The NRL world has been thrown into a frenzy by a blockbuster transfer twist, and Parramatta Eels head coach Jason Ryles has finally offered his first public comments on the looming move of star playmaker Jarome Luai, who is currently listed as the leading target for the club ahead of the 2026 season.
In the wake of the State of Origin series wrapping up, Luai’s future has become the most discussed talking point in Australian rugby league after Wests Tigers, his current club, made a shock announcement that they would grant their co-captain an early release from his contract at the end of the 2025 season. Luai is already contracted to join the expansion PNG Chiefs when the side enters the NRL competition in 2028, and remains on a $1.2 million deal with the Tigers for the 2026 season. That leaves the four-time premiership winner needing a new club for just one single season, with a move to the Western Derby side Perth Dolphins widely ruled out – a relocation would require Luai to uproot his family across Australia twice in 12 months, first to Perth and then to Papua New Guinea.
The Parramatta Eels have emerged as the clear frontrunners to secure Luai’s signature for 2026, where he would form a high-profile halves combination alongside current Eels star Mitchell Moses. But Ryles remained guarded when pressed about the potential deal during a media availability on Friday, stopping short of confirming or denying active negotiations.
“Right now, there’s a lot of noise around Jarome, and he’s undoubtedly an elite talent,” Ryles told reporters. “Our club is always in the market for elite talent to strengthen our roster, but all of this is still very new. I honestly don’t have a lot of details at this stage. It’s definitely a conversation worth having, and we’ll just wait and see if anything comes of it.”
Luai and Moses already have a proven track record of success together, having paired regularly for the New South Wales Blues in State of Origin matches, a history that many rugby league analysts point to as a core reason the Eels make sense for Luai. Parramatta has prior experience with short-term playmaker signings, most recently Jonah Pezet, who joined the club on a one-year deal from Melbourne Storm ahead of his scheduled move to the Brisbane Broncos in 2027. That arrangement has struggled to deliver results so far, with Pezet battling through recurring form and fitness problems that kept him sidelined for nearly three months before he made his return to first grade last week.
When asked if the Eels would be taking a similar risk with Luai, Ryles noted there is a key distinction between the two players: Pezet is a natural halfback, while Luai is a specialist five-eighth, eliminating any potential positional friction with Moses. Ryles added that he has been laser-focused on preparing for this weekend’s match against the Sydney Roosters and had not yet dived deep into planning for a potential Luai signing.
“Jarome is a four-time premiership winner, that resume speaks for itself,” Ryles said. “He’s a world-class quality player, and his reputation in this game is entirely earned through consistent elite performances on the field. I haven’t spent any time thinking through the details of a move, so I haven’t gotten to that point yet. I’ve been completely focused on our game against the Roosters tomorrow; we just wrapped up our final preparations, so maybe I’ll start turning my attention to it now.”
In related team news ahead of Saturday’s clash, Ryles confirmed that Moses would miss the Roosters match after picking up a corked leg in the decider match of this year’s State of Origin series. The Blues playmaker carried the injury through the full 80 minutes of Wednesday’s match, but pulled up sore after the game, and the club has opted to rest him to avoid aggravating the issue.
Moses is now expected to return to the starting lineup after the Eels’ bye next weekend, in a high-stakes western Sydney derby against Penrith Panthers led by Luai’s fellow Blues teammate Nathan Cleary on July 23. Ryles confirmed that Pezet, who was already named to step back into first grade last week, will take Moses’ spot in the lineup against the Roosters, adding that the club has full confidence in his ability to perform.
“Mitchell got a knock early in the Origin decider that he finished the game with, but he’s too sore to go this week, so he’ll sit this one out and be ready to go after the bye,” Ryles explained. “Jonah has prepared all week for this, he played well last week coming back from injury, and we’re really confident he’ll do a great job for us this weekend.”