‘A challenge for us’: Tigers confirm early Luai exit
Updated . First published
Wests Tigers coach Benji Marshall said giving young halves at the club a chance to play regular NRL is the reason behind allowing Jarome Luai to leave at the end of the season.
The Tigers confirmed Luai will depart Concord at the end of 2026, following reports the five-eighth was given permission to leave.
Jarome Luai has been given permission to leave Wests Tigers early. Getty
In a statement on Saturday afternoon, the club said the star departs with the best wishes of staff, officials and the playing squad. Marshall also paid tribute to Luai’s “team first” mentality.
“Firstly, I want to thank Jarome for his maturity during these discussions and his team first mentality,” Marshall said in the club statement.
“We’ve got some great young halves here at the club and we need to provide them with the best chance to grow and develop as players, which means we need to give them opportunities to test themselves at NRL level.
“With Jarome leaving at the end of next season, it was going to prove a challenge for us to do that, and he didn’t want to stand in the way of young players getting their opportunity and the overall journey of this group.”
Wests Tigers CEO, Shaun Mielekamp thanked Luai for his contribution.
“I’d really like to thank Jarome and his management for their approach to these discussions in recent months and their recognition of what’s best for both parties moving forward,” Mielekamp said.
“Having Jarome’s departure at the end of 2027 already confirmed, we needed to look closely at our roster and where we invest our resources with a longer-term view.
“We’re in an industry where difficult calls need to be made at times, and we feel this is in the best interests of the Wests Tigers moving forward.”
Luai has already confirmed that he will leave the Tigers after he inked a $1.2m deal to join the PNG Chiefs from 2028, leaving the club with no choice but to plan for his replacement.
Latu Fainu is the likely long-term successor for Luai at the Tigers, with the club working to ensure that the young star is not snapped up by any rival clubs.
Fainu’s brother Samuela is also on the radar for the Tigers to lock down, with the pair both set to come off contract at the end of next season.
With little space available in their salary cap, the club has informed Luai that he is free to play elsewhere next season and depart his deal a year early.
The Tigers have already secured the likes of Jahream Bula, Sunia Turuva and Terrell and Taylan May over the past three months on long-term deals.
Luai parted ways with his junior club, the Penrith Panthers, to join the Tigers as a four-time premiership winner in 2025.
It was largely believed at the time that Luai would be the long-term future of the club, but it was later revealed his five-year deal included get-out clauses at the end of every season, one of which has since been activated.
The Tigers skipper has been a target of disillusioned fans in recent months, with his move to the Chiefs being blamed for the club’s downturn in results and slide down the ladder.
Fainu has played in 10 games this season but only once was he named in the starting line-up, moving to hooker when the club was flogged 46-18 by Manly.
After two years at Concord, Luai will now look for a new home for the 2027 season. He is one of the biggest name free agents on the open market.
