Jarome Luai is free to leave the Wests Tigers after just two years of his contract in a staggering new revelation about his five-year deal. The Sydney Morning Herald reported on Thursday night that only two years of Luai's five-year contract are actually guaranteed, and the other three are 'player options'. It means the five-eighth will definitely be at the Tigers in 2025 and 2026, but after that he's free to opt out of his contract if he can find a new club. According to the SMH, former Tigers CEO Justin Pascoe was firmly against allowing Luai to sign a contract with three years of player options, but new boss Shane Richardson ticked off on it when he replaced Pascoe. It's the same sort of clause that Mitchell Moses and Dylan Brown have in their long-term contracts with the Parramatta Eels. It's believed the Tigers relented and allowed Luai to get his way in a last-ditch attempt to convince him not to re-sign with Penrith. And Panthers fans are now daring to dream that he'll make a quick return to Penrith after his difficult decision to leave. However the money on offer at the Tigers might be too good to refuse. Speaking on SEN radio on Friday morning, leading journalist Michael Carayannis said: "If the Tigers walk away with another wooden spoon he might want to exit the club. If I'm the Wests Tigers I'm trying to re-negotiate and get that clause out. This time next year he'll actually be a free agent and there will be more teams lining up for Jarome Luai than there were this year." Commentator Andrew Voss added: :"If I was the Tigers at the very least, I think it should have been three (years guaranteed) plus two (options). You have to lock in for three years working with teammates and blokes coming through. You've got an 18-year-old half with you (Lachie Galvin). I would like to see three years of Jarome Luai locked in."
No comments:
Post a Comment