Brad Fittler believes Jarome Luai could emulate Benji Marshall and transform himself from a running five-eighth to a playmaking halfback in the back end of his career at the Tigers.
Fittler told The Sydney Morning Herald that Marshall played some of his best footy after leaving the Tigers for the Dragons via a short stint in rugby union and Luai can follow suit.
Marshall’s career has parallels with Luai in that he burst onto the scene as an energetic and fleet-footed five-eighth.
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Both Marshall and Luai made grand finals in their third seasons in first grade, with the Tigers beating the Cowboys in the 2005 decider and the Panthers losing to the Storm in 2020.
After 10 years with the Tigers, Marshall moved to the Dragons in 2014 and transformed into a full-time halfback after spending stints in the No.7 jersey for his former club.
During his three years at the Dragons, Marshall reined in his running game and developed his playmaking to create opportunities for his teammates to thrive.
For the remainder of his career at the Broncos, Tigers and Souths, Marshall found new ways to impact the game with his playmaking as the physical gifts of his youth began to diminish.
At 26 and with 107 NRL games to his name, including three premierships in his trophy cabinet and possibly a fourth in 2024, now is the time for Luai to spread his wings as an NRL playmaker.
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Now Fittler believes Luai can follow in Marshall’s footsteps in taking over the Tigers’ No.7 hot seat if reports of a $6 million five-year mega deal are proved correct.
Luai will be 28 in 2025 when his Tigers deal is scheduled to start and still in his prime as an NRL playmaker.
“Benji did it himself, didn’t he?” Fittler told The Sydney Morning Herald.
“Benji wasn’t a traditional halfback, but he ended up playing halfback his way.
“Some of Benji’s best footy was at the end [of his career] and he was playing a completely different role.
“He’s a great example of the possibilities here. And again, Jarome’s just never had that responsibility.
“So I think there’s a lot of just assuming he can’t do it, just because he’s never had to.”
The biggest difference between playing five-eighth for the Panthers and halfback for the Tigers is the added responsibility of the kicking game.
With Cleary doing the bulk of the kicking, Luai only has to chime in occasionally, but as the No.7 and chief playmaker at the Tigers he will have to assume more responsibility of the side’s kicking game.
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With Aidan Sezer expected to retire after 2024 and Jayden Sullivan and Latu Fainu still early in their development, Luai will need to take ownership of the kicking game and Fittler believes he has it in him and has learned from the best in Cleary.
“Jarome does have a really nice [long] kick on him. Maybe not as far as Nathan Cleary,” Fittler said.
“Traditionally, that kicking game is the halfback’s job, and I’m sure [Luai] could do it.
“He’s had arguably the best teacher right there too by playing next to [Cleary], one of the best at it”.
Ivan Cleary’s strange comments around Luai being a risk as a chief playmaker at another club were considered as the first bit of fuel on the fire for Luai to leave the Panthers.
Fittler has coached Luai in seven Origin appearances for NSW and knows what makes him tick and while the money is a substantial factor, proving people who doubt his ability wrong would also be a driving force.
And he believes the Tigers under Marshall could be the perfect environment to help Luai master the halfback positional switch.
“I think [Luai] thrives on people suggesting he can’t do something,” Fittler said.
“I’d suggest he’ll find a way to do it. He puts up with a lot, Jarome, and he seems to have that ability to use it to push himself.
“And with Nathan Cleary, he obviously brings a lot of the traditional halfback play while Daly Cherry-Evans, Jahrome Hughes, Sam Walker, they bring a different [style], don’t they?
“You do have to tick certain game management boxes but as long as your playmaking spine, between the three of you, has them covered, there’s no reason why [Luai] couldn’t be a halfback.
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“If you look at Api in particular, so much of their game is played off him, and he can do what it might take other teams two players to do, that freeing-the-ruck-up side of things. Api can do that pretty much on his own.
“I think it’s about having a group or a spine of players to get those basics right more than just one player.”
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