Luai in no rush to extend with Panthers, may sound out suitors

Jarome Luai is in no rush to recommit to the Penrith Panthers, especially with the money they have to offer him for an extension, and is considering testing the opening market once he is free to talk to sound out offers from other NRL clubs in November.

The Panthers are in the middle of negotiations with several of their premiership stars, including fullback Dylan Edwards, but have failed to bring Luai to the table for any meaningful extension talks.

The talk coming out of the foot of the mountain is that the 26-year-old five-eighth is in no rush to commit to any new deal with the club. The thinking from his team, The Sporting Base understands, is after having played for New South Wales and Samoa and won several titles with Penrith, he’s now looking at other Sydney options.

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He will be free to negotiate with other clubs from November 1 later this year.

Those negotiations would cover any deal from the 2025 NRL season onward. He is currently signed with the Panthers through until the end of next year for around $700,000 a season.

It’s certainly good coin for any half, but with the Panthers preparing a rich package to keep the team’s number one, Edwards, so soon after forking out cash for Moses Leota, Soni Luke, Brian To’o, and Liam Martin, as well as co-captain Isaah Yeo, the salary cap coffers are starting to run a little bare for the reigning champs.

Luai and his team are under the impression—and The Sporting Base would agree—that the 26-year-old could command closer to $800,000 or even $900,000 a year should he field offers from suitors. Chief among them would be Sydney clubs like St George Illawarra, Wests, and Cronulla, all of whom are looking for five-eighths for 2025.

Manly were also interested up until they signed Luke Brooks.

There’s every likelihood Luai does change his mind before November rolls around, especially if he gets a chance to sit down with childhood friends Ivan and Nathan Cleary and paint out the next few years for the Panthers.

Today, Luai’s focus will be on Penrith’s next match, against the Dolphins on Sunday.

He would have been playing in the 2023 State of Origin dead rubber on Wednesday but was dropped for veteran Blue Cody Walker following two losses at five-eighth.

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