Benji Marshall and I have had a gutful of your cruel Jarome Luai jibes

July 18, 2026 — 3:00am

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Listen up, you rugby league scribes.

Benji Marshall and I have had a gutful – and I mean a Pauline Hanson-like GUTFUL – of you and your cruel jibes about there being even a hint of a falling out between him and his one-time star player, Jarome Luai.

Look, just because Jarome was floated as the saviour of the Tigers, our long-term superstar, only to be suddenly leaving us for not one, but two teams, some of you have suggested there must be a little tension between he and Benji.

But we won’t have it. Tell ’em what we think Benji, and don’t miss: “Now what you guys did was turn that into World War 10 and make it something that it’s not, which you’re good at.

“I think that’s unfair ... I’m just not gonna cop the bull---- rumours that are made up based on nothing or based on what you guys think might be the case, and it’s not.”

Exactly! All based on NOTHING. The Tigers will be paying $500,000 of Luai’s salary to play with the Eels next year, but so what? Just because we’ll be paying $10,000 a week, every week for a year, for him to play for our most fierce local rivals – that doesn’t mean Benji and Jarome aren’t thick as thieves, as thieves I tell you!

Oh Benji the Tigers’ coach,He swore with a friendly grin,“Jarome and I are mates for life,No bad blood can creep in.”

So he paid 500,000 bucks,A most remarkable fee,To watch his best mate wear blue and gold,And not the Tigers’ jersey.

You know it makes sense.

And look, while I’ve got your attention, Jarome and I are also pissed off by your suggestions that he has been anything less than a stunning success at the Tigers.

How dare you raise your eyebrows at his overall impact or his departure after fashioning himself as the soul of the team.

Yes, he did say, last year when asked by you journos about his future: “I’m staying, don’t worry ... For life ... I think when things get hard, people are sort of expecting you to change and I’m not that type of guy. I’m here for the long run and I’m here to change this club around.”

I guess you’re also right that he was monstering Lachie Galvin at about the same time for deciding to go to the Bulldogs, famously posting on Instagram on this very subject, “Team first.” Certainly, that was interpreted as inferring that Galvin should have put the needs of the Tigers team ahead of all other things, including his own desires. And yes, Luai has himself now put two teams first and second, behind the Tigers who are coming in third – and since his announcement of leaving, they’ve lost eight of the last 10 matches and have sunk to 14th on the ladder.

But........

© WA Today