Billy Slater reveals why Jarome Luai and Jaedan Salmon should have kept their spat PRIVATE
Billy Slater reveals why Jarome Luai and Jaedan Salmon should have kept their feud PRIVATE while the Panthers stars argued after the loss to the Broncos… but admits that confrontations between teammates happen ‘all the time’ in the NRL
Queensland manager Billy Slater believes Jarome Luai and Jaeman Salmon should have kept their dispute private after the Penrith duo got into a heated argument on the pitch.
Luai and Salmon were arguing on the pitch after the Panthers kicked off their quest for a third straight premiership with a shock 13-12 loss at home against the Broncos on Friday night.
In an expletive-laden exchange, Luai can be heard asking his teammate, “Am I blaming you for that pass?” to which Salmon replies, “You did that time.”
Luai then adds, “Because you weren’t leading, you couldn’t lead because you said you were too tired.”
A clearly puzzled Salmon replies, “I couldn’t do it that time.”
Jarome Luai (left) and Jaeman Salmon (right) got into a heated argument on the field after Penrith lost their home season opener to the Broncos on Friday night.
Queensland manager Billy Slater said the dispute should have been kept private, but acknowledged that there had been such talks across all NRL teams.
Speaking on Nine’s Footy Show on Sunday, Slater acknowledged that the heated argument between the two Panthers stars “happens all the time” between the players.
But he also suggested that Luai and Salmon should have known before allowing the discussion to play out in front of TV cameras, particularly given the outcome.
“It’s not ideal that they did it in a public space, the camera is there,” Slater said.
‘Now they have to deal with this: it’s on TV, we’re talking about it.
‘those conversations [between teammates] it happens all the time, and it’s healthy to have those honest conversations.
‘If you’re sweeping those conversations under the rug, then you’ve got more problems. It’s not so much about it happening, it’s about where it happened.
Andrew Johns, however, argued that the dispute was a positive for the Panthers as it showed that the players remained committed to upholding their high standards.
The Panthers have a target on their back after winning the last two premierships and reaching the last three Grand Finals.
The Panthers’ quest for a third straight premiership began with a 13-12 loss to Brisbane.
Losing key stars like Viliame Kikau and Api Koroisau in the off-season has only added to the pressure on Penrith, particularly after St Helens stunned the Panthers in the World Club Challenge last month.
‘That’s good. It has to be the players who hold each other accountable, it can’t come from the coaches all the time,” Johns said.
‘That’s what you have to do as a playmaker, you have to hold the people around you to account.
‘Each game [I did it]each game.’