Jarome Luai does it his way out on the field. Almost every step off the right foot, dummy, dart and cut-out pass seems to be plucked out of thin air as he operates on the constant stream of his imagination. He’s forever been the joker in the pack opposite Nathan Cleary’s calm, controlled eye which has kept watch over Penrith’s dynasty.
The Samoan international has always danced to the rhythm of his own boombox, and this innate sense of style was visible when he called his own press conference to announce his next move. Naturally, no one knew what he was going to do in front of the cameras, not even interim Wests Tigers CEO, Shane Richardson.
Jarome Luai promises exciting and unique future for Benji Marshall and Wests Tigers
"About 10 o’clock Wednesday morning," Richardson told SEN when he was asked what time he found out about Luai’s planned presser.
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"We didn’t finalise the contract with Jarome until the night before when we sent it through and got it done.
"I knew that he wanted to do a press conference, but I had no idea where it would be or when he would do it, until I got a phone call at about 10.30am when I was told by [journalist] Brent Read that a press release had gone out about it.
"To be totally honest, it was as much of a surprise to me as it was to everybody."
The 26-year-old is undoubtedly the club’s biggest signing in recent memory after he inked a five-year deal from 2025 onwards.
The Tigers, who are at their lowest ebb after claiming two successive wooden spoons, were looking for someone or something to believe in again.
In a search of this intangible thing, they ventured back into the past to employ former premiership-winning coach Tim Sheens.
Alongside the veteran was club legend Benji Marshall as the since removed hierarchy hoped that the duo could recapture some of that 2005 magic which has long since deserted them.
Richardson, the former South Sydney chief who oversaw their return to the top of the game after years in the wilderness, now leads the club into this proposed new frontier alongside Marshall and Luai.
"When the Rabbitohs landed Greg Inglis…we were on the cusp," Richardson recalled.
"And the statement that he made by coming to us over Brisbane was a massive statement for where we were as a club. From then on, we never looked back."
It is believed by those in the inner sanctum that Luai’s capture will do similar things for the Tigers, allowing the club to not dwell on their past as they attempt to create a new identity for themselves.
"Luai wants to be the leader and he wants to be the face of our club," Richardson stated.
"To be brutally honest, he will be the face of the Wests Tigers and you couldn’t have a better face or person to reflect today’s generation than Jarome.
"He’s an exciting player to have on board and he’s a game-changer for us."
Luai’s signature was never certain with a number of rivals lining up to poach the Penrith No.6 who has a proven track record of success in the halves.
Since debuting for the Panthers in 2018, Luai has amassed 107 NRL appearances, scoring 21 tries and providing 73 assists, while also starring on the representative stage for Samoa and New South Wales.
The Tigers had to contend with the lure of Belmore, where Ivan Cleary's former assistant coach Cameron Ciraldo is busy constructing a Dogs side littered with Penrith talent.
Stephen Crichton recently made the switch, as the star centre joined the likes of Matt Burton and Viliame Kikau at Canterbury.
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"It was a big call to not go with Ciraldo," Richardson said.
"It was playing on his mind, so I was never confident until the phone call last night.
"There was more than just one club. There was two or three also involved, so you never know what’s going to happen. You never catch the fish until it’s in the boat."
During his hastily arranged presser to announce his move from the foot of the mountains to Concord, Luai spoke about his connection with Marshall as a key factor in his decision to join the joint-venture.
It’s easy to see why when the rookie coach recently outlined his ideal personality type to spark a revival at the Tigers.
In his assessment, Marshall wanted free-thinking players who weren’t afraid to push the boundaries. In hindsight, the New Zealander was simply engaged in a public charm offensive with Luai.
"What I love is when you sign players who have a bit of personality about them and you encourage them to be themselves," Marshall said two months before the Penrith star finally confirmed his arrival.
"The more you want them to come out of their shell and be upbeat and funny, the better it'll be for us.
"There's nothing worse than telling a player how to act or how to be. There's some people you can't keep in a box, let them make their own box and do what they do."