‘Doesn’t sit well with me’: Luai warned over long-lasting fallout from Tigers ‘lack of respect’

Ben Elias has made the stunning claim that the Tigers were left blindsided by Jarome Luai’s original trip to Papua New Guinea as the fallout from the star five-eighth’s messy exit continues.

Luai’s premature split with the Tigers dominated headlines in 2026, with the four-time premiership winner causing a stir again after missing the club’s awards night.

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Instead, Luai was in Samoa promoting the Rugby League World Cup and while the Tigers confirmed they knew he would not be attending their event, it once again put the spotlight on the veteran playmaker’s complicated legacy at the club he was supposed to bring success to.

Luai originally agreed to join the Tigers on a five-year contract, but lasted just two seasons at the joint venture before activating a get-out clause in his deal to sign with the PNG Chiefs for the 2028 season

His exit became increasingly complicated when the Tigers granted him to explore his options for 2027, which ultimately led to a move to the Parramatta Eels for a single season before then linking up with the Chiefs.

Luai first visited PNG headquarters in late April as the Tigers were enjoying a surprise resurgence to open the 2026 season, but it all went downhill after that visit.

Now in an added twist to the entire ordeal, Elias said on Wednesday night that he had “very good mail” that Benji Marshall, Shaun Mielekamp and the club’s board of directors did not initially know Luai was going to PNG.

“All he was saying was that he was going overseas and the Tigers had won five out of seven. Everything was going great guns and Benji may have been a bit blindfolded by him going overseas because technically he did not lie,” Elias added on NRL 360.

Braith Anasta said that would “change everything”, with Elias rating Luai’s stint at the Tigers a “one out of 10”.

“And I’m being generous,” the Rugby League Hall of Famer added.

“The bloke has brought nothing to the club. He showed his true colours at the end... he cut his contract short a year to go to Parramatta in the interim before he goes over.

“I don’t mind what he does and (setting up) his family. I totally agree with that. But you’ve got to have style about yourself. You’ve got to have respect because you’re letting down other people around you.

“He came to our club to be our big keynote signing. I don’t know what he’s done.”

Marshall argued ahead of Luai’s final game for the club that the four-time premiership winner had changed the culture and standards at the Tigers while also helping recruit big-name players.

Fellow Tigers legend and Fox League commentator Steve ‘Blocker’ Roach, however, agreed Luai had been a major letdown given the high expectations that surrounded his arrival.

“I’m bitterly disappointed in it. You train all offseason and the last couple of seasons he’s been with that team. Whatever happened to team first?” Roach said.

“He’s also the co-captain. He should be there (at the awards night). The Tigers are paying him I think it’s half-a-million next year to play at Parramatta. If I was involved in it, I would fine him heavily for not being there. He should have been there.”

Roach was particularly scathing of Luai’s actions given the “team-first” dig he took at former Tigers teammate Lachlan Galvin last year.

“He hasn’t been honest with the club. He hasn’t been honest with himself really. It’s about what your teammates think about you. What are all the Tigers people going to say about him in 20 years?” Roach said, making a “plea” to the NRL that players should not be able to sign with another club until they have finished their current contract.

It is not just former Tigers players who believe Luai’s actions have damaged his legacy.

Three-time premiership winner Gorden Tallis believes the saga could have changed the way Luai is viewed inside the NRL and particularly among the teammates he has left behind at the Tigers.

“I wouldn’t like it if he was playing with me. The dressing room changed,” Tallis said on NRL 360.

“If he’s signed for PNG and he’s really powerful amongst players and he’s there going to spruik the good word about PNG, there wouldn’t be too many Tigers players who would go with him.

“He turned his back on them and Parramatta is going to think the same because he’s only there for six months and then goes to PNG.

“The biggest thing in rugby league is trust.”

The comments from the Queensland Maroons icon came before CODE Sports reporter Michael Carayannis argued that both the Tigers and Luai have a reason to feel aggrieved with one another by how the situation has unfolded.

“I feel like both parties feel like they’ve been disrespected,” he said.

“Jarome Luai left Penrith on great terms because it didn’t feel like he was disrespected.

“I have no doubt the Tigers feel like they were disrespected during this process and Jarome Luai feels the same.”

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While Tallis suggested that his future teammates at the Eels may also feel disrespected he is only there for 12 months, The Daily Telegraph’s Brent Read highlighted the difference between Luai situation’s at the Tigers and Parramatta.

“There’s a distinct difference between the Tigers situation and the Parra situation. Parramatta know what they are getting,” Read said.

“They’re getting him for one year. The Tigers situation was we’re getting him for five years.

“He’s got out clauses (but) we think he’s going to stay. Then he left. Parramatta know what they are getting. They get him for 12 months (and) he’s come for one purpose.”

The fallout from Luai’s departure continued on Tuesday evening with his decision to miss the club’s awards night which added another layer to the growing tensions surrounding his exit.

Read described the decision as a much bigger breakdown between the two parties.

“It’s a culmination of a whole lot of big deals. The season slowly unravelled. The relationship with the Tigers unravelled,” he said.

“If it was an isolated incident you would say it’s not such a big deal, but it’s a culmination of him joining PNG and it all unfolded after that.

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Former Tigers star Braith Anasta revealed he was disappointed by Luai’s decision believing it was the final opportunity to show his appreciation to the side and his now ex-teammates.

“It was (his) last chance really to show respect to the club. They’ve given a lot to him,” Anasta said.

“Not just money but a lot of stuff. As a player, it doesn’t sit well with me.”

Tallis agreed and shared Anasta’a frustration.

Tallis elaborated, “It didn’t sit well with me too. At the moment, with what he was saying about the Tigers allowing him to go to PNG to go and negotiate and go back over there for the golf, I think it’s disrespectful.

“(Not just) to the Tigers, but the game. I don’t think it’s about the club. I think it’s a lack of respect for his teammates who are going to get the awards.”