- Jarome Luai is in his final season with his Panthers teammates.
- Penrith are looking for their fourth consecutive title when the finals begin on Friday night
Panthers star Jarome Luai has confirmed why he hasn’t cut his hair since 2021 and the reason he’s carrying a small brown notebook as Ivan Cleary’s men chase a remarkable fourth consecutive NRL championship.
After winning his first title in 2021, the five-eighth promised his teammates that he would not cut their hair until they were defeated at the end of the season.
Subsequent grand final triumphs in 2022 (Eels) and Broncos (2023) saw the Samoan international grow longer hair than he expected, but he is not complaining.
It comes as Luai’s continuing memory book has done His impending departure from Penrith a little more bearable.
“It’s a little brown diary I keep at home,” Luai said.
“It helped me and I think it will help me when I look back… the lessons I’ve already learned.
‘It’s just small conversations with the guys who are staying.’
Luai’s final journey at Penrith will officially begin on Friday night – his final home game at BlueBet Stadium.
Panthers star Jarome Luai has confirmed why he hasn’t cut his hair since 2021 and why he’s also carrying a little brown diary as Ivan Cleary’s men chase a remarkable fourth consecutive title.
Jarome Luai is a controversial figure among football fans, but there is no doubt that he is an important player (pictured after winning the 2022 NRL championship)
A win over the Sydney Roosters will send Penrith into a preliminary final, and Luai is desperate for the journey to end with a fourth consecutive championship.
Luai, who is heading to Wests Tigers next year, is making no secret of the emotional moment he is in.
He has been part of academies with several of his Penrith teammates over the past decade.
There have also been 126 appearances alongside Nathan Cleary in the halves at all levels since they first linked up at under-16s, with his halves partner returning from a shoulder injury on Friday night.
“A lot of my best friends are here, so the idea of not seeing them every day is an unfamiliar feeling,” Luai said.
‘We do a lot of mental training here and work hard on staying in the moment and staying present.
‘(So) I’ve been keeping a bit of a journal, probably more this year than before.
“I’m making sure I’m present and that’s the most important thing.”
Nathan Cleary and Jarome Luai’s sporting journey began together as teenagers on the Panthers’ academy teams.
Luai is the first to admit that the emotions of his departure have affected him at different times this year.
This week he has been asked to recount his first NRL games at BlueBet Stadium, where he started as a short-haired scrum-half in 2018.
The 27-year-old has also considered retiring his boots after Friday night’s game in a bid to keep a piece of the home turf with him.
“I’ve been trying to soak it all in pretty much after every game. I try to sit there for a couple of minutes with my babies and soak it in,” Luai said.
‘Both on and off the pitch, you mature with time. You go through a lot and experience a lot. ‘I’ve learned a lot about football and how to be a man.
“I have to be part of this great team and create something special for the years to come, even after we leave.”
It’s part of the reason Luai has vowed to try to keep his emotions in the little brown diary and let his football do the talking on the pitch.
“It was a bit of a challenge after Origin because everything was coming quite quickly for me,” Luai said.
‘But I think being able to talk about it and address how I was feeling helped me understand that I still have a job to do.
“I have to put emotions aside and put on my worker hat to make sure I’m doing my job first and foremost.”
