Parramatta Eels legend Brett Kenny has called out his old club for signing outspoken four-time premiership-winner Jarome Luai on a one-year deal for 2027.
Luai has been given an early release by Wests Tigers after agreeing to sign with the PNG Chiefs in 2028.
Kenny, who partnered Peter Sterling in the halves in the club’s last grand final success in 1986, says the move could set the Eels back even further in their seemingly impossible mission to reclaim its glory years of the 80s.
“You’re paying out a lot of money for a guy that, yes, has won four grand finals with Penrith, but probably didn’t achieve what the [Wests] Tigers were hoping he could achieve,” the former Golden Boot winner told Yahoo.
“I know he’s a proven, elite player but it’s a big risk.
“Parramatta’s going to have to make the top four for this to be justified.
“And what’s it going to look like in 12 months’ time? They’re going to be looking for another number six, even if they do make the finals.
This [search for a permanent five-eighth] could go on for years.”
Luai will partner long-time rival Mitchell Moses in the halves with Wests Tigers paying a huge chunk of his contract in 2027.
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