Jarome Luai is poised to pull on the Wests Tigers jersey one last time, with coach Benji Marshall set to name the departing playmaker in the team this weekend despite the controversy surrounding his latest PNG trip.
The Tigers will name Luai for Sunday’s clash against his former team Penrith, which will mark the end of a colourful two-year stint at the joint-venture outfit. Eyebrows were raised when Luai took a private jet to Port Moresby over the weekend to join PNG Prime Minister James Marape at a golf tournament.
The Tigers were unaware of the trip until images of the visit were circulated on social media. The club had given the NSW and Samoan playmaker permission to stay in Townsville on Sunday after he passed a medical examination on a leg injury he suffered the night before in the 24-10 loss to the Cowboys.
Luai, who will join the Chiefs in 2028 after a stopover at Parramatta for the 2027 season, then flew to PNG just a week before his final game with the Tigers. He returned in time to take part in training on Tuesday.
The PNG Post Courier newspaper reported Luai was about to become one of the country’s regional tourism ambassadors. The Chiefs’ $1.2 million-per season recruit was a special guest at Royal Port Moresby Golf Club, where he rubbed shoulders with PNG Open winner Josh Armstrong.
The Tigers gave their players two days off after the Cowboys game, given there was an eight-day turnaround for their final match of the season. However, some pundits felt it was a bad look for Luai to be involved in promotional PNG activities before the completion of his Tigers commitments.
His decision won’t cost him at the selection table, with Marshall picking him for the Panthers clash. Another potential pivot, Josh Schuster, made his long-awaited return for feeder team Western Suburbs in their 44-16 NSW Cup loss to South Sydney on the weekend.
While he got through unscathed, the former Manly playmaker wasn’t deemed ready for an NRL return just yet.
More to come
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