It's been a rollercoaster of a season for the Penrith Panthers.
As they prepare for a historic fifth-straight grand final, they were forced to do it the hard way, after losing star player Nathan Cleary for a large chunk of the year due to injuries.
In his place, fellow star halves partner Jarome Luai has stepped up in a massive way, getting Wests Tigers fans excited for his cross-town move in 2025.
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Luai opens up on replacing Cleary
It's never ideal to lose arguably the best player in the NRL for the majority of an NRL season, but if there's one team built to withstand that, it's Penrith.
During the 2024 season, Jarome Luai stepped up in a massive way, playing incredibly for both his team and NSW during State of Origin.
While some believe Luai had something to prove in Cleary's absence, he said it was simply about doing whatever was necessary to secure a win.
"I think a lot of people looked at it that way,” Luai said.
"I think I’d be playing the same way if I wasn’t going to the Tigers next year.
"People sort of said that I’ve evolved and picked up something that I haven’t had in my game before. But I’ve never really had to play this role.
"Back in a junior days, I was a seven and sort of knew myself if I needed to step into this role, I’d be sweet because it’s already there for me, it sort of comes naturally."
Luai will play one more game for the Panthers, before departing for the Wests Tigers in 2025.
