‘It was pretty funny when people started blaming me’: Jarome Luai responds to bizarre link to Brian To’o rumours

Penrith five-eighth Jarome Luai hopes teammate Brian To’o never leaves the Panthers after there were reports last week that the representative winger was seeking an early release from his contract that some people blamed Luai for.

Club officials met with To’o to clear the air, with the winger posting on Instagram that he won’t be going anywhere next year.

“Nothing to see. Not going anywhere. No shopping here. Let’s get it,” he posted.

The NSW and Samoa star still has three years left to run on his deal, with the triple premiership winner seen as one of the most important pieces in the Penrith puzzle given his unrivalled ability to make metres coming out of trouble.

It’s why everyone was shocked to hear a report that the St Marys junior wanted to leave, not because of money, but because close friends Stephen Crichton, Spencer Leniu, Sunia Turuva and Jarome Luai had all left Penrith or will leave the club in the off-season.

“I just thought it was all a gee up, Bizza (To’o) is always making jokes,” halfback Nathan Cleary said.

Luai is off to the Wests Tigers next year on a lucrative deal. He will play the role of Batman after serving as Nathan Cleary’s Robin throughout Penrith’s premiership run.

The State of Origin star was surprised to hear the rumours last week that led to speculation that he was behind it and wanted To’o to join him and Turuva at the Tigers after the club lost Stefano Utoikamanu to the Storm.

“It was pretty funny when people started blaming me,” Luai said after Penrith’s tense win over Newcastle.

“I think they were always going to do that when they were getting rumours about that, but you sort of wonder where they originated from, and I don’t even think ‘Bizza’ knows, which is pretty interesting.

“I’ve been in his shoes. If you asked me three or four years ago if I was going to be a one-club player then I would have said ‘yes’. He’s in that boat.

“Looking from the outside in, hopefully he stays here because he bleeds Penrith like we all do. At the end of the day, it is a business so whatever happens, I just want the best for him.”

The Panthers have been forced to shed stars over the past few years and the team will look very different in 2025 with some of their best players no longer there, but Luai says the friendships will never die with Crichton, To’o, Leniu and the gifted five-eighth hoping to reunite in Blues camp next year.

“Whoever’s left has had to experience that as well,” Luai replied when asked what it’s like to see friends leave.

“It’s pretty interesting when you start thinking that next year we’re all going to be at our own clubs.

“We all started a clique with each other and we became best mates, but we’ve sort of used Origin as a mad motivator for us to come together and play together again.

“To get that opportunity again next year hopefully will be pretty special for us, but I’m not really fussed about next year.”

Last week’s contract speculation and reports that the Panthers had signed Blaize Talagi could’ve been a distraction for the premiers, but you wouldn’t have known as To’o ran for 175m and Nathan Cleary scored late to keep their minor premiership hopes alive.

“Anything can be a distraction if you let it, but I don’t think it was for us,” coach Ivan Cleary said.

“Bizza was actually crook, so I think he did well to get through the game because he was crook all week.

“Someone’s always looking for a story. I don’t really know too much about that one.”