Penrith have had the last laugh over Jarome Luai, edging Wests Tigers for an 18-14 win in the four-time premiership hero's first game against his old side.
Luai had a mixed reunion with the Panthers, playing a hand in all of the Tigers' three tries but gifting Penrith penalties ahead of two game-defining scores in Sunday's second half at CommBank Stadium.
The Tigers' co-captain almost helped his team to victory in the final 10 minutes when Jack Bird regathered his bomb close to the line and offloaded to Jahream Bula.
But a miraculous cover tackle from Scott Sorensen and Nathan Cleary stopped the fullback inches short of the line and the Panthers held on.
> THE TRY SAVER! 🤯#NRLTigersPanthers pic.twitter.com/kQuvGVkgAA > > — NRL (@NRL) June 8, 2025
Marking the Tigers' other ex-Panther