Jarome Luai boost for Tigers, Manly's brutal halfback gaffe: Good, bad, ugly of NRL Round 19

😃 The good: Jarome Luai to provide welcome boost to Tigers

😔 The bad: Jamie Humphreys shows Manly what they'll be missing

😡 The ugly: State of Origin decider about to explode?

Wests Tigers inching closer to Jarome Luai's arrival

It's hard to find specks of gold dust at the Wests Tigers as their season continues to career off the rails towards another likely wooden spoon. But those Tigers fans who are wondering why that put themselves through the torture can at least comfortable themselves with the thought that each new day brings them a step closer to Jarome Luai's arrival.

Luai won't be the panacea for all the Tigers' pain, but he looms as arguably the most important signing in their 25-year history. Benji Marshall has so much young talent at his disposal but they play like a car without a steering wheel – all over the shop.

Luai will play halfback and provide direction, calmness and a winner's attitude and confidence. His performance levels at Penrith have risen in Nathan Cleary's absence and he is now a must-pick Origin player.

Watching the rudderless Tigers crash to a record defeat at Shark Park on Friday night, Immortal Andrew Johns commented: "Since Nathan's been injured, he (Luai) has elevated himself as a genuine No.7." Phil Gould added: "If Nathan Cleary never existed, Jarome Luai would have been the halfback for the Panthers from the time he was a teenager.

"Because Nathan Cleary did exist, Jarome Luai took on the role of playing six and playing the way he does. Just because we haven’t seen him do it (play as the chief playmaker) in the top grade doesn't mean he couldn't do it. Jarome's got the ability to run football teams, don't worry about that." The Tigers' future relies on it.

Manly's pain over Jamie Humphreys is South Sydney's gain

This item either belongs here or in the section above. It all depends on who you support. If you’re a Souths fan, you’re feeling really good about Jamie Humphreys coming to your club next year. If you’re a Manly fan, well, not so good.

Humphreys debuted in the Sea Eagles’ big win over Newcastle on Sunday after a long apprenticeship in the lower grades. The new No7 scored a try, defended strongly and threw a great pass for Manly's second-last try.

He looked right at home in the top grade. Humphreys can play half and hooker and was once viewed as Daly Cherry-Evans’ heir apparent. But somewhere along the way, that plan was ripped up and Manly was more than comfortable to watch him walk out the door to the Rabbitohs.

And that's left Many fans in a state of disbelief. They could see his potential and have been calling for his inclusion for a long time. Incoming Rabbitohs coach Wayne Bennett obviously sees something in the 23-year-old that Manly doesn’t. Time will tell us who got the call right.

Could we see an old-fashioned State of Origin decider?

Now that a fairly low-key round 19 is out of the way, all attention turns to Wednesday night's State of Origin decider. And if you believe the talk leaking out of the Blues camp, this could be a throwback to the good old – or bad – days of Origin.

While we're unlikely to see a return to a Paul Gallen v Nate Myes type alteration – give us a moment to wipe away a tear – the Maroons will neither ask for forgiveness or permission to rip in. After being bullied into submission by NSW in Game 2, Queensland will adopt a "gloves off" mentality at Suncorp Stadium.

They will fight fire with fire and stay just this side of legal – and perhaps go over it at times – to ensure the Blues don't inflict the sort of unchallenged mayhem they dished out in Melbourne. The referee is unlikely to pull them up in front of a hostile home crowd.

The Blues are expecting match officials to look the other way unless things get really out of hand. "Fu*king stand up to these blokes. Don’t let NSW bully us," former Queensland veteran Corey Parker demanded.

The Maroons will do so knowing the penalty count against them is unlikely to get out of hand. Stats reveal Queensland has won 43 penalty counts on home soil to the Blues' nine. History suggests they won’t be penalised out of the contest.

"100 per cent. We're not going to get any calls going our way. We've got to deal with that and attack it head on," NSW halfback Mitchell Moses said when presented with the penalty stats.

The Blues won't change course. The aggression and intimidation they brought to game two will need to be replicated to come away with a rare series-deciding win in Brisbane. It should be an Origin for the ages.

Check back in every Monday throughout the NRL season for Adam Lucius' 'Good, Bad and Ugly' column.

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