Tigers only have 12 months to make sure Luai stays long-term

It’s all excitement in Concord right now after star signing Jarome Luai linked up with the rest of the Wests Tigers squad early, getting his preseason underway as soon as possible – but a contract sticking point has already got the powerbrokers at the joint venture rushing to secure their mega-star pickup.

Despite signing a five-year deal with the Tigers through to 2029, there’s actually a series of player options in the paperwork that means Luai can test the waters with other clubs for each of his final three seasons.

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This one-at-a-time negotiating clause means Luai will be free to speak to rival clubs from November 1, 2025, with one eye on the 2026 campaign. There’s absolutely nothing to suggest the 27-year-old is already looking to leave the club, but dealmakers at Wests are nervous nonetheless; the clause was the only reason Luai picked them over other suitors.

Justin Pascoe, who negotiated much of Luai’s deal, had pushed back hard on the clause. His replacement, Shane Richardson, kowtowed to the star player’s demands.

While many understand Benji Marshall’s rebuild still needs time, Luai’s clauses put the torch on the whole setup quite early.

Should the Tigers struggle out the gates – or Luai realises he doesn’t like playing number seven as much as the six – then things could get quite ugly quite quickly. Several clubs have already informally expressed interest in the four-time Penrith Panthers champion and The Sporting Base would be shocked if he wasn’t wooed by every other club in the league (as well as impending the PNG expansion organisation too) should he activate any of the get-out-of-jail clauses through 2026, 2027, or 2028.

Even worse for Wests, young gun Lachlan Galvin, who’ll be partnering Luai in the halves, is also off-contract at the end of 2026. Many in the club see him as the long-term future of Marshall’s rebuild but should Luai leave, Galvin too may head for the door as quickly as he can.

There were some early talks that Luai would return to Nathan Cleary and the Panthers should he leave.

That has been all but quelled by Penrith reporter-cross-insider Peter Lang though, who suggested Luai “would never return.”

“A lot of Panthers supporters have renewed hope that Jarome Luai will return to Penrith due to a clause in his contract which will allow him to leave the Tigers after two years if he wants to,” Lang wrote on social media. “My personal opinion is Luai will never return to the Panthers… he’s not a quitter.”

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One option for the Tigers if Luai or Galvin leave in the next few seasons is Latu Fainu, though he’s still developing in reserve grade right now. Only time will tell who leads the Tigers long-term.