Ivan Cleary's truth bomb for Jarome Luai amid $850,000 Panthers decision

Penrith coach Ivan Cleary has admitted "money talks" amid Jarome Luai looking set to test the open market. The star five-eighth has a $1.7 million two-year deal on the table from Penrith which he has so far not signed, and now the November 1 deadline has rolled around he is one of 160 players free to explore contract options elsewhere.

Yet Cleary believes Luai should stay at the foot of the mountain as it is where he "belongs". “I personally believe that he belongs here. I think we’re good for him and he’s good for us,” Cleary said.

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“But there’s no doubt if the offers we are hearing … the thing is before today, they’re just maybes. I guess once they’re actually concrete offers he can sort of understand more about the decisions to be made, so see how that goes.”

The 26-year-old is expected to field offers of close to $1.1 million a season from rival clubs. Cleary worries his crafty playmaker may move on to become a key figure for another team, however, questions whether he is ready for that responsibility.

“If any club, the money we are talking, the money he may consider leaving, it would have to be for that kind of role (being the chief playmaker) which I would understand,” Cleary said. “Is he ready for that? That’s a question mark I would think. Can he do it? I’m sure he could do it. Has he done it? He hasn’t really. In this team, he has his role to play. That’s a risk everyone would have to take.”

In what appeared to be a telling move that Luai may be on the way out, he announced last month that he was signing with management company Black Money Enterprises - who manage the likes of Latrell Michell and Cody Walker.

The Panthers may be lapping up their third-straight premiership but face the reality that some of their stars may move on as salary cap space at the club is limited. Penrith recently extended fullback Dylan Edward's contract, offering him $850,000 a year for four years and has numerous players on big-money deals, including Nathan Cleary (who earns around $1.3 million per year), James Fisher-Harris ($950,000) and Liam Martin ($750,000).

Despite Cleary admitting he hasn't spoken to Luai recently he is quietly confident that his five eighth will remain at the Panthers long-term. “I am very comfortable with where it’s at. I haven’t spoken to him recently, this is the day everyone was waiting for,” he said.

“Everyone is always looking for high-quality halves and he’s definitely one of those. But he knows where we’re at, so it’s just a matter of him getting what’s out there, checking it out and coming back and then we’ll see what happens after that. We want to make it really clear we want him to stay. I'm pretty sure he wants to stay as well. But money talks, so I guess we'll see what happens."

Mark Geyer says it would be a mistake to not accept Penrith's offer

Speaking on Triple M last month, Panthers legend Mark Geyer says if he was in Luai's position he would take the offer on the table and stay at the defending premiers. “Deep down, you’d be mad not to take the money... I’d stay because that feeling of winning every week and being a part of that, it’s contagious," he said. "When you’re losing and on a lot of money, it doesn’t make you feel good.”

“He’s won three competitions with Penrith, you look at some of the other players who have left Penrith of the last few seasons, only someone like (Kurt) Capewell at the Broncos has seen success,” Geyer said. "Sometimes money doesn’t buy happiness — and competitions do. He’s won three in a row, why not make it four?”

Luai is currently recovering from a shoulder injury that ruled him out of Samoa's Pacific Test series, having recently helped the Panthers to a third straight premiership.

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