‘I’m doing it my way’: Battle scars, long commutes and external noise don’t faze Jarome Luai as he looks to be Sinatra and Batman at the Tigers

Jarome Luai has often spoken about being Batman. He now gets the chance to be the hero the Wests Tigers deserve and the one that they need right now. He hasn’t even played a game for the Tigers and there are already stories being written about the get-out clauses in his contract, but the high-profile recruit says he’s in for the fight and has the battle scars to prove it just days into his first pre-season with his new club. The four-time premiership winner at the Panthers was the main attraction on Wednesday morning as the Tigers held the first NRL whole squad media opportunity of the year at CommBank Stadium. Decked out in Tigers gear, Luai said it “felt natural” even if the commute to work was slightly longer, with the champion playmaker sporting several scars on his face after a rough and rowdy wrestling session on his first day back. “It’s a jungle out there in Concord, and I’m loving it there,” he said, whispering that teammate David Klemmer looked worse after the session. “This is what pre-season’s about. It’s about earning trust through hard work. They’re definitely putting me through my paces and I’m enjoying it. “Hopefully, that prepares me for a great year.” It’s been just over a year since Luai announced his move at an event in Darling Square where he said his motivation was to prove people wrong who questioned why a guy at the best team in the comp would want to join the wooden spooners. “I’ve seen a few of the headlines asking ‘who would go from the top to the bottom?’ and that resonated with me because I’m always backing myself to win, no matter where I go,” he declared on January 3, 2024. “It is motivating because anyone who says anything ill about me is motivating. “I’ve always had that edge and that chip on my shoulder to prove people wrong, but this one was more so to prove it to myself.” Fast forward a year and nothing has changed for the NSW five-eighth even though Penrith won a fourth title and the Tigers claimed a third spoon on the trot. “Part of the reason why I came is to take that (pressure) head on and enjoy that feeling,” he said. “Sometimes players can fear away from that. I’ve been in a lot of big games and a lot of big moments, and that’s set me up for this moment. I know I’m ready for it.” One thing that hasn’t changed is the intense scrutiny on both Luai and the club, with reports that he is free to leave after just two seasons. Luai confirmed the clause in his contract but wasn’t worried at all by perceptions he might not see out his contract. “When it came out, I hadn’t even played a game in the colours yet and I’m already getting spoken about. But I’m used to that already and it doesn’t faze me at all,” he said. “I’ve got a point to prove here – not to anyone else but to myself – and I want to see what I can do on the field with these boys. “I know I can help a lot of the players here with the media side of things because it is a big part of our life today. Everyone sees the Tigers in the headlines every second day, so from a player’s point of view and team perspective, we can’t buy into that. “We’ve got one solid goal right now, and that’s to get ready for the year.” There have been some famous five-year plans in the NRL in the past, but Luai isn’t looking that far ahead. “I think I’ve become a bit of a realist, so I’m not looking that far ahead, especially five years because that’s a long time,” he said. “Coming from a great club and stepping out of my comfort zone to come here and test myself and test the team is the biggest goal for me. “I want to help these guys to get in a position to compete for a title this year, and that comes with a lot of hard work.” Luai was often described as being the Robin to Nathan Cleary’s Batman at Penrith, but he gets the chance to be the Caped Crusader now with young gun Lachlan Galvin to be his sidekick in the halves. “I guess that’s the title that I’m not longing for, but I want to step up too,” he said, having led Penrith’s attack while Cleary was injured last year. “You can’t claim that title. The way you perform and the way that you lead with your actions is going to get you that title. “We’ll see how the year pans out. We’ll finish off this pre-season and hopefully I’ll be Batman soon.” All eyes will be on Luai and the Tigers this year, with plenty of bold takes to be made before a ball is kicked in the new season. But the outside noise means very little to the new main man in town, with Luai echoing Frank Sinatra and Limp Bizkit by declaring he’ll do things “my way”. “I don’t really care, to be honest,” he said. “I’m doing it my way. At the end of the day when it’s all said and done, I want to say I did it my way and have no regrets doing that. “Life is about learning about yourself and learning about people around you. I’m having fun doing that, and it’s been a good journey so far.”