Jarome Luai insists he has put any angst towards Lachlan Galvin behind him for the better of the team, admitting that he’s learned some valuable lessons as a leader during the past fortnight.
After Saturday night’s win against the Dragons, Luai addressed the Galvin situation for the first time since he and Api Koroisau spoke to media and admitted they hadn’t spoken with the under-fire playmaker in the aftermath of his decision to reject the Tigers.
While Luai wasn’t critical of Galvin’s decision to leave, he took offence to what he described at the time as Galvin disrespecting coach Benji Marshall.
The Tigers have since welcomed Galvin back to the NRL team after the senior players encouraged Marshall to send him back to NSW Cup.
“This is business, bra,” Luai said.
“We’re all grown men here and we have a job to do. I’ve obviously stuffed up in the past and said things that people don’t agree with, but I’m always going to back myself at the end of the day. With my social media post, I thought it was the right thing to do.
Lachlan Galvin and Jarome Luai on Sunday.Credit: Steven Siewert
“That’s the culture we’re building here, and if you’re not buying into that then you need to rethink that because we’re building a team first culture here. We’re building something special. We’re going to keep going with that.”
The club’s marquee signing said he’s had to put his personal feelings aside to ensure Galvin feels part of the team.
“With him in the team, it makes the team better,” Luai said.
“We need him to be at his best. We want him to be at his best because he brings a lot to this team. This is business. We have a job to do out there. For our team to be at our best, he needs to be part of this team. Whatever has happened in the past has happened. Now we’re looking to bigger and better things.
“This is business and we have a job to do. Our job is to get results. We’re not going to get results if we don’t have connection as a team. We don’t have to all be best mates, but we need to have a connection. It’s water under a bridge, bra. We move on. We enjoy playing the game.”
Luai has been at the centre of plenty of controversy throughout his career. He knows what it is like to feel like the world is against you and conceded that his prior experiences has helped him reflect on the situation differently once the emotion was taken out of it.
“I’ve had a few years in the league now,” he said.
“I know my role and responsibility is to do what’s best for the team. As captain, it’s a bit of unknown waters for me. I’m still learning along the way but I’m enjoying the process. I play this game to win. Before I take the field I always have the mindset of ‘I’m going to win tonight’. I think if I ever lose that, it will be when I don’t want to play any more.
“Every time I take the field with my brothers, I’m coming to win. I hope that spreads among my team and they feel that vibe from me. That’s a trait that I bring, and I never want to lose that.”
Luai is in a three-way battle with Mitchell Moses and Nathan Cleary for two positions in the NSW halves for this year’s State of Origin.
His role at the Tigers is different to the one that he is likely to play for NSW if he is chosen for the opening game of the series in Brisbane on May 28, but knows that he can adjust to suit the needs of the team.
“If that opportunity comes I’m ready for it,” he said.
“You know what I’m like in that arena. I enjoy the battle. I enjoy the challenge. It sounds pretty cliche, but I’m locked in to what I’m doing here. If that opportunity comes, it will come because I deserve it. Whatever happens, happens. I’m a role player. I’m a team player. Whatever role I’m in, I’ll always do what’s best for the team.”
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