Join now and get your first month for just $1<\/a>.<\/p>\n\u201cWe\u2019re all fine. Obviously its not ideal before a game but we\u2019re all locked in and we won\u2019t use that as an excuse tonight,\u201d Adam Doueihi said on Fox League.<\/p>\n
Luai\u2019s pending departure (who has been heavily linked to the Eels) is expected to free up around $1.2 million in salary cap space, handing the Tigers significant flexibility as they reshape their roster under coach Benji Marshall.<\/p>\n
While the club are understood to be prioritising contract upgrades and long-term extensions for rising stars Latu and Samuela Fainu with the extra salary cap space, Fox League analyst Michael Ennis believes there could be an even bigger play behind the decision.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe talk is Latu Fainu. They want to extend him. We haven\u2019t seen the best of Latu yet, there has been so much optimism around him,\u201d Ennis said on Friday Night Football\u2019s pre-match show.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was a schoolboys star (but) just hasn\u2019t been able to do that (at the Tigers yet). His body has let him down.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think they make this decision unless there\u2019s someone sitting in the background that they\u2019re looking to spend a fair chunk of this $1.2 million on to come in and do that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jarome Luai Wests Tigers exitSource: Supplied<\/p>\n
Although Fainu is set to be handed the keys to the long-term five-eighth role, Ennis believes that the club should have an even bigger target in mind and floated a blockbuster alternative.<\/p>\n
This is where he suggested that the Tigers should target Parramatta Eels captain and NSW Blues star playmaker Mitchell Moses.<\/p>\n
\u201cMitch Moses. I know, I\u2019m throwing it out there,\u201d the former NRL hooker said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you look at Parramatta at the moment, Mitch is 31 years of age. The romanticism about him coming back to where it all started.<\/p>\n
\u201c$1.2 million for me, that\u2019s in the ballpark of Mitch Moses and if you look at where Parramatta are at Mitch might look at that roster at the moment and go if I can play with Api Koroisau \u2026 Jahream Bula and \u2026 Adam Doueihi.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are some really good pieces to a puzzle at the Wests Tigers that just need someone to be able to unlock that and you see how Moses steps up in the big game. <\/p>\n
\u201cYou saw that the other night. I know I\u2019m throwing it out there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mitchell Moses and Jarome Luai played together for NSW in 2024. Picture: NRL ImagerySource: Supplied<\/p>\n
Although he is contracted to Parramatta until the end of 2029 and does not have any early release clauses in his deal, stranger things have happened in the world of rugby league<\/p>\n
One of the elite halfback of the NRL, the 31-year-old is approaching the latter stages of his playing career and could potentially consider joining another team which may provide him with a stronger chance of winning a premiership.<\/p>\n
\u201cParramatta would love to have that halves pairing of Mitchell Moses and Jarome Luai,\u201d Ennis continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut looking at it today thinking Mitch loves winning, wants to win and to be fair I can\u2019t see it (happening at the Eels).\u201d<\/p>\n
Speaking on NRL 360 on Thursday, foxsports.com.au\u2019s columnist Paul Crawley labelled Luai\u2019s impending departure a \u201cconcession\u201d by the Tigers.<\/p>\n
Ryles responds to strong Luai rumours | 01:12<\/p>\n
This saw him declare that their $1.2 million investment in the star five-eight had failed to deliver the expected results.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll put it to you this way: if Nathan Cleary is coming off-contract right at the end of next year and he signed somewhere else do Penrith put him in NSW Cup or try flog him off somewhere else so they can bring a young kid through?\u201d Crawley said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat club has decided Jarome has not been a success.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor them to concede coming into Round 19 that they\u2019ve basically given up on their captain, I just can\u2019t see how you say that\u2019s a success for the Jarome Luai experiment. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey were selling this as the players wanted to be on board with Benji and then Jarome Luai leaves.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Wests Tigers sent shockwaves through the rugby league world earlier this week when they dropped a mid-season…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":791927,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[568],"tags":[64,63,761,762,158,85],"class_list":["post-791926","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nrl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-national-rugby-league","tag-nationalrugbyleague","tag-nrl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/791926","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=791926"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/791926\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/791927"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=791926"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=791926"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=791926"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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