Panthers five-eighth Jarome Luai has revealed he is not immune from copping a heated spray from his long-time halves partner Nathan Cleary despite their close personal relationship.
Luai revealed to The Daily Telegraph that he recieved an almighty spray form Cleary after he made an error to gift the Knights a try in a game they led 42-0 at the time, which shows the incredible standards that drive the Panthers’ success.
“I remember there was a loose ball and I went to dive on it. I physically felt I couldn’t get to it but (Cleary) reckons I could,” Luai told The Daily Telegraph.
Watch every match of the Rugby League World Cup LIVE & Exclusive to Fox Sports, on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >
Eels complete captain’s run on home soil | 04:06
“I could see him in the corner of my eye, then I heard him.
“He was just yelling my name out – I mean really yelling – but I kept walking away.
“But I knew he was calling me, and I know that he knew that I knew… There were a couple of swear words in there, we laugh about it now.”
Luai has played most of his 85 NRL games alongside Cleary, while the pair also played together in the juniors at the Panthers.
Their close bond on and off the field makes it easier to not take criticism to heart, but Luai believes it helps keep everyone in the team honest when mistakes are made.
“He’s probably the only one I can cop a spray off,” Luai said.
MORE NRL NEWS
GUTHO’S RIDE: Scrapheap to cusp of NRL glory… and how he busted a $770k myth
GF MATCH-UPS: Ivan masterstroke to unlock GF as epic $3.7m battle emerges
‘FALSE ECONOMY’: The $15m Panthers problem – and how they’ll solve it
‘THINGS HAVE CHANGED’: Panthers stars tell Eels to ‘call us daddy’ in savage sledge
“If I do something wrong, he’s the first guy to spray me.
“It’s good, we need that in our team. We keep each other accountable, that’s what a good team does.”
Cleary believes the honesty between the pair is what drives him and Luai to get better and improve, but spraying each other is not common, which makes it more effective when it happens.
“I feel like because I’ve played with him for so long I feel comfortable spraying him or telling him when he’s done something wrong,” Cleary told the Telegraph.
Stream every game of the 2022 NRLW Premiership Season Live & Ad-Break Free During Play on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >
“He takes it well. He got that bad one in Newcastle but it doesn’t happen too often.”
One area where Luai knows he needs to improve or he could cop another spray is his penchant for giving away penalties, which he hopes will not be a factor in the grand final against the Eels.
“(The penalties) are something I have to keep a lid on because it hurts the team,” Luai said.
“I don’t look for that stuff because it puts our team in a bad position.”
Get all the latest NRL news, highlights and analysis delivered straight to your inbox with Fox Sports Sportmail. Sign up now!!!
