Panthers star Jarome Luai is aiming to play in next month’s World Club Challenge against Wigan after undergoing shoulder surgery in October.
Luai left the grand final win against the Broncos in the second half after suffering a shoulder injury, and went under the knife soon after.
Luai’s name has been in the headlines quite a bit this off-season with the polarising playmaker to join the Tigers on a five-year deal from 2025.
Penrith fullback Dylan Edwards says Luai is “training very well” and hopes his teammates final season at the club is a successful one.
“I’m not sure of the exact time line, but he is training very well, doing a lot of rehab and working really hard, so he is going to give himself every chance,” Edwards told The Daily Telegraph at a Panthers fan day on Saturday.
“We would love to send him off on a high note. He is still one of our brothers and he is going to compete as hard as he can this year, so hopefully send him off as a winner.”
The Panthers are no strangers to seeing teammates head to other clubs as Penrith’s success means they often fall victim to the salary cap crunch.
Last year’s Rookie of the Year winner Sunia Turuva understands Luai’s decision and believes the five-eighth’s impending departure won’t be an impact on the team as they strive for a fourth-straight premiership.
“He has still been his loud self and been the pest he is. I personally haven’t seen anything different from Jarome this year,” Turuva said.
“The boys would love that for him, we just gotta try and make sure we finish on a good note for him, like we did for Spenny (Spencer Leniu), Critta (Stephen Crichton) and Cogs (Jack Cogger).”
Leniu (Roosters), Crichton (Bulldogs) and Cogger (Knights) all left Penrith at the end of the 2023 season to link up with new clubs.
Jarome Luai has vowed to step up again for Penrith in the absence of Nathan Cleary, following news the injured halfback will be sidelined until the NRL finals. The Panthers received positive news on the Cleary injury situation on Friday, with the three-time premiership winner avoiding the need for surgery in a massive boost to the club’s hopes of winning a fourth straight grand final in 2024.
Cleary’s season looked in serious danger when he was forced to leave the field in the second half of Thursday night’s 24-22 loss to the Melbourne Storm, and his father and coach Ivan Cleary admitted that it didn’t look good for the 26-year-old. But scans on Friday confirmed that the damage to Cleary’s shoulder was only minor and that he’s likely to return in time for Penrith’s finals assault.
Leave a Reply