The Penrith Panthers have reportedly locked up their star fullback long-term.
Dylan Edwards has reportedly agreed to a $950,000-per-season extension with the Penrith Panthers, leaving Jarome Luai’s future uncertain.According to the Daily Telegraph, Edwards has agreed on the monetary value of his new contract, but it is unclear whether he will resign for four or five years.
The contract extension is expected to be announced before the NRL final series. It comes as a huge boost to the Panthers after representative back-rower Liam Martin agreed to re-sign. Martin is expected to sign a three-year, $2.3 million extension to stay at the foot of the mountains, locking up another premiership hero.
However, the re-signing spree may be bad news for five-eighth Luai. The State of Origin playmaker is expected to command a high price on the open market, and with so much money spent on other players, the Panthers appear unlikely to be able to retain him.
“They’ve now got Dylan Edwards and Jarome Luai working out to keep that fantastic team together. “I’m not sure they can keep both,” Phil Rothfield told NRL 360.
“But Martin is a massive signing. They risk losing Luai because he has a choice between staying in a great system and winning titles or chasing another $100,000.
Brent Read, a fellow journalist, stated that if Luai goes public on November 1, he will receive significantly more money from other clubs. “I think Edwards (re-signing) might even get done this week,” he was quoted as saying. “Luai will receive a lot of money if he attends November 1. There are not many halves on the market.
“He will earn $1 million per season if he leaves, but he will not get anywhere near that at Penrith. The Bulldogs are the club most commonly associated with Jarome Luai. So, if you add Stephen Crichton and Luai to that roster, along with a Payne Haas, you have a team that can give it a real shake.”
Jarome Luai in bizarre $100,000 development
Complicating matters is the fact Luai recently parted ways with his management SFX Sports Group, reportedly costing him a $100,000 endorsement deal with electronics manufacturer JBL. It means he must wait until October to sign with a new manager, giving him little time before the November 1 window opens.
Speaking after Penrith’s win over the Bulldogs last week, coach Ivan Cleary said Luai wants to stay. “I want him to stay here, he wants to stay,” Cleary said. “But it is a little bit tricky because if he has done that, if he’s leaving his management, there’s a period where you can’t actually do anything.
“But he knows what we think of him, and I know how much he loves the place. He’s part of our team, he’s a local boy. It’s not just how he plays, it is how he connects our team and we definitely want him here long-term.”
The Panthers might have already conceded that Luai won’t be around much longer, signing Daine Laurie for the 2024 season. Laurie can play fullback or in the halves, but has been playing his best footy for the Wests Tigers at five-eighth.
Laurie initially left the Panthers at the end of 2020 in a player swap with centre Paul Momirovski. He has played 43 of his 46 NRL games for the Tigers, but fell down the pecking order under new coach Tim Sheens this season.
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