Wests Tigers co‑captain Jarome Luai absent from club’s awards night

Jarome Luai’s two-year career at the Wests Tigers has come to an end with the star playmaker ditching the club’s end of season awards’ night.

Luai did not attend the function at Doltone House in Pyrmont on Tuesday night as his teammates celebrated clubman Alex Twal being crowned the Kelly-Barnes Medal winner. Co–captain Api Koroisau won the players’ player award.

About the same time as the Tigers posted on their social media network that Twal had taken home the club’s main prize, Luai uploaded a story on his official Instagram account from Samoa, the Pacific nation where he has spent the past several days promoting the Rugby League World Cup.

The Tigers confirmed Luai did not attend the awards night.

It is not uncommon for players to be overseas on holidays and miss end-of-season presentations. There were 27 no-shows at the St George Illawarra presentation night in 2022.

But it is rare for the highest-paid player and co-captain to skip the final formal event of the season – and Luai’s absence all but summed up how toxic his relationship with the Tigers had become.

Tension between the four-time premiership winner and the Tigers started the moment Luai hopped off a private jet from Port Moresby and announced he would become the Papua New Guinea Chiefs’ marquee signing from 2028.

The Tigers had won five of their first seven games, but following the Luai announcement, dropped 14 of their next 17 to miss the finals for a 15th straight year.

As Balmain great Benny Elias told this masthead a few weeks ago: “The moment the board allowed him to visit Papua New Guinea was the beginning of the end. He’s come back, it was a circus, it’s still a circus, and this is the disastrous finale.”

The Tigers were happy to cut Luai loose a year early, with the five-eighth to join Parramatta next year.

Luai then visited Papua New Guinea without informing the club of his plans after failing to finish a game against North Queensland in round 26.

Coach Benji Marshall repeatedly said there was no bad blood with Luai, and there were no regrets about signing him in the first place.

Despite his pending exit, Luai remained one of the most popular players with fans.

“Tell those guys to come and walk a day in my shoes and see if they can do it – see if they’re a better fit for it,” he said after the Tigers’ shock round 25 win over the Roosters.

Speaking before the final-round Panthers’ clash, Marshall said: “I’m sure a lot of people will have their opinions about what he hasn’t done here.

“I’m sure he’d admit himself he would have liked to have contributed more on the field.

“But all in all, he’ll leave here having had an impact on our club …

“There are no regrets from our side about bringing him here whatsoever because he did the job we needed him to.”

The Tigers will rely on Latu Fainu, who played the second half against the Panthers in the halves, Adam Doueihi, Jock Madden and rookie Javon Andrews to slot into the halves in 2027.

They have recruited Jayden Brailey from the Raiders, while Newcastle’s Tyson Frizell is also being wooed because of his experience.

A good friend of Marshall’s from their playing days at St George Illawarra, Frizell told this masthead on Tuesday the coach had picked up the phone on several occasions about a move to Concord.

In other club presentation news, Simi Sasagi won Canberra’s Meninga Medal, and Hamish Stewart became the youngest recipient of the Dragons Medal.

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