Jarome Luai travelled to Port Moresby for a golf tournament with Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape hours after leaving the field injured during the Wests Tigers’ defeat by North Queensland Cowboys.
Luai hobbled off during the Tigers’ 24-10 loss in Townsville on Saturday 29 August. Club officials confirmed the following morning that the five-eighth was due to undergo scans on a lower-leg injury.
Despite the concern over his fitness, Luai flew to Papua New Guinea in his own time and was met at the airport by Marape. The Post-Courier reported that he was set to become one of the country’s regional tourism ambassadors.
Later on Sunday, Luai appeared as a special guest at the Royal Port Moresby Golf Club, where he met Josh Armstrong after Armstrong won the PNG Open.
The trip has prompted questions over the optics of Luai travelling to promote Papua New Guinea while remaining contracted to the Wests Tigers, with one match still to be played before his departure from the club.
Luai has already agreed to join Parramatta in 2027 before moving to the Papua New Guinea Chiefs in 2028. The Chiefs, who will become the NRL’s 18th team, announced him as their inaugural marquee signing earlier this year.
There are no direct flights between Townsville and Port Moresby, meaning the journey involved an extended period in the air while Luai was managing the leg injury. The Tigers were contacted for comment.
The episode is the latest controversy surrounding Luai’s links with Papua New Guinea. Earlier this year, the Tigers granted him permission to visit the country before his move to the Chiefs was confirmed, while he was recently unveiled as the face of Pepsi in Papua New Guinea.
Tigers legend Benny Elias criticised the club’s handling of the situation, saying: “The moment the board allowed him to visit Papua New Guinea was the beginning of the end. He’s come back, it was a circus, it’s still a circus, and this is the disastrous finale.”
