Nicho\u2019s big admission on Sharks reality that \u2018everyone knows\u2019<\/a><\/p>\nAre Flanagan & Atkinson the answer? | 06:28<\/p>\n
Q: You\u2019ve spoken about it previously and you touched on it, that you have a real desire to be a leader. How do you think you went leading the Tigers in 2025?<\/p>\n
A: Like I said it was a massive learning, good and good. I think the biggest thing that I took away from the first year is that there\u2019s no right or wrong way to be, it\u2019s just the fact that everyone\u2019s different and everyone wants to be treated differently and reacts to different things in different ways. So for me learning how to get the best out of each and every player in my team is a massive challenge that I\u2019m looking forward to getting better at this year and as the years progress.<\/p>\n
Q: You come across as a confident person, have you always been confident and very sure of yourself?<\/p>\n
A: Yeah, I think I have. My parents will tell you I was always a loud kid, I was getting in trouble in primary school just for being loud and talking too much. Not for doing bad things and getting in fights, but just being real talkative and energetic. That\u2019s just the confidence that I have, I know it gets taken the wrong way sometimes, people call it arrogance and all of that but I sort of view it as I know I\u2019ve done the work behind the scenes. Then I can go out on the field, whether it\u2019s in front of the cameras, whether it\u2019s at training and be confident in the fact that I\u2019ve done the work. Then I just have fun with it, so whatever I\u2019m expressing out there that\u2019s just me, that\u2019s who I am and I am comfortable in my own skin.<\/p>\n
Jarome Luai will wear the Tigers\u2019 No.6 jersey in 2026.Source: Supplied Source Known<\/p>\n
Q: What does confidence look like to you on the field versus off it?<\/p>\n
A: I think it\u2019s pretty similar and you hear a lot of people talking about comparing Australian stars to American stars. I\u2019ve started to hear lately like why aren\u2019t the sports players in Australia comfortable enough to be like the American dudes. I just think it\u2019s the Australian perception of what people should be like and be humble and all that sort of thing. But yeah, I just have fun with it bro on and off the field. Just be yourself and be comfortable in your own skin is the main message I get across to the younger boys.<\/p>\n
Q: We saw it a little bit last year, you yourself have a strong social media presence, do you think that\u2019s going to be something players adopt more in years to come? YouTube channels, bigger Instagram accounts?<\/p>\n
A: I think we have to take advantage of that. Rugby league and sports takes up a massive chunk of our lives and you often hear about what a player is going to do after footy. I think while you\u2019re playing you can have so much fun with personal branding and with where the world is going these days, if your social media is on point businesses and doors will open for you. A bit of advice I\u2019m trying to learn it a lot better now, got a lot of good people around me. But build your brand and I\u2019m pretty sure that\u2019ll make your life after footy a lot smoother.<\/p>\n
Q: In the past you likened your move to the Tigers from moving from Robin to Batman. How do you see those comments now?<\/p>\n
A: Yeah it\u2019s probably changed a bit to be honest and I think Batman is the wrong hero to put in a team sport environment. There\u2019s no Batman in this sport, sort of look at it as Avengers if you were to put it in a superhero perspective. Everyone\u2019s got their part to play, everyone\u2019s got their role and no one\u2019s bigger than each other. That\u2019s how I look at it now, I\u2019m my own superhero and for instance you know Tito\u2019s (Sunia Turuva) his own super hero, he\u2019s got his own superpowers, Api\u2019s (Koroisau) got his own things he brings to the team. So it\u2019s definitely changed over this last year. Everyone\u2019s got their parts to play, everyone\u2019s got their own powers.<\/p>\n
Co-Captain Api Koroisau has taught Jarome Luai that he is an introvert.Source: News Corp Australia<\/p>\n
Q: Is there one of the Avengers that you identify with most?<\/p>\n
A: Thor maybe because of the long hair, I don\u2019t have his rig though. I\u2019m working on it.<\/p>\n
Q: Thinking back to the person you were when you made your NRL debut, how do you think you\u2019ve changed overall?<\/p>\n
A: I\u2019ve seen an interview after I think it was my second game and even the confident kid that I was, I was still a bit timid and shy in front of the cameras and things like that. I\u2019ve grown in that sense, grown in the fact that I\u2019m able to still be myself in front of the audience, in front of the world, in front of the lights and the cameras and things like that. And now I\u2019ve got a family I\u2019m a father, father of three and those guys have given me purpose and a new identity. I\u2019ve definitely changed and grown hopefully into the role model that younger kids want to be like.<\/p>\n
Are the Roosters built for a title run? | 06:34<\/p>\n
Q: We will touch on family in a little but, but how do you want to be perceived by your teammates? At the end of the day, they go home and they\u2019re talking about Jarome Luai, what do you want them to say?<\/p>\n
A: A guy that gave his all, not only on game day. But gave his all to the team every day, competed in every drill and was just the guy that tried to get the best out of all his teammates and ultimately, a winner.<\/p>\n
Q: And what you\u2019ve touched on there speaks to legacy. Is that something you think about having already achieved so much in rugby league?<\/p>\n
A: Yes and no. It\u2019s not really attractive to me right now, like I don\u2019t really think about it. As I go and as I do things and as I chase new goals and new heights, that\u2019ll write itself when it\u2019s ready to. But the most important thing for me is to stay present in the moment now. I love the emotion of winning after games and that\u2019s what keeps me chasing to be better for my teammates. That\u2019s me today, just trying to stay in the present moment, be the best version of myself every day.<\/p>\n
Can the Broncos go back-to-back? | 04:53<\/p>\n
Q: I know this is hard because the rugby league season comes and goes so fast, but have you had any time to sort of sit and reflect on the achievements and the things you\u2019ve done in rugby league?<\/p>\n
A: No, no, not really. And I don\u2019t want to have that time yet. I know I\u2019ve still got a lot more to give. I\u2019ve still got a lot more areas to improve in and I know I can become a better player, a better man and a better leader. So I think that if I have that mindset, it\u2019s going to keep me in good stead. It\u2019s not about what you\u2019ve done, it\u2019s not about what\u2019s ahead, but it\u2019s about what you\u2019re doing right now and that\u2019s what I want to pass on to my teammates.<\/p>\n
Q: Away from football, how do you like to spend your time?<\/p>\n
A: These days, I\u2019ve got three kids. My son\u2019s getting into footy now, so I\u2019m just trying to pass on a lot of my knowledge. I don\u2019t think it\u2019s a good thing because I\u2019m videotaping his footy matches, sitting him down, trying to be Benji in the tape room. I\u2019ve got a lot of respect for fathers out there. My missus and my kids make a lot of sacrifices for me to do what I do. Any free time that I get, I give back to them. <\/p>\n
Luai and coach Benji Marshall are close.Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
Q: How important is family for you?<\/p>\n
A: It\u2019s probably number one for me and like I said before, my purpose and identity. They\u2019ve given a new one to me. At the end of the day, we don\u2019t really own anything, property, money and all that. Once we pass, that all passes on. But I really feel like your kids are yours, they\u2019re your own and it\u2019s not about what you leave for them, it\u2019s what you leave in them that\u2019s going to be around forever. So it\u2019s a big goal of mine to make sure I instill traits like respect and discipline and just give them my time and stay present with my family.<\/p>\n
Q: What\u2019s one thing that people might not know about you?<\/p>\n
A: That they might now know? I\u2019m pretty out there hey…. That I\u2019m a low-key introvert. Api (Koroisau) actually gave me the definition of it, how that works. Because I\u2019m actually good around people and when I\u2019m around people. But if it was up to me, I\u2019d rather just be at home. I wouldn\u2019t go out of my way to be around people or do things with a big crowd. My ideal day is just to be at home doing nothing with the kids.<\/p>\n
Eels to take Lomax to court | 00:36<\/p>\n
Q: How would you describe your music taste and who is an artist or bands that you\u2019ve been listening to?<\/p>\n
A: That\u2019s probably another thing that people don\u2019t really know. I have a wide range of genres that I love. Country is heavy in the mix, old school, 60s, 70s, 80s, R&B and all that stuff. Sometimes I try to get a feel for the room as well. If there\u2019s a lot of boys that gravitate towards a certain genre, I\u2019ll chuck it on and maybe even pretend that I like it… I love all types of music as long as everyone\u2019s enjoying it and it brings out good energy to the people around me.<\/p>\n
Q: So you\u2019re in control of the boom box?<\/p>\n
A: Heavily, yeah. Sunia Turuva is a big influence in there as well, he\u2019s a big energy dude as well. So yeah, no one\u2019s going to argue with the song that he puts on.<\/p>\n
Jarome Luai and Sunia Turuva control the Tigers boom box.Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
Q: A little bit about Benji, you\u2019ve spoken in the past about how important he\u2019s been already in one season. How\u2019s that relationship building?<\/p>\n
A: It\u2019s been awesome, I just think around the trust we have for each other and what we talk about, how we talk about things and go about things has been a massive eye-opener for me. Still to this day I am trying to get out of that… he was my hero back in the day and he was a big part of why I wanted to chase being an NRL player. So for me, it\u2019s about sometimes putting that aside and just having a proper captain-coach relationship. So that\u2019s been a test for myself, but I think we\u2019ve hit a sweet spot.<\/p>\n
‘I don’t feel like I’ll play at all’ | 01:33<\/p>\n
Q: It\u2019s sort of like the old adage, you never want to meet your heroes. But in this case, you certainly have wanted to meet yours.<\/p>\n
A: Definitely. To even get the chance to play with him a couple of years ago, share a room with him, pick his brain a bit, and then things come to fruition. He\u2019s my NRL coach now, which is outrageous.<\/p>\n
Q: I can\u2019t even think how many pre-seasons you\u2019ve been through now. Do they get easier?<\/p>\n
A: I think it\u2019s getting harder. I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s because of the age or like this Tigers pre-season has really ramped up and I love it because we mean business and we\u2019ve got something to prove to our fans and to the people. We don\u2019t want to be that underdog anymore. We want to be a real contender.<\/p>\n
Q: Is there one player in pre-season that\u2019s really impressed you thus far?<\/p>\n
A: I\u2019m going to give two big wraps to Bunty Afoa and Kai Pearce-Paul The standards they\u2019ve come in with, the energy they\u2019ve brought, obviously from different teams. You don\u2019t really know what to expect from the new boys, but they\u2019ve come in, heads down, ready to work and they\u2019ve set a real good standard for our younger boys. So I\u2019m excited to chuck this jersey on with those boys and see what we can muster up this season.<\/p>\n
Kai Pearce-Paul has impressed Jarome Luai.Source: Supplied<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Jarome Luai is one of the NRL\u2019s biggest personalities \u2014 there\u2019s no doubts about that. The 29-year-old is…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":443617,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[568],"tags":[64,63,689,9421,230365,230368,18584,230187,230374,230369,230361,230362,230364,763,20924,130924,39271,230370,230366,230375,4466,22326,761,762,230367,158,677,9112,230376,668,230193,183062,16205,230373,1314,118006,85,114701,230372,1080,230371,230363,3712,11089,4515,117835],"class_list":["post-443616","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nrl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-australia-and-new-zealand","tag-benji-marshall","tag-boom-box","tag-candid-interview","tag-captain-coach-relationship","tag-closer-look","tag-confident-person","tag-energy-dude","tag-evolving-leader","tag-flanagan-ampamp-atkinson","tag-footy-matches","tag-fox-league","tag-game-day","tag-gun-playmaker","tag-halves-pairing","tag-home-jersey","tag-jarome-luai-q","tag-key-introvert","tag-melbourne-storm","tag-mitchell-moses","tag-national-rugby-league","tag-nationalrugbyleague","tag-new-found-attitude","tag-nrl","tag-oceania","tag-parramatta-eels","tag-point-businesses","tag-press-conference","tag-pressure-stars","tag-real-contender","tag-rule-changes","tag-season-prospects","tag-social-media","tag-social-media-presence","tag-sports","tag-sports-players","tag-superhero-perspective","tag-sydney-roosters","tag-tape-room","tag-team-dives","tag-title-run","tag-tom-sargeant","tag-wests-tigers","tag-wide-ranging-interview"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/443616","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=443616"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/443616\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/443617"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=443616"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=443616"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=443616"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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