![\"Christian](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/635402f1698dc5687fb8f98be5c093fe76cbc56f.png\")
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April 30, 2026 \u2014 1:03pm<\/p>\n
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Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n Chiefs officials have revealed a family barbecue in western Sydney and a personal plea from Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape helped them land the historic and prized signature<\/a> of Jarome Luai.<\/p>\n A day after Wests Tigers co-captain Luai spoke about wanting to create a legacy<\/a> by signing a three-year, $3.6 million, tax-free deal with the NRL\u2019s 19th team, the Chiefs explained why Luai was their key target.<\/p>\n The Chiefs also hosed down concerns about the tax concessions, after Bulldogs general manager Phil Gould questioned whether the financial incentives even existed on his Six Tackles With Gus podcast.<\/p>\n Chiefs general manager of football Michael Chammas picked up the phone to Luai several weeks ago, but upped the ante when he invited the playmaker and his family to his home last Saturday. The pair live in the same suburb in the Penrith region.<\/p>\n Chammas cooked up koftas and kebabs, while Luai chatted with Chiefs chief executive Lorna McPherson and their children played soccer and rugby league in the backyard.<\/p>\n The following day they all boarded a private jet<\/a> to Port Moresby, where Marape made an impassioned pitch to Luai.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen the leader of a nation picks up the phone and says to a player, \u2018My country needs you\u2019, it\u2019s something that goes beyond sport,\u201d Chammas said at a press conference at the NRL\u2019s Moore Park HQ on Thursday.<\/p>\n \u201cJarome was genuinely moved by that, and it\u2019s the reason he agreed to lead us into our inaugural season. Everyone knows how passionate the PM is about this team and bringing it to life. When we spoke to him last week about where we were at with Jarome, he wanted to be involved.<\/p>\n \u201cI honestly believe the way he spoke to Jarome \u2013 and it wasn\u2019t even about footy, it was about the country, what he could do for the country, inspiring a generation and making a difference.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re talking issues like the impact of domestic violence, inspiring kids to go to school, that\u2019s what rugby league can do for people over there. It unites the country.<\/p>\n \u201cI watched Jarome when the PM and others were engaging with him, you could see it was resonating with him. If he doesn\u2019t go on that trip, Jarome doesn\u2019t sign.<\/p>\n \u201cSigning a player of Jarome\u2019s calibre sends an unmistakable message to the competition \u2013 the PNG Chiefs are here, and we are serious.\u201d<\/p>\n Rival clubs have questioned whether the tax incentives exist as they have been reported \u2013 including Gould.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can only pay so many players that amount of money,\u201d Gould said on his podcast, Six Tackles with Gus. \u201cBut the advantage is, of course, if it\u2019s proven to be true that these are tax-free dollars, it virtually doubles the contract amount that they would normally earn in Australia.\u201d<\/p>\n Chammas said of Gould\u2019s comments: \u201cThe Australian government and PNG government announced over a year ago their plans for [NRL deals] to be tax-free. That\u2019s the undertaking, and there are no plans to go away from that. We\u2019re completely comfortable, and the players should be comfortable with that.\u201d<\/p>\n Luai is determined to leave the Tigers as a winner \u2013 and will chase a fifth premiership ring \u2013 before he links with the Chiefs at the end of next year.<\/p>\n Related Article His relationship with former Penrith teammates including Nathan Cleary, Isaah Yeo<\/a> and Brian To\u2019o is likely to be an asset to the Chiefs, especially if those multiple premiership winners become free agents on November 1.<\/p>\n Every NRL club, including the Chiefs, would love to know if Cleary plans to test the open market to help with their planning, and how much they should set aside to offer the game\u2019s best player.<\/p>\n Chammas was mindful not to reference Cleary or any other Penrith player under contract, and said: \u201cWe won\u2019t go into specifics about players. We can\u2019t talk to them until November 1. We\u2019ve signalled our intent to be a team that\u2019s competitive, and a team that will win. We\u2019ll make sure we do that.\u201d<\/p>\n News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport sent every Monday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n![\"PNG](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/972ac5d7ba6c37ed95212f66ff0e46bd3a744923.jpeg\")
PNG Chiefs chair Catherine Harris, CEO Lorna McPherson, general manager of football Michael Chammas, and PNG sports minister Kinoka Hotune Feo at a press conference to discuss the signing of Jarome Luai on Thursday.Sitthixay Ditthavong<\/p>\n![\"Jarome](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ea53e54df4135c9a7865ad71babb168faa617861.jpeg\")
Jarome Luai has become the PNG Chiefs\u2019 first signing.Peter Rae<\/p>\n![\"PNG](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/0adb20f2347ddf7df47a8de53c21dea1aeae626c.jpeg\")
PNG Chiefs\u2019 general manager of football Michael Chammas and CEO Lorna McPherson on Thursday.Sitthixay Ditthavong<\/p>\n![\"Winners](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1777522034_310_c6a19421fab9490c58643eec5dbc97cdf643743ef78476717311c218715daf77.jpeg\")
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