Justin Olam fallout comes to light amid Wests Tigers' $4.5m pursuit of Jarome Luai

The Wests Tigers' big-money pursuit of Jarome Luai has reportedly seen the club's swap deal for Justin Olam put on ice. It emerged last month that the Tigers were looking to send Shawn Blore to the Melbourne Storm in exchange for Olam, in a move that would boost their outside back stocks.

But according to News Corp, the swap deal has been put on the back-burner so the Tigers can put their full focus into snaring Luai. The three-time premiership winner is officially a free agent and can negotiate with rival clubs about a deal for 2025 and beyond.

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The five-eighth is contracted to the Penrith Panthers for the 2024 season, but will likely depart the powerhouse club is he wants to get paid. The Panthers have offered Luai a two-year extension thought to be worth $1.7 million, but the Tigers are said to be willing to give him as much as $4.5 million.

The Tigers were said to be eyeing an immediate swap for Olam that would have seen him move to Sydney for the 2024 season. But he is now likely to remain at the Storm, who could grant him an early release if he finds a new club. According to reports, new Warrington coach Sam Burgess has expressed interest in snaring the PNG international, who is contracted to the Storm until the end of 2026.

Last week it also emerged that Luai could be at the Tigers as early as 2024 if the club agreed to send David Klemmer and rising star Lachlan Galvin to the Panthers in exchange. But Penrith director Greg Alexander moved to quash the reports and said they were completely false.

"Apparently it was a proposal by the Panthers to make it happen," Alexander said on SEN Radio. "It was completely made up. It's just a made-up story. Not really, no. Not to swap Jarome Luai for a front-rower."

Bulldogs and Tigers vying for Jarome Luai's signature

It also emerged that Bulldogs supremo Phil Gould had met with Luai as Canterbury entered the race for the five-eighth's signature. The five-eighth worked with Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo during his time as an assistant at Penrith.

Luai also played with Tigers coach Benji Marshall for the Maori All-Stars and grew up idolising his fellow five-eighth. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, new Tigers coach Marshall met with Luai at his family home recently to pitch to him the merits of joining the club.

But according to former Tigers player Aaron Woods, the fact the secret meeting has come out in the media might be a red flag for Luai. The Tigers have been plagued by turmoil over the last few years and inside information is constantly leaked to the media.

“I love that Benji is being pretty proactive in trying to get these players, going out to get them but we call it a secret meeting,” Woods said on Triple M radio. “Everything at the Tigers seems to come out and it’s probably going to be on Jarome Luai’s mind so it’s a funny one. But I love that Benji is out there trying to get the best players.”

The Panthers have long maintained that they will not blow their budget on one player, and recently declared that they wouldn't up their current offer to Luai. "This club and the team has had over the past few years has been built on some really disciplined salary cap decisions," football boss Matt Cameron said last month.

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