Parramatta coach Jason Ryles has dismissed claims Jarome Luai’s one-year deal is a ‘sugar hit’, while also giving his players a brutal reminder of the reality they’re currently in.
After the Wests Tigers told Luai a fortnight ago he could leave a year early, Ryles seized the opportunity to grab the State of Origin-winning five-eighth for just $600,000 for 2027.
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While that could be considered a cut-price for a four-time premiership winner, critics argued the club wasn’t looking at its long-term future and could instead be blooding a young half to partner Mitchell Moses.
On Wednesday, the Eels coach addressed the media to further clarify his stance on Luai’s short-term arrival.
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“When a player like Jarome comes up, with the age of our spine, and to give Mitchell a hand going forward and help us win now, and prepare our next crew coming through, we see that as the best option for our footy club,” Ryles said.
“We have got younger players coming through our pathways that may be ready in 12 months, but this gives them an extra bit of time to get their reps in (NSW) Cup and learn off a true pro that’s won a lot of premierships.
“I see it as a win-win for us. People will have their opinions on what we’ve done, but this is what I see is best for us going forward.”
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It’s also been suggested that some Parramatta players might not be happy to have Luai for just one season before he moves on to the PNG Chiefs in 2028.
On Tuesday, Eels halfback Mitchell Moses didn’t do anything to suggest everything was perfect regarding the Luai signature as he refused to talk about the signing.
When asked if Luai’s arrival could cause angst among some in the players, Ryles gave a reminder to his playing group.
“We’re sitting in a spot on the ladder (15th) at the moment where we don’t want to be, and it’s no-one’s fault directly, but we need more experienced players and Jarome fits that bill,” he said.
“We’re all excited about Jarome’s arrival. He brings a lot of experience to our spine and he’s a competitor, and (with) all the background we’ve done on him, he’s very big on his training standards and his extras.
“It will be great for our younger guys to see that and watch it in action first-hand.”
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Jason Ryles defends Parramatta’s move to sign Jarome Luai for just one seasonSource: FOX SPORTS
Ryles argued the club was still thinking long-term with its spine by signing young players like fullback Isaiah Iongi and hookers Ryley Smith and Tallyn Da Silva.
“We’ve taken a long-term view on what we’re doing. We’ve gone long-term with Izzy (Isaiah Iongi). He started with three years, now he’s in for five years,” Ryles said.
“Ryley Smith jumped out of the ground and we extended his contract and then Tallyn Da Silva became available as well and we saw an opportunity to put him on for four years as well.”
Ryles also said comparisons to Luai’s one-year deal and Jonah Pezet’s in 2026 weren’t fair given one is an up-and-coming first-grader and the other is a four-time premiership winner.
“There’s a bit of difference there,” Ryles said.