Penrith five-eighth Jarome Luai hopes teammate Brian To’o never leaves the Panthers amid reports the representative winger was seeking an early release from his contract. Last week, shock reports emerged that To’o was potentially keen to play footy elsewhere to chase a bigger payday at a rival club. The Tigers were promptly floated as a potential suitor, where he could continue to play alongside his current Panthers teammate and close friend Luai.
It was suggested that To’o felt he could demand far more money than his current $ 650,000-a-year contract, which ends at the end of the 2027 NRL season. To’o has watched close friends Stephen Crichton and Luai sign mega-money contracts with rival clubs in recent years and that reportedly led To’o to consider if he should seek a bumper deal elsewhere himself.
However, To’o quickly moved to quell any reports he is leaving Penrith, taking to Instagram last week to ease Penrith fans’ worries. “Thanks for all the support fams. Nothing to see. Not going anywhere, no shopping here. Let’s get it,” he wrote on Instagram.
In the aftermath of the To’o speculation, many thought Luai orchestrated the rumours. But the Penrith No.6 denied it had anything to do with him and said he is personally glad To’o plans to remain a one-club player despite it meaning they won’t be joining forces at the Wests Tigers.
“It was pretty funny when people started blaming me,” the five-eighth said. “I think they were always going to do that when they were getting rumours about that (To’o’s exit). You sort of wonder where they originated from, and I don’t even think ‘Bizza’ (To’o) knows which is pretty interesting.”
I’ve been in his shoes. If you asked me three or four years ago if I was going to be a one-club player then I would have said ‘Yes’. He’s in that boat. Looking from the outside in, hopefully, he stays here because he bleeds Penrith like we all do. At the end of the day, it is a business so whatever happens, I just want the best for him.”
The NSW and Samoa star still has three years left to run on his deal, with the triple premiership winner seen as one of the core members of the Penrith spine. The star winger’s impact on the Panthers side cannot be understated with his try-scoring ability only the tip of the iceberg, as his experience and ability to make big metres coming out of trouble is hard to put a price on.
Jarome Luai says his exit makes Origin more special
The Panthers have been made to shed stars over the past few years as a result of a serious salary cap squeeze. The Penrith playing group is notoriously close but will look incredibly different in 2025, compared to the side they have fielded in their previous premiership wins.
Luai and Sunia Turuva are the latest to head out the door, both signing big-money deals with the Tigers from next year. And Luai says while he won’t play alongside a lot of his close mates as they have either already left the club or will remain at Penrith, he says their friendships will never die and it only makes the time they play alongside each other at State of Origin level more special.
Crichton, Spencer Leniu and To’o are three of Luai’s closest friends and the five-eighth won’t play with any one of them at club level next year. But the crafty five-eighth is hoping to reunite with his brothers in Blues camp next year and says his move to the Tigers will only make him more determined to make the NSW team.
