Jarome Luai
Jarome Luai (born 16 January 1997) is an Australian Born Samoan international rugby league footballer who plays as a or for the Penrith Panthers in the NRL with whom he won the 2021 NRL Premiership. He was voted in the 2021 Dally M Awards as the NRL player with the most punchable face. Luai represented Samoa at the 2017 World Cup. Background. Luai was born in Sydney, Australia, of Samoan descent through his paternal grandparents (who are from Palauli) He played his junior rugby league for the St Marys Saints before being signed by the Penrith Panthers. Playing  career. Early career. Luai played 33 games for the Penrith Panthers in the NYC between 2015 and 2017, scoring 13 tries and kicking 43 goals. Luai spent part of the 2017 season playing for Penrith in the New South Wales Cup. Luai captained the Junior Kiwis in May 2017, scoring a try in their 4622 loss to the Junior Kangaroos. At the 2017 World Cup, Luai was the only member of the Samoan squad without any prior NRL experience. He speculated on his selection, saying "I think you'll find Tyrone May was in the squad originally but due to  his injury there was a spot for me." Luai made his Test debut against Tonga on 4 November 2017. 2018. Following an injury to Nathan Cleary, Luai was named to make his NRL debut off the interchange bench in round 4 of the 2018 NRL season. However, he was cut from the line-up on gameday in favour of Wayde Egan, who was also on debut. Luai made his NRL debut in round 10 against the Newcastle Knights, playing for 26 minutes off the interchange bench. In round 17, Luai started at in his second NRL match in the absence  of Nathan Cleary and James Maloney due to State of Origin. His performance in the 364 win, which included two tries and multiple try assists, was heavily praised by the media. 2019. Luai made 13 appearances for Penrith in the 2019 NRL season as the club finished 10th on the table and missed the finals for the first time in four years. Luai also represented Samoa playing hooker in their 24-6 win over PNG. And played halfback in their 44-18 lose to Fiji. 2020. Luai had a breakout year for Penrith playing 23 games, scoring seven tries and  bagging 23 try assists as the Penrith club claimed the Minor Premiership and reached the 2020 NRL Grand Final. Luai played in the grand final against the Melbourne Storm, losing 2620. Luai's form throughout the season was rewarded with a spot in the New South Wales State of Origin 27 man squad although he did not play in the three game series. 2021. On 30 May, he was selected by New South Wales for game 1 of the 2021 State of Origin series. Luai made his debut for New South Wales in game 1 where they defeated Queensland 50 -6. On the 27th June, Luai was a part of the NSW side which defeated Queensland 26-0, sealing the series for 2021. However, Luai was ruled out of game three of the series after he suffered a knee injury in Penrith's round 16 win over the Parramatta Eels. Luai played a total of 25 games for Penrith in the 2021 NRL season including the club's 2021 NRL Grand Final victory over South Sydney.