Penrith legend and now director Greg Alexander has taken aim at the latest reports about star five-eighth Jarome Luai.
Wide World of Sports broke the news on Wednesday the Panthers were considering a swap deal which would send Luai to the Wests Tigers effective immediately.
The Mole reported the Tigers would have to give up veteran prop David Klemmer, as well as rising star playmaker Lachlan Galvin in order to secure Luai on a contract believed to be worth $1.2 million a year.
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The following morning, Alexander used his breakfast radio show to deny the story, theorising that the most powerful player manager in the game might have been behind it.
“Isaac Moses, the manager of Lachlan Galvin and David Klemmer, maybe he was listening (to the show), and he came up with this idea,” Alexander posed, after shutting down any thought that the swap deal had been cooked up by the Panthers.
“Apparently it was a proposal by the Panthers to make it happen, that was the story,” Alexander said on SEN’s Breakfast with Vossy and Brandy.
“It was completely made up. It’s just a made-up story.”
Alexander was asked if the Panthers would be interested in signing Klemmer.
“Not really, no. Not to swap Jarome Luai for a front-rower,” he said.
Alexander did, however, admit Galvin is a “very good young half” and suggested he will be in hot demand from NRL rivals.
Luai is the hottest topic in the NRL rumour mill given he’s off-contract and being chased by the Tigers and Bulldogs at least.
The Origin No.6 could earn hundreds of thousands more dollars per year if he decides to leave Penrith.