Penrith have knocked back overtures made on behalf of some of the club’s biggest names – including superstar halfback Nathan Cleary – about the prospect of speaking to rival clubs before they officially become free agents on November 1.
The Panthers, who face St George Illawarra in a Magic Round clash at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday, are attempting to lock down a raft of marquee men just as the PNG Chiefs begin assembling their inaugural roster with the lure of tax-free dollars.
Ivan Cleary’s decision to finish up as head coach at the end of 2027 – he plans to remain involved in a consultancy role afterwards – has added further intrigue as the club attempts to retain the nucleus of the side beyond that date.
Nathan Cleary, Isaah Yeo, Liam Martin, Brian To’o, Moses Leota, Mitch Kenny, Isaiah Papali’i, Blaize Talagi and Paul Alamoti are among the stars who can negotiate with rivals if they haven’t re-signed before November 1.
Sources not authorised to speak publicly have told this masthead that managers acting for several of those players – including the TGI agency that represents Nathan Cleary, Yeo and Mitch Kenny – held informal conversations with Panthers officials about the prospect of exploring their options before November 1.
No formal requests were made, with the parties simply talking through potential scenarios as the Chiefs prepare to become a major disruptor to the player market.
The Panthers, keen to retain as many of their top-liners for the long haul as possible, don’t begrudge their players the chance to test their market worth. However, it was agreed that shouldn’t happen before November 1, to ensure the club has the best possible chance of retaining them.
The Panthers believe their succession plan for Ivan Cleary, with assistant coach Peter Wallace named to move into the top job, provides a compelling case for the majority of their stars to stay put. However, the money on offer elsewhere, particularly in PNG, could result in several having their heads turned.
PNG have already secured a former Panther Jarome Luai on a three-year deal worth $1.2 million per annum. Given no tax is paid on those earnings, an Australian club would have to pay the equivalent of about $2.2 million to compete financially.
While the Chiefs can’t talk to the off-contract Panthers at present, they are expected to make Nathan Cleary their priority target if he becomes available.
If they were to pay market value – the game’s highest-paid players will earn about $1.4 million in 2028 – Cleary could potentially pocket as much as $2 million every year after third-party arrangements, which are also tax-exempt, are taken into account. No Australian club could get close to that figure.
A move to Port Moresby would also reunite the champion No.7 with former halves partner Luai, with whom he won four premierships at the foot of the mountains.
Penrith declined to comment when contacted on Thursday. However, Panthers CEO Matt Cameron said during a press conference the previous day that he hoped to retain all the club’s off-contract stars, adding they had earned the right to test their market worth if they chose to do so.
“Clearly, particularly in this grand final period that we’ve gone through post-COVID, you’ve heard me say it a million times, our goal is to keep every one of those players at this club,” Cameron said on Wednesday.
“That is our priority. We realise through either new clubs coming into the league and advantages that they have over other clubs, we realise that there may be interest out there.
“But the point I want to make is we feel this cohort has absolutely earned the right to travel their own path in some ways.
“It doesn’t mean Shane [Panthers general manager Shane Elford] and I will be sitting there twiddling our thumbs. As I said, we’ve been meeting with these players, we’ve been meeting with these managers as we’ve gone forward.
“We’re actively trying to get deals done, but at the end of the day, if a player comes to us and says, ‘I just really want to focus on the season at the moment’, we’re going to respect that. Just because they go to November 1, it doesn’t mean they’re leaving the club.”
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