The Wests Tigers have confirmed that co-captain Jarome Luai won’t be at the club next season, with his departure to provide their younger halves with the chance to develop their game in the NRL.
Coach Benji Marshall didn’t want to address the five-eighth’s impending departure on Friday night following their heavy loss to the Warriors, but the club moved swiftly to provide clarity on Saturday afternoon.
Luai joined the Tigers in 2025 after winning four titles with the Panthers, with the Samoan star wanting to challenge himself as the chief playmaker having been in a team where Nathan Cleary was the biggest threat.
He signed with PNG to be their marquee man when they enter the competition in 2028, with Luai activating a clause to remain at the Tigers next season.
It all seemed to have been handled smoothly at the time, but he and the club have mutually agreed for him to leave early with the Eels the favourites to land him.
“I’d really like to thank Jarome and his management for their approach to these discussions in recent months and their recognition of what’s best for both parties moving forward,” Tigers chief executive Shaun Mielekamp said.
“We love what Jarome has brought to this club – both on and off the field – which is the difficult part of this situation, but we need to look to the future.
“Having Jarome’s departure at the end of 2027 already confirmed, we needed to look closely at our roster and where we invest our resources with a longer-term view.
“We’re in an industry where difficult calls need to be made at times, and we feel this is in the best interests of the Wests Tigers moving forward.”
Luai’s departure provides a path for Latu Fainu and young gun Javon Andrews to play in the halves alongside Adam Doueihi, with Jake Averillo expected to play centre when he joins the club next year.
“Firstly, I want to thank Jarome for his maturity during these discussions and his team first mentality,” Marshall said.
“We’ve got some great young halves here at the club and we need to provide them with the best chance to grow and develop as players, which means we need to give them opportunities to test themselves at NRL level.
“With Jarome leaving at the end of next season, it was going to prove a challenge for us to do that, and he didn’t want to stand in the way of young players getting their opportunity and the overall journey of this group.
“This agreement is testament to Jarome and his commitment to this group that he’s willing to step aside to ensure our club is in the best position possible over the next few years.
“We want to wish Jarome and his family well with the next chapter of his career.”
Luai’s decision to join the Chiefs – coupled with a horror injury crisis – have coincided with a massive drop in form that is set to see the club’s finals drought continue, with their last appearance back in 2011.
The five-eighth wants to finish his shortened stint at the club on a high note before the next generation take over.
His impact on the club is tough to judge given they didn’t play finals footy, but he did make them a destination club with other stars happy to join him at the Tigers.
“I’m grateful to everyone involved with the club for everything over the last two seasons,” Luai said.
“Shaun, Benji, the coaches, the staff and my brothers out on the field. We’ve laid some strong foundations together. I look forward to seeing this group continue to grow and bring success to the Wests Tigers.
“The focus now is on my game and helping this group finish the season strongly.”
Originally published as ‘A challenge for us’: Wests Tigers are putting their faith in the next generation of halves after confirming Jarome Luai’s exit