When Nathan Cleary hit his incredible 40-odd metre field goal to win the game for the Panthers in Golden Point last Sunday afternoon at BlueBet Stadium, his regular halves partner Jarome Luai was at his home in nearby South Penrith enjoying a barbeque with family.
With Penrith’s Origin contingent granted permission by coach Ivan Cleary to relax at home after a brutal Origin decider in Brisbane last week, Luai made the most of his day off by enjoying a snag on the barbie and switching on the Sunday footy.
“I thought the game was going to be pretty relaxing, but it ended up being pretty stressful with the comeback and that,” Luai told Extra Time.
“It felt like I was missing out on the fun, but it was good to get a break from Iv, chill out with the kids, but you do get itchy feet pretty quickly.”
With only a handful of games remaining at BlueBet Stadium before its redevelopment, Luai said it was hard to miss a Panthers home game in the flesh – especially considering he was only a few kilometres away.
“You never want to miss too many games especially at home when it’s sunny and the fans are roaring,” he said.
“Regardless of whether you’re out on the field, you still want to be there supporting the boys.
“It was a good, relaxing time with my family, but it will be even better to be back out there playing on Sunday.”
This weekend’s game against the Dragons down in Wollongong will be the first time since Round 10 that Luai and Cleary will play in the ‘6’ an ‘7’ jumpers together.
The 27-year-old said Cleary’s late game heroics against the Dolphins was incredibly inspiring.
“You still have to pinch yourself when it comes to how good of a player he is,” Luai said.
“To come back after 10 weeks and hit a 45-metre field goal to win a game is something pretty crazy!
“It’s great to have him back out there and we just had our first training session together. You could just feel his presence and what he brings to the team again.”
With the band back together – minus Dylan Edwards for a few weeks due to a bung knee – Penrith are primed to give the competition a real shake once again.
While Luai admits his team is beatable, he and the Panthers will be making sure they do everything in their power to make sure that’s not the case.
“I think everyone is stoppable on their day but for us, on game day, we want to be the best we can be for 80 minutes,” he said.
“Back here training – back in black – is a great feeling for us and we’ll be bringing our confidence back from a good Origin win to the team as we start our Finals charge.”
Luai should be brimming with confidence after an outstanding Origin series for NSW. Earlier this week, it was announced that he picked up the ‘Player of the Decider’ award as voted by the fans. It was a significant honour for the young father of three, who was dropped from the third Origin game last year.
“I woke up from my nap and seen the news – it was pretty cool to wake up to and I had to pinch myself and remind myself what it was like a year ago. I sort of changed a few things – my outlook on the game, how I could be better on and off the field – and it just goes to show that if you’re willing to work for it then good things will come,” Luai said.
Nathan Taylor
Nathan Taylor is the Weekender's Deputy Editor and Senior Sports Writer. He also compiles the weekly Chatter on the Box TV column. Nathan is an award-winning journalist, who has worked at the Weekender for a decade.