Parramatta has been dubbed a “transition lounge” over the impending signing of Jarome Luai on a one-year deal as the club’s recruitment pattern comes under scrutiny.
The Eels are the favourites to sign Luai for a one-and-done season in 2027 before he joins the PNG Chiefs after he was released by the Wests Tigers from the last year of his current deal, worth $1.2 million per season.
Parramatta is expected to $700,000 to $800,000 of that wage with the Tigers paying the rest, but the expected short term deal has many questioning the club’s long term vision.
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“It just smacks of desperation to me, to spend all that money for eight months,” the Daily Telegraph’s Dean Ritchie said on NRL 360 on Kayo Sports, pointing out the context of Parramatta’s 40-year premiership drought.
“I don’t agree with it. Parramatta just aren’t learning their lesson here. Throw in the World Cup that doesn’t finish until mid November, then the RLPA sanctioned holiday, so he wouldn’t come back January or February, so the deal next year is probably only for eight or nine months.
“Parramatta’s got to learn what’s in their soul, their heart, their emblem and stop signing these band-aid deals for one year.
“Jonah Pezet went there for a year. They signed Zac Lomax for four years, he lasted one. Now it looks like they’re going to get Jarome Luai for eight months.
“I don’t think these quick fixes work in rugby league. You have to look long-term and play it smarter than just trying to grab anyone and they’re filling in until they go to another club. That’s not great recruitment.
“I just question the culture they’re trying to build by signing these blokes for one year, making them better players potentially to go and ply their trade somewhere else.”
Ritchie described Parramatta as a “transition lounge” for players making their way to other clubs.
Signing Luai for a year could be a wise stopgap option to allow the Eels to chase star halves who are off contract for 2028.
“They’ve got kids coming up but it also buys them time,” Brent Read said.
“On November 1 for 2028, we’re talking Matt Burton, Sam Walker, Ethan Sanders — there’s a handful of halves coming on the market that they can’t get for next year but they can get them for ‘28.
“Jarome buys them time. If their young kids don’t come through, they can go to market.
“I expect Parramatta to make more signings than just Jarome Luai. They’re in the market for outside backs. They’re looking at Jack Howarth if Jack’s allowed to leave Melbourne. I expect them to took at their front row stocks.
“Mitch (Moses) is the key for them. If Mitch can play 20 games for them, they’re top eight contenders regardless of whether they get Jarome or not. But Jarome helps.
Read added: “Parramatta need to win footy games, and Jarome will help them win footy games.
“Ryles needs to win footy games. As much as we think he’s going to be a really good coach in the game, you need to win. Jarome makes them a better football, I don’t think there’s any doubt about that.”
Braith Anasta said “Eels fans are split” on the prospect of signing Luai for just one season.
“If they’ve got the money, you can kind of understand why they’d do it,” he said.
There’s a number of halves coming off contract. If they can get a deal done in the interim and get one of the big guns the year after.
“If it’s not getting in the way of their young halves coming through, if they can bide their time for another year, it’s not a bad decision.”
It comes as Code Sports reports Rugby Australia CEO Phil Waugh has opened the door for Luai to switch codes to the 15-man game for the chance to play in the 2027 Rugby World Cup before joining PNG.
Luai act ‘childish’, Benji relationship under scrutiny
Jarome Luai’s relationship with Benji Marshall is under the spotlight amid is exit from the Tigers.
Luai’s father Martin commented a hand emoji, which is understood to mean ‘OK’ or ‘perfect’, on a social media post by Triple M on Saturday that claimed the player and coach were “not as close as they were … ever since he (Luai) said I’m off to PNG”.
On Channel 7’s Agenda Setters, Luke Keary said: “I said it before, it hasn’t been great on the field and I reckon Jerome by his own admission would say he hasn’t been at his best for the Tigers.
“Benji said it a few times, since we actually we called him out, he probably played his two best games. The thing for me is the cryptic messages and things like this, it’s borderline childish.
“Honestly, to go on Instagram ten minutes after your team loses to the Dragons, you’re not even up the ground, and to post pictures of, I don’t even know what they call them, with zipper mouths and things like that.
“It’s not a great look mate, and I know as a teammate, if one of my teammates did that, you wouldn’t be happy.
“Obviously it didn’t go down well.”
On NRL 360 reporter Dean Ritchie questioned whether the Tigers had a “fractured dressing room” after Luai announced his move to PNG.
Gorden Tallis said: “It wouldn’t be the money, it’s what’s happening and what’s going to happen next year. It’s the dressing room now.”
Luai will only play two years of the five-year deal with the Tigers he originally signed worth $1.2 million per season, and will earn double that in tax free money playing for the PNG Chiefs.
“I don’t know how anyone could begrudge or put themselves in Jarome’s position and not do what he did,” Brent Read said.
“He’s been offered so much money and the third party deals he is apparently being offered are astronomical.”
Asked what the third party deals would be worth to Luai in PNG, Read said: “We’re talking millions.”
Originally published as Parramatta Eels labelled two-word insult, debate rages over Jarome Luai signing