Jarome Luai reveals his shock at Ivan Cleary’s cutting comment as he finally comes clean on his megabucks deal to leave Penrith and join Wests Tigers

Jarome Luai has finally confirmed he has signed a five-year contract to join the Wests Tigers from 2025, bringing an end to the biggest trade saga of the NRL off-season.

Penrith’s three-time premiership-winning five-eighth had been linked with the Tigers for months and made the move official at a snap press conference in Sydney on Wednesday afternoon.

The deal is believed to be worth in excess of $1million per season and is a major coup for a Tigers side that’s in the midst of a 12-year finals drought.

Last month, the 26-year-old informed his teammates of his intention to move from the Panthers, who handed him his debut in 2018 but could not match the Tigers’ big-money offer.

But no contract was formally signed at the time as new Tigers coach Benji Marshall and club management put the finishing touches on their offer.

Under the NRL’s new transfer rules, Luai was required to give the Panthers a 10-day window in which they could try to convince him to stay put.

After taking the week off before Christmas, Luai is expected back at training with Penrith on Thursday.

The five-eighth used the press conference to reveal that the switch presented him with ‘the toughest decision of my career so far’.

‘The obvious reason [for the switch] was it was a great opportunity for me to provide and create for my family, but also to create something for myself.

‘I’ve had a great connection with Benji [Marshall, Tigers coach] and he’s allowed me to, not yet, but we’ve spoken about the future and what he sees in me.

‘I’m really excited about it.’

In early November Luai took a cryptic shot at Ivan Cleary after the Panthers coach claimed it would be a risk for the club’s rivals to sign him as their chief playmaker after he spent years playing second fiddle to superstar halfback Nathan Cleary.

‘Could he do it? I’m sure he could do it. Has he done it? No, he hasn’t,’ Ivan said.

‘He’s done a little bit with Samoa, of course, at last year’s World Cup, but generally speaking in this team he’s had his role to play and it’s slightly different.

‘I guess that’s a risk that everyone [rivals] would have to take.’

Luai hit back by posting an image to his Instagram story with the tagline ‘know your worth’, to the sound of rapper 50 Cent’s ‘Hustler’s Ambition.’

On Wednesday he revealed how the coach’s words cut him.

‘It did shock me a bit,’ Luai said of Cleary’s comments on Wednesday.

‘But he’s not lying.

‘It is motivating. I think anyone saying ill about me motivates me.

‘I’ve always had that edge and that chip on my shoulder. I’ve always been that kind of kid to prove people wrong.’

Luai also revealed how close he came to switching to the Canterbury Bulldogs.

‘I’ve got a lot of brothers there already and [Bulldogs coach] Cam Ciraldo’s like my second dad so that was tough, to turn that away and walk this path alone.’

Marshall expressed his delight at the news in a club statement soon after the news officially broke on Wednesday.

‘We are super excited to announce the signing of Jarome for the 2025 season on a five-year deal,’ Marshall said.

‘His experience as a genuine premiership-winning playmaker will be great for us and the future of our club.

‘We love the way Jarome plays his footy and even better, he is a great person.’

Luai was previously accused of disrespecting the premiers when he told his teammates he would be leaving last month and reportedly got a third party to call the club and tell them he wouldn’t be coming to training.