Sign up now!!!<\/a><\/p>\nNathan Cleary has a lot to think about. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
Of course, maybe the idea of winning a premiership without his dad could be a new challenge in itself for Cleary, especially if it means leading a new-look Panthers team should several of his teammates leave in the coming years. <\/p>\n
Otherwise, a move to the Super League or rugby union switch have also been floated as possibilities for Cleary. <\/p>\n
Ben Elias reported earlier in the year on NRL 360 that Hull FC had offered Cleary a four-year deal worth upwards of $1.9 million (1 million pounds) per season in a bid to lure him overseas.<\/p>\n
Cleary is just entering the prime of his career, so it is hard to see him making the Super League switch right now when \u2014 whether right or wrong \u2014 there is generally a perception that players move to that competition at the back-end of their careers or when they are young and struggling for minutes in the NRL.<\/p>\n
But it would allow him to move closer to partner Mary Fowler, and the money is hard to turn down too. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019d be very hard to see him go to the Super League,\u201d Keary said. <\/p>\n
\u201cI couldn\u2019t see him doing that (right now). The only reason I could see it is because he would be closer to Mary.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wallace on ‘batting after Bradman?’ | 00:44<\/p>\n
Instead, Keary said he could see European rugby being more appealing to Cleary if he chose a path outside of the NRL.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know the money in European rugby is a lot more than Super League and you\u2019re probably a chance of (using it for) the global game,\u201d he added. <\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know if the Wallabies come into it. It\u2019d be a big challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n
As for rugby, Cleary has previously admitted he is \u201copen\u201d to switching codes at some point in his career and that could also weigh into his decision, but it doesn\u2019t sound like a final call will come anytime soon.<\/p>\n
\u201cI gather he probably won\u2019t make a decision until the end of the season after the World Cup,\u201d Keary said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt literally could be anything, but I can\u2019t see him playing for another club. It doesn\u2019t make sense to me unless it\u2019s a different competition.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mary Fowler and Nathan Cleary pictured enjoying a recent visit to Queenstown, New Zealand Picture InstagramSource: Instagram<\/p>\n
It goes without saying that the Panthers won\u2019t simply be able to replace Cleary if he leaves and the fact Talagi is also off contract at the end of 2027 only complicates matters.<\/p>\n
The club\u2019s current NSW Cup halves pairing is Jack Cole, who is without a deal beyond this year, and Kurt Falls. Falls is a veteran who has bounced in and out of NSW Cup and unlikely to get a look-in at NRL level, while Cole is a strong defender with all the fundamentals but lacks the top-level ball-playing and is likely to look elsewhere after being overlooked in the wake of Jarome Luai\u2019s exit.<\/p>\n
Further down, both Haami Loza and Ellyjah Birve have been impressive in Jersey Flegg but are a long way off NRL at this stage and it seems more likely if the Panthers retain Talagi and Cleary leaves they would look to partner him with someone like Jack Cogger, who is signed through to 2028. <\/p>\n
Blaize Talagi\u2019s future is also uncertain. Picture: NRL PhotosSource: Supplied<\/p>\n
THE GLUE THAT HOLDS THE MIDDLE TOGETHER<\/p>\n
Yeo would be the next priority, having developed into one of the club\u2019s most influential leaders since debuting for the Panthers all the way back in 2014. <\/p>\n
The Dubbo junior began his career in the centres and back row before transitioning to lock in 2020, just as Penrith began its charge towards four-straight premierships. <\/p>\n
Yeo has since evolved into the perfect example of the modern-day lock forward, possessing both the leg drive to pump out big metres while also acting as an extra ball-playing option through the middle to help create space for someone like Cleary to thrive.<\/p>\n
A tireless defender, the Panthers would miss Yeo\u2019s high workrate and consistency through the middle but they have already developed his short-term replacement in Lindsay Smith.<\/p>\n
Smith was highly-rated coming through the Penrith system as a no-nonsense prop with a sneaky offload, but like Yeo has become so much more than that since making his debut in 2021 and recently re-signed until the end of the 2029 season.<\/p>\n
Looking at the bigger picture, however, Billy Phillips may be the long-term successor at lock once he really fills out after cementing his spot in the NRL team this year.<\/p>\n
He too, like Smith, extended on a long-term deal.<\/p>\n
Isaah Yeo is the glue for the Panthers. (Photo by Darrian Traynor\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
THE POTENTIAL \u2018HUGE\u2019 LOSS THAT CAN\u2019T GO UNDERSOLD<\/p>\n
Next on the list would be Brian To\u2019o, who was once told he was too small before earning his NRL debut in 2019. <\/p>\n
It goes without saying that he has certainly proved that line of thinking to be wrong, becoming one of the most destructive wingers in the modern game. <\/p>\n
With legs built like tree trunks, the 27-year-old has not dipped under 150 metres per game since he entered the league while he has hit over 100 tackle busts in four of his past five seasons. <\/p>\n
The post-contact metres are where To\u2019o really makes his money, however, with the Panthers winger averaging the sixth-most (6.0) per game this season.<\/p>\n
He is also surprisingly effective in the air for his short stature, while his decision-making in defence is among the best in the league at the position.<\/p>\n
Replacing a winger would typically be one of the easier roster-building jobs, but To\u2019o is an exception to that rule. <\/p>\n
The Panthers do have Izack Tago contracted until 2028 and if he reverted back to the starting side, there is an option to push Paul Alamoti back out to the wing.<\/p>\n
But Alamoti himself is without a contract beyond 2027, while the Panthers also have the more immediate headache of trying to extend breakout State of Origin bolter Tom Jenkins.<\/p>\n
Jenkins is off contract at the end of this season and his price tag is going up with every try he scores, while a Blues call-up would only increase that even more. <\/p>\n
Cleary confirms departure from Panthers | 02:40<\/p>\n
In terms of players coming through the system that the Panthers could turn to, Casey McLean\u2019s brother Jesse has been waiting in the wings since his NRL debut in 2023. <\/p>\n
He would be a very different style of player to To\u2019o, lacking the size and explosiveness to produce the same kind of metres that have been so important to Penrith winning the field position battle in recent years. <\/p>\n
But he is a slick finisher and only 21 years old with plenty of development left in him.<\/p>\n
It is a different story with Sione \u2018Johnny\u2019 Fonua, who joined the club after coming through Parramatta\u2019s juniors and is playing well for the NSW Cup. The 26-year-old has also featured a few times in Penrith\u2019s extended squad for the NRL, although he too like Alamoti is off contract beyond 2027.<\/p>\n
Keary said To\u2019o would be a \u201chuge\u201d loss, describing him as one of the \u201cpillars\u201d of what the Panthers have achieved along with Cleary, Yeo and Liam Martin.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll the other guys have been fantastic, but they\u2019ve obviously been there the longest,\u201d Keary added. <\/p>\n
\u201cBrian would be (a) massive (loss). He\u2019s been one of their best players every year.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brian To\u2019o is a force of nature. (Photo by Scott Gardiner\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
THE MAJOR HOLE PANTHERS MAY HAVE TO FILL UP FRONT<\/p>\n
Up front, there would be a major void to fill if the Panthers lost more than one of Mitch Kenny, Liam Martin, Isaiah Papali\u2019i and Moses Leota.<\/p>\n
That is especially true if Yeo left, as that would likely require Smith to then shift to lock forward and leave another starting position to be filled at front row. <\/p>\n
Kenny and Martin have already been linked with potential moves to the PNG Chiefs too when they enter the NRL in 2028.<\/p>\n
As already covered, both Smith and Phillips will be a key part of Penrith\u2019s plans while Luron Patea impressed in his brief NRL stints last year.<\/p>\n
He has featured in NSW Cup this season and been building up his ability to play bigger minutes, which could be a hint at the club\u2019s long-term plan for him.<\/p>\n
Patea offered something completely different to Penrith\u2019s other forwards off the bench with an explosive running style not too dissimilar to Spencer Leniu, which when paired with a late offload, made him a dangerous player every time he touched the ball. <\/p>\n
He doesn\u2019t have a contract beyond 2027 though, but may be one of the more affordable players that Penrith can keep.<\/p>\n
Could Liam Martin leave? (Photo by Darrian Traynor\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
Both Liam Henry and Scott Sorensen are leaving the club for Perth at the end of the year, but the Panthers extended Luke Garner until at least the end of 2028 as one option on the edge. <\/p>\n
Otherwise, looking at the pathways, Zakauri Clarke is a big part of Penrith\u2019s plans after extending until at least end of 2028 earlier this year and could replace either Martin or Papali\u2019i.<\/p>\n
Another name to watch is Judah Galuvao, the son of legendary Panther Joe, while Leo Stipe Latu has been a standout on the edge coming through the system and was recently rewarded with his Jersey Flegg debut and selection in the NSWRL City Origin Under 18s squad.<\/p>\n
As for Kenny, Billy Scott looms as the obvious successor, although he is also off contract beyond 2027.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cI think we probably all will.\u201d It was the \u201castonishing\u201d comment Braith Anasta said would have raised \u201calarm…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":668602,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[568],"tags":[64,63,761,762,158,85],"class_list":["post-668601","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nrl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-national-rugby-league","tag-nationalrugbyleague","tag-nrl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/668601","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=668601"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/668601\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/668602"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=668601"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=668601"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=668601"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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