The Wests Tigers fittingly farewelled Leichhardt Oval on Sunday night, defeating the Gold Coast Titans 36-28 in an emotional victory inspired by a Jarome Luai masterclass.
After weeks of scrutiny surrounding his form and the fallout from his decision to join the PNG Chiefs in 2028, Luai responded in the best possible way, scoring a hat-trick, including a brilliant late solo effort to cement their win.
The Tigers appeared in complete control early, racing to a 12-0 lead, but the Titans stormed back into the contest, piling on 24 unanswered points to threaten a memorable comeback of their own.
With the game slipping away, Luai stepped up when his side needed him most.
The five eighth admitted the criticism surrounding his leadership and form had affected him more than he let on.
“It did, to be honest, it did,” Luai revealed.
“(Marshall) knows, we've had a few convos about that, but he sat me down one day and just said ‘wipe all of that', you know? They love me for who I am.
“And they needed me to be my best, and this is going to be the start of that, and I'm looking forward to next week.”
Tigers coach Benji Marshall was quick to defend his star playmaker after the match, urging critics to give Luai the same attention for his match-winning display they had given his recent struggles.
“You've got to remember a lot has been made since he decided to go to PNG and that falls on him,” Marshall said.
“So write how he brought us back tonight because everyone wrote about how that changed our season. Well, write how he won it for us today.”
Marshall acknowledged the toll the Tigers' difficult season had taken on his playmaker.
“When you lose, it affects you, hey”.
“Yeah, we had some really solid discussions about how we got him back to that this week,” Marshall said.
“And ultimately, there are actions in his game that he knows, and I know as a coach that when he's doing it, he's on.
“And I thought tonight off the kick off, first kick off, he took the carry. And you know he's in for the physical battle, first tackle, solid tackle.
“And then off the back of his running game talk, energy, yeah, he was outstanding.”
Luai also credited Marshall for helping him rediscover his best football.
“Probably just leading by actions. I love being coached by someone like Benji who's played in my shoes and sort of been in my role,” Luai said.
“And getting just his insight, his perspective on how I get in the game and play my best. So he helped me, but it's on again next week, so we'll go again.”
The result ensured the Tigers sent Leichhardt Oval off on a high note before the venue undergoes redevelopment until 2028, with one of the club's most passionate fan bases rewarded with a memorable final outing.
Marshall admitted the occasion made the victory even more special.
“I am extremely proud of our team.
“I can get into the details of the game, about how we started and then the lack of resilience we showed, and the fight back we showed.
“But all and all, to come back to Leichhardt on our last game here for a while, and to get the result, it makes the rest of it irrelevant right now.”
The Tigers will now look to carry this win into next week against the Dolphins, as star second rower Kai Pearce Paul awaits scans on a pec injury that is expected to sideline him for an extended amount of time.
