Panthers star hints at fast-tracking negotiations amid premiership speculation
Panthers superstar Nathan Cleary says the club may have to “step up” contract talks to avoid derailing their title hopes.
Cleary’s contract is not up until the end of 2027, but the halfback said on Thursday he was surprised there was so much discussion about his next move.
Should Cleary remain unsigned beyond 2027 as this year’s finals approach, speculation over his future is likely to increase exponentially; So much so that it could become a distraction as the Panthers try to win their fifth title in six years.
Panthers are already on the move ‘Operation Clearys Castle’ Cleary and his father, coach Ivan, in an attempt to extend Cleary’s contract before quitting at the same time.
Nathan has declared on more than one occasion that he is open to anything, including a switch to rugby, and last month he told this imprint: “I don’t want to make decisions about my future too quickly or jump into anything.
“I’m not closing any doors. I’m open to everything. I’m also very happy with where I am, very happy with rugby league – it’s my passion – and I don’t see anything changing anytime soon.”
But Cleary, 28, admitted for the first time that circumstances may force him to make a phone call earlier than expected.
The Panthers started the season in very good form and Cleary was outstanding in attack. After three wins in their first three games, a crowd of more than 20,000 is expected at CommBank Stadium for their clash with Parramatta on Saturday evening. slowdown in ticket sales at the beginning of the week.
“IT [the contract talk] It came pretty early, so maybe it’s something that needs to be expedited,” Cleary said Thursday.
“We’ll see what happens. I still have a two-year contract here, which seems like a very long time to me. Trying to imagine being anywhere else, it’s very hard to think about that.”
If Cleary stays at Penrith and the club can retain the core of their playing group (co-captain Isaah Yeo, representative winger Brian To’o and back-rower Liam Martin and eighth-eighth Blaize Talagi will all leave at the end of 2027) the Panthers will remain in the title window for years to come.
But Cleary insisted further premiership success would not be the main factor when deciding on his next career move.
“I don’t think too much about praise for decision-making; [it is more to do with] “My development as a player, my development as a person and my development as a leader,” he said.
“I’ve always said a week is a long time in rugby league, let alone a few months. You never know what’s going to happen.”
NRL newcomers PNG Chiefs have already expressed interest in the Clearys. During Ivan has already excluded himself In terms of the coaching job, Nathan is the type of player the Chiefs could build their franchise around.
The Chiefs will be able to offer more money than other rival NRL clubs, including the Panthers, due to tax concessions, while Cleary’s partner, Matildas favorite Mary Fowler, has Papua New Guinean heritage.
Cleary reiterated that he attended a NSW Cup trial in the country a decade ago and although it was a “good experience” he never considered the Chiefs.
Penrith easily announced that Brisbane, Cronulla and the Sydney Roosters would start the season and Cleary said the established squad (and pre-season set) could not be ignored.
“It helped pre-season not having to travel this year, we went to Manchester two years ago. [for the World Club Challenge]then Vegas last year,” Cleary said.
“It’s also the first time in a long time that we haven’t lost a big player and we’ve retained the 17 players we had in last year’s finals. That plays a big role. We can’t fall in love with ourselves.”
Cleary said that the 7th match against Mitchell Moses was one he was looking forward to, even though they defended on different sides of the field, and he rated Moses as “the best halfback of the competition in my eyes”.
