Penrith Panthers star Jarome Luai may yet re-sign for the club before the November 1 deadline which would turn him into a free agent.
Every player off-contract at the end of next year is able to sign with a rival club from the first day in November, and at the moment, Luai is among that group.
It was looking more and more like Luai would test the free agency market too, with a split from his management company SFX seeing a 90-day non-compete clause, where the star five-eighth couldn't sign with a rival agency.
That 90 days, according to The Sydney Morning Herald was due to expire in mid-October, which would have left Luai just weeks to negotiate a new deal with the Panthers prior to the November 1 deadline.
But now, it has been revealed by the SMH that Luai could have the 90-day clause waived in his contract if the Panthers can negotiate a deal directly with Luai and his family.
Most players pay plenty in agency fees after signing a new deal, and signing without an agent overseeing could actually see Luai save plenty of money, ultimately, seeing him agree to take a deal at an under-market value to stay with the two-time premiership winners who could be on track for a third this season.
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The astoundingly narrow timeline if the non-compete clause wasn't waived, combined with Penrith's rumoured cap issues, was likely to see Luai test the open market.
The Panthers have a number of players at the top end of their cap on long-term deals, including the likes of Nathan Cleary, James Fisher-Harris and Isaah Yeo, while the Panthers are also in negotiations with star fullback Dylan Edwards over a new long-term deal.
As it stands, neither Edwards or Luai are re-signed, and all indications have potentially pointed towards the men from the foot of the mountains losing one of the stars.
Luai could, according to all reports, demand a million dollars per season on the open market.
There is little question that both Edwards and Luai want to stay with the Panthers, with the club the NRL's most successful in recent times, and they both could take unders to remain at the foot of the mountains.
Luai's combination with Nathan Cleary in the halves has been key in setting the Panthers up for success across their run to two premierships and three straight grand finals, but Penrith are a club who are also well aware of the salary cap and the way it hits top clubs.
The Panthers have lost the likes of Kurt Capewell, Matt Burton and Viliame Kikau in the last two seasons, and will lose Stephen Crichton at the end of this season.
