Latest news with #RoyceHunt
News.com.au
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Jarome Luai footage exposes everything wrong with rugby league fandom
COMMENT In the clearest indication footy season is back in full swing, two footballers have been savagely rissoled in recent days because of telephone manner and a sandwich. This week's fallout from Jarome Luai and Royce Hunt refusing a selfie has showcased everything crook with footy fandom and the perverse sense of entitlement we've developed. Apparently because these blokes get paid a motza they should stop whatever they are doing on our command, even if they're eating or talking on the phone. What's next? Backlash because a footballer refuses a signature while performing CPR? Outrage because a fan is snubbed standing outside a player's bedroom window holding a 'Lachie can I have your boots' placard? Nobody's asking to light a candle of hope for the poor millionaires, but it's still enough to make a rat spew. You can watch the awkward airport selfie interaction in the video above For those who missed it, the footage in question, which you can watch above, features a fan approaching a streak of reclining Tigers in an airport lounge to request a selfie. Filmed by Terrell May and uploaded to his social media, the punter is mutedly rebuffed by Luai because he's FaceTiming, then more mutedly by Hunt because he's got a mouthful of lunch. It was uncomfortable to trigger awkward laughter across the entire terminal, but this isn't a scolding for the fan in question. In fact, he was a cheery chap whose only two crimes were failing to read the room and forgetting to offer Hunt a napkin, and while certainly not welcomed with open arms, his harmless approach was acknowledged by the rest of the players who happily posed for snaps. Nope, this is about the typical blowback that has resulted from this minor incident, and how it's only a matter of time before footballers respond to this confected knicker-knotting by hermetically sealing themselves off from the rest of the world. One NRL fan wrote on X: 'I don't care what anyone says, that TikTok is once again a highlight of the culture at that club (Tigers). Royce could've acknowledged him at the least considering Terrell was the one who sent him there to begin with. The arrogance in that whole video is disturbing.' A second fan added: 'Luai in the middle of a FaceTime call with his family, fair enough, but Royce Hunt can't even look at the guy or say a single word to him, just acts like he doesn't exist. Pretty ordinary way to treat your fans.' A third wrote: 'Just watched it a few times. Wouldn't have the heart to do that. Even if I was burning on the inside, would still suck it up for a 2sec selfie. Would've made his day. Not sure if it's a club culture thing but bit of arrogance & immaturity on display from a couple of the lads.' A fourth posted: 'No wonder the Tigers have won 4 spoons in a row - their culture is shot. They're nothing without their fans. And they treat their fans like rubbish.' A footballer refusing an approach is nothing new, nor is one being non-responsive because their gob is gauzed-up with carbs and ranch sauce. But sadly, it's also 'nothing new' to see disproportionate pearl clutching, especially that from the cultural dietitians on the internet who believe they hold a monopoly on what constitutes decorum. For all we know, Hunt could've had spinach in his teeth, whereas Luai could've been chatting to his children, or more importantly, begging his dad to take down a post. Either way, it doesn't matter. Not only are the haters so acutely conditioned to detect fault that had Luai put down the phone to take the pic, they'd be slamming him for neglecting his kids, or worse, wasting data. But moreover, this proves how footballers have become such public property that there's no lengths fans won't strive to score a selfie or a signature or even a lock of hair. Regrettably, it's a challenge for the biggest boofheads to comprehend that professional footballers are human beings just like them, all who eat, breathe and do everything else they do, except not shower. And yes, despite getting paid handsomely, players do occasionally grow tired of getting subpoenaed by strangers for pics and blamed for some geezer's flunked multi. Reece Walsh is a red hot dish who craves the lens, but even he's gone to the lengths of banning selfies because of everyone's abject lack of table manners. Latrell Mitchell is a man gives up his time to attend more junior carnivals than we have hot dinners, yet still a fan phoned talkback radio to complain when he didn't sign an autograph even despite pledging to do so at the end of the game he was watching. Not even laid-back types like Shaun Johnson and Josh Morris are immune, with both copping the same treatment as Mitch Kenny who was deluged this week by some degenerate palooka blaming him for blowing his rent on a seven-leg Hail Mary. Yes, the majority of us are good, god-fearing footy fans, but a rancid majority is tarring us all with the same brush. They are opportunists demanding their 250 player cards be signed and faceless accounts issuing death threats and leaking sex tapes, and it's widening the gulf between players and the public. So next time you expect a footballer to hang up on his wife simply because they're rich and they owe it to you, just remember: While they may have signed a wealthy contract, it doesn't include an exit clause from jerk fans and online sanctimony. - Dane Eldridge is a warped cynic yearning for the glory days of rugby league, a time when the sponges were magic and the Mondays were mad. He's never strapped on a boot in his life, and as such, should be taken with a grain of salt.
Daily Mail
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Jarome Luai Wests Tigers: Footy stars spark heated debate over how they treated fan who just wanted a selfie in controversial moment caught on video
Wests Tigers stars Jarome Luai and Royce Hunt have left footy fans divided after being caught on video refusing to take selfies with a supporter who approached them off the field recently. The pair turned the supporter down at Brisbane Airport last weekend on their way home from Magic Round at Suncorp Stadium, with the interactions filmed by their teammate Terrell May for his YouTube video log. The footage shows a fan in a brown hoodie approach Luai while he is clearly on a video call with his headphones in. He appears to be talking to his family as a young child is briefly visible on the screen of his phone. Luai speaks very briefly to the man and seems to indicate he is busy on the call, at which point May tells the man to get a selfie with Tigers star Fonua Pole, who poses for the picture. May then tells the man to approach prop forward Royce Hunt, who is eating at a nearby table. Hunt stares at May and ignores the man, prompting May to say, 'Get a selfie!' with Hunt replying, 'I'm eating.' Pictured: The moment Wests Tigers star Jarome Luai (left) turns down a fan (second from left) who asked him for a selfie at Brisbane Airport last weekend while he was on a FaceTime call May then says, 'You're sad, man.' Fullback Jahream Bula then poses for a selfie with the man as May calls him the 'humblest in the NRL', before May beckons the man over for a picture. The footage has seen some fans slam the players for turning down the supporter, who was polite throughout the clip. 'Felt sorry for the guy truna get a photo with Jarome and he just didn't even wanna take 2 seconds out of his day to make a fan happy low as,' one commenter complained. 'Damn man hopefully Royce Hunt isn't really like that to the fans,' one wrote. 'Royce Hunt could've just acknowledged him and said he was eating. Too much ego for a bench warmer,' added another. 'Not gonna lie pretty low of you guys couldn't take a selfie with that bloke who probs supports youse day in day out it just takes 2 seconds to take a photo,' wrote a third. 'If you're travelling in your kit, you're on the clock. It isn't hard at all to put your drumstick down and smile. Guy was polite and clearly excited to see some superstars. Be better Royce,' wrote another. '1 second of their time is a lifetime of happiness for a fan. Players have to expect this. Low behaviour from the players & clearly taking the Mickey out of the fan,' one supporter commented. Other comments condemning the players included 'who tf does Royce Hunt think he is', 'If you don't want to be surrounded and asked by fans, wrong job for you', and '2 mins our of your time to be with a fan, do it and shut your mouth and pretend to enjoy it'. However, just as many people leapt to the players' defence - starting with May, who replied to one comment by writing, 'Romey [Luai] was on FaceTime to his family and the guy saw that and still asked.' 'Players are entitled to their privacy. If they say yes, great. But they say no, don't get mad, respect their space. You are not owed anything in life,' one fan wrote. 'I've taught my kids that they are entitled to personal time. If they are at a training day, game or club promo that's their job and selfies and autographs are fine. If they are on the phone, eating, enjoying family time, shopping leave them be. Smile as you pass them and if they engage in conversation then fair game but if they are going about life away from football they should be left to their lives just like anyone else,' added another. 'Thinking you're entitled to a photo anytime you like is crazy,' said a third. 'When talking on the phone, eating or when people are with their kids they should be left alone. The fan was respectful and left players who didn't want a photo and moved on, so I don't see too much wrong with the video,' another fan wrote. 'At the end of the day these guys are people too. I'm sure if you're respectful when approaching them they'll reciprocate that respect but obviously be mindful when approaching them while they're in the middle of something,' commented another. May's video, which was filmed after the team's win over the Dragons, has been viewed more than 35,000 times and attracted almost 350 comments. The next instalment is likely to give Tigers fans a very different look at the players as they react to their 64-0 drubbing by the Melbourne Storm on Sunday. That huge loss led to controversy of a different kind for Luai after his father Martin posted and quickly deleted the comment 'Get out clause activated' on Instagram. Many fans took that as a reference to a section of Luai's contract that would allow him to leave the club well before the end of his six-year deal if certain conditions are not met by the team.
News.com.au
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
NRL world divided over Jarome Luai airport selfie drama
NRL fans have been left divided over an interaction between Wests Tigers players and a member of the public seeking selfies at an airport. A video shared on Terrell May's YouTube Vlog has got tongues wagging after an NRL fan appeared to ask if he could take a selfie with team captain Jarome Luai and other players while the team was waiting in a terminal at Brisbane Airport last weekend. Luai appeared to be in the middle of a video call with his family and had headphones in his ears at the time of the request. A young baby could be seen on the screen of his phone at the time of the request. FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every game of every round in the 2025 NRL Telstra Premiership, LIVE in 4K with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer. The star playmaker appeared to brush the fan off and his decision not to engage in conversation with the member of the public has sparked debate about the obligations expected of NRL players off the football field. May's video shows the prop forward humorously directing the fan to instead take photos with Royce Hunt and Jahream Bula. The man filmed in the video was seen squeezing in between Bula and May as they were seated waiting for their flight back to Sydney. You can watch the airport scene in the video player above. Tigers stars Brent Naden, Api Koroisau, Fonua Pole and Charlie Staines were among the players sitting together at the time they were asked to pose for photos. When the man was directed to take a photo with Hunt, who was having a giant gulp into a morning snack, the forward bluntly replied: 'I'm eating'. May then light-heartedly told his teammate: 'You're sad man'. While the Tigers and the member of the public were polite throughout the scene, the interaction left most social media users defending the Tigers players for how they acted. Some fans, however, took to Facebook and YouTube to criticise the players for not obliging the fan. Criticism from some YouTube users in the comments section prompted May to take the rare step of replying directly to one user. 'Romey (Luai) was on FaceTime to his family and the guy saw that and still asked,' May posted. That didn't stop criticism from being shared on multiple social media platforms. May's video has more than 35,000 views on YouTube and one clip taken from the Vlog and posted on Facebook has more than 400,000 views. Some of the comments on YouTube turned ugly with trolls calling Hunt 'low'. NRL fans on Twitter largely stood up in defence of the Tigers players. NRL commentator Curtis Woodward wrote on X: 'Get what you're saying but the boys are eating or on the phone. Nobody was rude. May controlled that perfectly and looked after his teammates and the fan' A Tigers fans page posted: 'Grown adults asking players for selfies when they're on their own time is cringe AF'. One person posted: 'Think this is more a lack of basic manners than poor club & fan relations'. Another wrote: 'Tigers players could combine to find a cure for cancer tomorrow & there will still be some absolute idiots on this app who will find a way to be critical & have a go at the culture'. One X user in disagreeance, however, posted: 'I don't care what anyone says, that TikTok is once again a highlight of the culture at that club. Royce (Hunt) could've acknowledged him at the least considering Terrell was the one who sent him there to begin with. The arrogance in that whole video is disturbing'. One X user posted: 'Luai in the middle of a FaceTime call with his family, fair enough, but Royce Hunt can't even look at the guy or say a single word to him, just acts like he doesn't exist. 'Pretty ordinary way to treat your fans.' The Tigers were at Brisbane Airport the morning after their 34-28 Magic Round win over the Dragons. May's 30-minute Vlog followed Tigers players from their dressing room celebrations at Suncorp Stadium through to their bus trip to the airport from their team Brisbane hotel the morning after. May kept the camera rolling as they landed down in Sydney after the big win over the Dragons. While there was plenty to celebrate last week there will be some serious soul-searching going on at the club this week after a pitiful 64-0 flogging at the hands of the Storm in Melbourne on Sunday.
