Billy Slater reveals why Jarome Luai and Jaedan Salmon should have kept their spat PRIVATE

Queensland coach Billy Slater believes Jarome Luai and Jaeman Salmon should have kept their spat private after the Penrith duo were involved in a heated argument on the field.

Luai and Salmon were seeing 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 expletives-laden exchange, Luai can be heard asking his teammate: ‘Am I blaming you for that pass?’, to which Salmon replies: ‘You did on that occasion.’

Luai then adds: ‘Because you weren’t leading, you couldn’t make it because you said you were too tired.’

A clearly nonplussed Salmon fires back: ‘That one time I couldn’t make it.’

Queensland coach Billy Slater said the spat should have been kept private, but acknowledged conversation of that kind happened in every NRL team

Speaking on Nine’s Footy Show on Sunday, Slater acknowledged the heated discussion between the two Panthers stars ‘happen all the time’ among players.

But he also suggested Luai and Salmon should have known better than to allow the argument to play out in front of the TV cameras, particularly given the result.

‘It’s not ideal they did it in a public space, the camera is right there,’ Slater said.

‘Now they have to deal with this – it’s on television, we’re talking about it.

‘Those conversations [between teammates] happen all the time, and it’s healthy to have those honest conversations.

‘If you’re sweeping those conversations under the carpet, then you’ve got more problems. It’s not so much about it happening, it’s about where it happened.’

Andrew Johns, however, argued the spat was a positive for the Panthers as it showed the players remained committed to maintain their lofty standards.

The Panthers have a target on their back after winning the last two premierships and making the last three Grand Finals.

The Panthers’ quest for a third straight premiership began with a 13-12 loss to Brisbane

Losing key stars such Viliame Kikau and Api Koroisau in the offseason has only heaped pressure on Penrith, particularly after the Panthers were stunned by St Helens in the World Club Challenge last month.

‘That’s good. It’s got to be the players who hold each other to account, it can’t come from the coaches all the time,’ Johns said.

‘That’s what you’ve got to do as a playmaker, you’ve got to keep people around you accountable.

‘Every game [I did it], every game.’