PNG 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 of Jarome Luai.
A day after Wests Tigers co-captain Luai spoke about wanting to create a legacy by signing a three-year, $3.6 million, tax-free deal with the NRLโs 19th team, the Chiefs explained why Luai was their key target.
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.
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.
Chammas cooked up koftas and kebabs, while Luai chatted with Chiefs CEO Lorna McPherson and their children played soccer and rugby league in the backyard.
The following day they all boarded a private jet to Port Moresby, where Marape made an impassioned pitch to Luai.
โWhen the leader of a nation picks up the phone and says to a player, โMy country needs youโ, itโs something that goes beyond sport,โ Chammas said at a press conference at the NRLโs Moore Park HQ on Thursday.
โJarome was genuinely moved by that, and itโs 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.
โI honestly believe the way he spoke to Jarome โ and it wasnโt even about footy, it was about the country, what he could do for the country, inspiring a generation and making a difference.
โYouโre talking issues like the impact of domestic violence, inspiring kids to go to school, thatโs what rugby league can do for people over there. It unites the country.
โI watched Jarome when the PM and others were engaging with him, you could see it was resonating with him. If he doesnโt go on that trip, Jarome doesnโt sign.
โSigning a player of Jaromeโs calibre sends an unmistakable message to the competition โ the PNG Chiefs are here, and we are serious.โ
Rival clubs have questioned whether the tax incentives exist as they have been reported โ including Gould.
โYou can only pay so many players that amount of money,โ Gould said on his podcast, Six Tackles with Gus. โBut the advantage is, of course, if itโs proven to be true that these are tax-free dollars, it virtually doubles the contract amount that they would normally earn in Australia.โ
Chammas said of Gouldโs comments: โThe Australian Government and PNG Government announced over a year ago their plans for [NRL deals] to be tax-free. Thatโs the undertaking, and there are no plans to go away from that. Weโre completely comfortable, and the players should be comfortable with that.โ
Luai is determined to leave the Tigers as a winner โ and will chase a fifth and premiership ring โ before he links with the Chiefs at the end of next year.
His relationship with former Penrith teammates including Nathan Cleary, Isaah Yeo and Brian Toโo is likely to be an asset to the Chiefs, especially if those multiple premiership winners become free agents on November 1.
Every rival NRL club, including the Chiefs, would love to know if Cleary plans to test the open market to help with their own planning, and how much they should set aside to offer the gameโs best player.
Chammas was mindful not to reference Cleary or any other Penrith player under contract, and said: โWe wonโt go into specifics about players. We canโt talk to them until November 1. Weโve signalled our intent to be a team thatโs competitive, and a team that will win. Weโll make sure we do that.โ
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