Penrith Panthers coach Ivan Cleary has revealed he is confident that what the club can provide will convince Jarome Luai to remain at the foot of the mountains beyond the end of the 2024 season.
Often maligned by fans and the media alike, the State of Origin five-eighth is off-contract at the end of 2024 and could be set to exit the club with rivals reportedly considering dollars in the seven figures to rip him away from the foot of the mountains.
The two-time premiership winner recently split from his management company, triggering a 90-day period where he couldn't negotiate with clubs or sign with a rival management company.
It was revealed this week however that his former company were willing to waive that right if the Panthers can deal in good faith with Luai and his family.
It could avert a situation where Luai only has a week or two to get a deal done with the Panthers before November 1 once the 90-day timeline expires.
Speaking to the media, Cleary said it wasn't only finances that the Panthers could offer the five-eighth to keep him at the foot of the mountains.
โI just feel like we can offer Jarome not just a financially good offer but something that works for him as well as for his family, where he's from, the way we play and his role in that,โ Cleary told the media on Monday.
โIt sounds like a pretty good deal to me.
โI feel like Jarome belongs here. I feel we're good for him and he's good for us. We've just got to go to work on getting that done.
โI'd rather it sooner than later, but it's also a big thing in his career and he's got to make sure that he's happy with it and us the same.
โI'm honestly not that worried about it. I'm very confident.โ
What is unclear is the Panthers' salary cap situation considering the long-term big-money deals they already have in place for Nathan Cleary, Isaah Yeo and James Fisher-Harris, among others, while the club are also in the process of trying to re-sign Dylan Edwards.
Luai, who has had three tries and 12 assists in 18 games this year, has played 103 NRL games since his debut with the Panthers in 2018.
