.”

WHO IS NEXT FOR THE CHIEFS… AND THE ONE CLUB AT RISK OF BEING POACHED

Luai is the marquee name. Alex Johnston confirmed on social media he’s making the move too. That is just the start.

Braith Anasta said on NRL 360 that he has “heard a lot” about other players who are interested in joining the Chiefs, and a lot of that goes back to the tax-free incentives.

“It’s irresistible. It’s too hard to refuse,” Anasta said.

“It is such a huge appeal to players to go over and play.”

With that in mind, Anasta predicted that unlike some other expansion teams, the Chiefs could be a “very competitive team” from the jump.

So, who could be next?

Well, the advantage the Chiefs have is the tax-free incentives which will help them continue to attract big names and two of Luai’s former teammates have been heavily linked to the club.

Mitch Kenny has been tipped to become the team’s inaugural skipper, which would make plenty of sense as the Panthers hooker is a deep thinker who has done work in platypus conservation and recently spent his offseason in Borneo, taking in the local wildlife.

All of that is to say that Kenny is the type of player who would see value in the opportunity to immerse himself in the PNG culture and understand the privilege of captaining a team that represents an entire nation and its people.

Martin, meanwhile, would bring a hard edge to the Chiefs’ forward pack while also helping create a winning culture alongside Kenny and Luai.

There are five other Panthers off-contract who can negotiate with rival clubs from November 1 including Nathan Cleary, Moses Leota and Isaah Yeo. It is part of the reason why Anasta believes they are the club who are most at risk of being poached by the Chiefs now that Luai is on board.

“The Panthers can’t possibly keep everyone,” Anasta said.

“The Panthers have had their success. They’ve won their premierships. Your mindset changes as you get older. You’ve got to think family, you’ve got to think kids… it changes everything when you’ve won that many premierships. I would think the most at risk of feeling the impact of this signing is the Panthers.”

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Of course, Cleary is the one name that keeps getting mentioned.

It isn’t hard to imagine that someone as ambitious as Michael Chammas, PNG’s general manager, won’t at least have a crack at getting the biggest signature in the game.

Queensland Maroons coach and former Storm fullback Billy Slater said he could see the Chiefs being a “really attractive” option for the four-time premiership-winning halfback.

“The PNG one is tax free money. By the time the Chiefs come into the comp, the salary cap will probably go from $13 million to $15 million,” Slater said on Nine’s Sunday Footy Show.

“So if you’re thinking about your top-line player like a Nathan Cleary, he’s probably demanding 15 per cent of the salary cap, which is $2.25m.

“Now, if you take that tax free, that’s equivalent to $4.5m somewhere else.

“So, it’s going to be a huge attraction for Nathan at that time of his career if he wants to go and set up a new franchise. We know what kind of player he is. He’s not going to go there just for the money, he’s going to go there to try and create success for that country and that new franchise.

“But, I think the Chiefs will be the really attractive one if he wants to go.”

Luke Keary, however, said he can’t see Cleary playing for another NRL team.

“He doesn’t need to… I can see him going over there (to England) for union,” Keary said.

“Penrith or that. I think those are his two options… some of those European clubs can offer him that same type of money and he can travel.

“But I have a feeling he may just play for Penrith for 15 years.”

Cleary was one of three big names that were reported as targets for the Chiefs when Willie Peters was first announced as inaugural coach along with Cameron Munster and Yeo.

Peters told NRL 360 at the time that he wanted to get “strong leaders”. Luai and Johnston certainly tick that box along with Kenny, Martin and Cleary.

The same goes for Brisbane’s Patrick Carrigan, who has also been linked to the Chiefs.

He isn’t off-contract until the end of 2028 though and shut down any speculation over his future when speaking to Nine News Queensland this week.

“I think it’s just the excitement of having new teams in the competition. I’m contracted to the Broncs for a couple more years,” Carrigan said.

“I might be the first player to have three years left and be speculated to be going somewhere else.”

In terms of PNG Internationals in the NRL who the Chiefs could target, North Queensland’s Zac Laybutt is off-contract at the end of 2027 while Jack Belin has an option in his contract at Parramatta for 2027.

The biggest names the Chiefs could target, however, are Xavier Coates and Cooper Bai. Both players are off-contract at the end of 2027 and Bai spoke glowingly earlier in the year about his experience playing a few Tests for PNG.

“I absolutely love everyone over in PNG,” Bai said.

“The support and love that I get from everyone over there is tremendous. I’ve never felt anything like it at all. To be able to play in those PM’s XIII games and the international games too, it was such a good feeling.

“Obviously, if they end up coming out in ‘28 (there will be noise) but I don’t really think of that right now. If stuff happens later, it happens later, but I’m staying around now.”

As for Coates, the Daily Telegraph reported that the Chiefs are looking into the possibility of signing the Storm winger along with brothers Phillip and Basil.

THE BIGGEST PRIORITY FOR THE TIGERS NOW

Keeping a spine consistent is important for any club.

Take the Panthers, for example – only two members of their premiership-winning spine has ever changed.

Api Koroisau departed for the Tigers, with Mitch Kenny taking his place, while Jarome Luai followed him and Blaize Talagi slotted in after joining from the Tigers.

It all goes back to that word clubs and the rugby league world loves to use – consistency.

And outside of Jarome Luai, there’s one star spine member the Tigers now need to focus on retaining after a stellar start to the season.

Jahream Bula’s future under Marshall has been cloudy to say the least, with options in his contract muddying the waters.

The Tigers have a club option for Bula for $900,000 for 2027 that they are yet to activate, with both parties attempting to negotiate a long-term deal.

Bula is only 24 and his ceiling is incredibly high, with multiple clubs on the lookout for elite fullback options as evidenced by the Dragons’ big-money acquisition of Scott Drinkwater.

According to Braith Anasta, the Tigers and Bula’s management are “trying to get a long-term deal done” but that both sides are not “particularly close” to coming to an agreement.

But Anasta explained a deal needs to be struck in order to avoid having two gaping holes in Marshall’s spine in 2028.

“The risk is you’re in the same position in 12 months,” he said of activating Bula’s option for 2026.

WHY INFAMOUS TWO-WORD JAB WON’T COME BACK TO HAUNT LUAI

Of course, in making this decision Luai would know what is coming.

Specifically, that his infamous ‘Team First’ Instagram post in reference to Lachlan Galvin’s exit would resurface.

But these are two very different situations, as foxsports.com.au columnist Paul Crawley pointed out on ‘NRL 360’.

“Those comments were made in regards to Lachlan Galvin leaving the club when he was still under contract with nearly two years to go… here Jarome is free to negotiate,” Crawley said.

While some Tigers fans may be disappointed, it is hard to see many of them holding it against Luai when this kind of money is on offer.

And it’s not just about a cash grab. Like any player weighing up their future, this is about Luai setting up his family for the future.

When he first joined the Tigers Luai said the “obvious reason” for making the move was the “great opportunity” he had to “provide and create” for his family.

It was also a fresh challenge, and while Luai hasn’t won a premiership with the Tigers yet it is hard to deny he has already helped set up the foundations for success long after he leaves.

“He has given great service to that club,” Crawley said.

“They have done nothing yet but they are top four. They have transformed from a bottom team. He was one of the initial players that came across to pick that club up off the canvas.”

That was the general consensus from the NRL 360 panel on Tuesday night reacting to the news, with both Gorden Tallis and Braith Anasta believing Luai will be remembered fondly by Tigers fans for the role he has already played in turning the club around.

“I think he’s got them to a standard,” Tallis said.

“I think he’s shown them how to compete and be professional off the field. I think he’s done a lot of wonderful things at the Tigers, but the way they’re playing I don’t think they’re relying on him as much as they once were.”

“He’s gone there and he’s been great for the club in terms of setting standards and a winning culture,” added Anasta.

“When he hasn’t played this year they’ve done well without him. They’ve got a good core group and next man up mentality. They’ve also got another year-and-a-half with him… so I don’t think it’s the end of the world.”

Of course, Luai still has plenty of time left at the Tigers too. So who is to say this doesn’t end with the ultimate fairytale.