Wests Tigers coach Benji Marshall has defended Jarome Luai's decision to travel to Port Moresby following the club's loss to North Queensland, insisting the departing five-eighth has made a significant impact during his time at the club.
Luai drew criticism last week after he was spotted in Port Moresby on the Sunday following the Tigers' Saturday night defeat to the Cowboys.
The 29-year-old had failed to finish the match after suffering a leg injury in the final five minutes, before travelling to PNG the next day for one of his existing commitments.
Luai's decision to leave Townsville rather than return to Sydney with the Tigers attracted plenty of attention, particularly with the playmaker preparing to depart the club for the new PNG Chiefs franchise.
However, Marshall was quick to dismiss the criticism, pointing to Luai's contractual situation and his right to spend his time away from the club as he chooses.
“It's his time off. He paid to change his flights and not come back with us, which happens quite often with players, and what he chooses to do in his time off, that's up to him,” Marshall said.
“In one week's time he's not going to be here anymore. We're not going to have to worry about any of those things.”
Marshall was also questioned on whether Luai should've just waited an extra week for his trip when the season was over.
“That's a question you can ask him,” Marshall answered.
“The positive about not reading any papers and stuff is you don't see what the stories are, and if you watch the way he trained and acts internally, it's probably different to what you guys are saying, so it's irrelevant.”
Luai joined the Tigers ahead of the 2025 season on a three-year deal with an option for a fourth season, having made the decision to leave the Penrith Panthers after four premierships.
He will now bring his Tigers career to an earlier conclusion, with the club and Luai mutually agreeing to part ways one year before his contract was originally due to expire.
The decision was made with Luai's future in PNG in mind, with the playmaker understood to have third-party commitments in the country that he will need to fulfil next season.
His commitments were a factor in the Tigers agreeing to release him early, with the club not wanting potential absences to impact their performance or create further negative attention surrounding his departure.
Luai will spend next season with Parramatta as part of a stopover deal before joining the PNG Chiefs in 2028.
Sunday's clash against his former team, the Panthers, will therefore mark his final appearance for the Tigers, bringing an intriguing two-year stint at the club to an end.
While Luai has endured criticism for his performances and off-field decisions during his time at Concord, Marshall believes the former Panther's influence on the Tigers has been significant.
“I think anyone who's walking out of a four-time premiership winning team to a team that's won a couple wooden spoons in a row wants to make change and I'm sure a lot of people probably have their opinions about what he hasn't done here, but all I've seen is the things that he has done here and the impact that he has had on the club and players he's helped attract here, what he's brought to the standards in the training,” Marshall said.
“I'm sure he would admit to himself that he would have liked to contribute more on the field performance-wise, but all in all, he'll leave here having had an impact on our club.
“That's a really important memory for him to take away. There's no regrets from our side about bringing him here whatsoever because he did the job we needed him to.”
Marshall also rejected the perception that Luai's public image accurately reflects the player he has seen behind closed doors.
“You ask anyone here who's been in and around him or works with him, it's the opposite,” he added.
“He's down to earth, gives his time to all the fans. What you actually see versus what you get are very different.
“I think it's a little bit unfair, but that's probably what people love about the game: the characters that we do have.
“There are villains, and there are heroes, and he always gets painted as the villain for some reason. But he's about to walk into a country in about 12 months where he's about to be the hero.”
For Marshall, Luai's decision to prioritise his long-term future and his connection with PNG is one he can understand, even if he admits he would have preferred the situation to unfold differently.
“Understandably, I think anyone in his position would have done the same thing around looking after your family long term and having an impact on PNG. You can't blame him for that,” Marshall said.
“Would I have liked it to pan out a bit differently than the way I did? Yeah, sure. There are things I've learned this year as a coach of what I need to be more understanding of and learn on. If that situation pops up again, I'll be better equipped to be able to handle it.”
With his time at the Tigers now almost complete, Luai has one final game in the famous black, white and orange before beginning the next chapter of his career.
And while his tenure at Concord has not delivered the on-field transformation some expected, Marshall remains adamant that the five-eighth leaves the club having made a lasting impact.
