Jarome Luai makes NRL grand final promise after birth of daughter
Penrith half Jarome Luai has promised to win the NRL grand final against the Parramatta Eels after his partner's sacrifice before the penultimate match.
Luai welcomed his third child on Monday after his partner Bailey Paris Toleafoa gave birth to baby Halo after she was induced into labour to avoid a possible clash with the grand final.
SAD: Mitchell Moses details emerge in NRL star's family drama
'LOW ACT': Calls for Penrith trainer to be handed life ban over incident
She gave birth after Penrith defeated the Rabbitohs 32-12 in the preliminary final.
He returned for the club's fan and media day on Tuesday, before rushing to the hospital to help take Halo home for the first time.
With their baby initially due on Tuesday, the couple had long planned to accelerate the process if needed to ensure there was no clash with Sunday's decider against Parramatta.
In doing so, they avoided the situation that Luai's opponent Mitch Moses was presented with last week, when he missed attending the birth of his first child to play in Parramatta's preliminary final win in Townsville.
"We planned it previously that if we were to make the grand final that Bailey would get induced on Monday," Luai told AAP.
"She was due today. It just feels like the stars have aligned for us.
"They're special moments that I'll never forget and cherish until I die.
"Just grateful and blessed that baby's healthy and my partner's healthy and now I can focus on the job at hand."
Jarome Luai's grand final hope
Speaking to the media, Luai hoped that he could bring home a grand final premiership to mark the birth of his daughter.
Luai joked that he could check himself into a hotel on the eve of the grand final to make sure he gets sleep.
However, the Penrith playmaker praised his partner ahead of the grand final match for making his job that much easier.
"I'm sweet. I'll get my sleep and my missus will make sure I'm getting sleep anyway," Luai said.
"She's that type of person. Very selfless. She knows how much this means to me and the boys.
"She's going to play her part, I'm sure. And I'm going to do my best to bring a ring home for her."
Penrith were also dealt other good news ahead of their push for back-to-back grand final victories.
While Taylan May's chances of overcoming a hamstring injury are officially over, Spencer Leniu is well on track to overcome a head knock and play after being hit high by Souths' Taane Milne.
The front-rower trained with Penrith players on Tuesday in front of around 4000 fans, after getting clearance from an independent specialist to play.
"My head is feeling good. At the time it was a bit sore," the 22-year-old said.
"But after the game and the next morning I was sweet. It was just the impact he got me with and my neck was a bit stiff.
"The specialist was happy I haven't had a concussion in my career so far. I think that was the biggest reason why he cleared me."
with AAP
Click here to sign up to our newsletter for all the latest and breaking stories from Australia and around the world.
