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Wests Tigers have confirmed Jarome Luai will leave the club at the end of the 2026 NRL season.
The Tigers said on Saturday their co-captain would be released from the final year of his contract by mutual agreement.
Luai in April announced he would be joining the PNG Chiefs when they come into the NRL in 2028. He is likely to play a gap year at Parramatta in 2027, according to sources not authorised to comment.
“Firstly, I want to thank Jarome for his maturity during these discussions and his team first mentality,” Tigers coach Benji Marshall said.
“We’ve got some great young halves here at the club and we need to provide them with the best chance to grow and develop as players, which means we need to give them opportunities to test themselves at NRL level.
“With Jarome leaving at the end of next season, it was going to prove a challenge for us to do that, and he didn’t want to stand in the way of young players getting their opportunity.”
Luai, 29, said he was grateful for his time at the Tigers, who he joined from Penrith ahead of last season.
“We’ve laid some strong foundations together. I look forward to seeing this group continue to grow and bring success to the Wests Tigers,” he said.
“The focus now is on my game and helping this group finish the season strongly.”
More to come
