"Last straw areas": Voss critical of Luai's latest PNG visit

Andrew Voss has expressed his frustrations with Jarome Luai after the Wests Tigers captain was spotted in PNG ahead of his impending entry to the Chiefs.

After a year that had so much promise for the Tigers, they have once again missed the finals, seeing their top-eight drought extend to 16 years.

Their latest loss came on Saturday as, despite leading at half-time against North Queensland, the merged club didn't score a single point in the second half, seeing them beaten 24-10.

During the final moments of that loss, the star halfback limped off the field, appearing to have injured his leg.

It was then reported by the Sydney Morning Herald’s Christian Nicolussi that the captain had been granted permission by the club to remain in Townsville on Sunday instead of flying back to Sydney with the team.

However, the 29-year-old was instead spotted with PNG Prime Minister James Marape at the PNG Open at the Port Moresby Golf Club.

This would leave Voss stunned, believing the four-time premiership player should be doing everything in his power to be fit for his last game for the club.

“He is signed as captain, he is the captain of the team, he is (the) leader,” he said on SEN’s Front Office with Vossy.

“Yet he's going off to Papua New Guinea to a golf day?

“Then we bring in the injury element to it. Are you not meant to be, again as that leader, the most conscientious of everyone to do all you can to be fit for the next game?

“And in particular when it's a game that involves a flight that should have been Townsville back to Sydney, you have now added Townsville to Port Moresby, Port Moresby (to) Townsville, Townsville (to) Sydney, like, come on.

“What's going on here? My first reaction to that (is the) Tigers can't sit back and just cop that and go the line and say, ‘Well no, it's his own time with (an) eight-day turnaround’.

“No Jarome, your duties with the Tigers basically on field end after next Sunday.

“You can do whatever you like, knock yourself out before you have to link up with Parramatta or the World Cup, of course. But you can't be doing that.

“That's just not a case of optics not looking good; that's just not a go.

"I'm stunned by that. I am absolutely stunned by that.”

Voss also believes this could have ramifications for his relationship with the Eels, whom he’ll join in 2027 before heading to the Chiefs.

“What are Parramatta thinking? ‘Hang on a second, what have we got for a year, what's going on?” he continued.

“What arrangement do Parramatta have with Jarome Luai and all these commitments with PNG?

“Would I be as wound up if there was no injury involved? Possibly not.

“But the fact is the bloke got injured, they've still got one game to go.

“His focus is the Tigers at the moment. It's not PNG, PNG (is in) 2028, unbelievable.

“Apologies to Jarome, I love Jarome, love him as a player, all of that.

“There's respect and all of those things, but this is absolutely last straw areas.”

The Tigers' last game for the season takes place this Sunday at CommBank Stadium against the second-placed Panthers.

Kick-off takes place at 4:05pm AEST.