'Earned the right': Panthers boss unfazed as 12 players weigh up future in wake of Ivan Cleary bombshell

Penrith already had a massive fight on their hands to retain a dozen off-contract players before the November 1 free agency period.

That fight turned into the rugby league equivalent of going toe-to-toe with Mike Tyson when head coach Ivan Cleary dropped a bombshell that he would be finishing up at the end of his current contract, handing the reins over to Peter Wallace.

The highly-touted assistant has enormous respect within the Panthers playing group and is an astute long-term replacement for Cleary from 2028 onwards.

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But the biggest question is, how many of those current players will even still be there?

As of writing, the Panthers have a dozen unsigned players at the end of next season when coach Cleary will depart after a wildly successful era.

The biggest name on the off-contract list is his son, Penrith co-captain and arguably the best player in the game Nathan Cleary, who has been heavily linked with a departure from the club after 2027 and has hinted at potentially testing the market.

The superstar halfback has been touted as a potential target for the PNG Chiefs for their inaugural season, potentially linking back up with former halves partner Jarome Luai.

Cleary has also been linked with a move to the Super League, given the fact his partner Mary Fowler plays football with powerhouse club, Manchester City.

By the time his contract finishes, there's a fair chance that Cleary could have another NRL premiership to his name, more State of Origin success and maybe even an elusive Dally M Medal. He sits atop the leaderboard after 10 rounds this year and is the hot favourite to win the NRL's most prestigious individual prize. Throw in a potential home soil World Cup victory for the Kangaroos and there's a chance he'll finish 2026 feeling as though there's no unfinished business left for him to attend.

Really, what else would there be for Cleary to achieve in the game?

And with his father moving on as coach, the 28-year-old may see it as the perfect time to explore his own new endeavours away from the foot of the mountains.

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While everyone within the rugby league world will be theorising about Cleary Jr. moving on after his deal expires, Panthers chief executive Matt Cameron is bullish about their chances of retaining the playmaker - even with his dad stepping aside.

"I'm confident it will enhance [his chances of staying]," Cameron said.

Asked why he was confident the champion would stay, Cameron had a direct reply.

"He's sitting right next to me," the CEO said, gesturing towards Wallace.

Away from the most obvious potential player departure, Penrith have a massive task on their hands to keep some other premiership winners and representative stars.

Isaah Yeo has been a stalwart for the club and certainly would have taken unders to remain with the Panthers throughout his prime years, making it hard to begrudge him for leaving.

He indicated last month that he would be entertaining offers at the end of this season.

"I think we probably all will. I'm not sure what the club's doing in that regard but I feel like I'll certainly be open-minded in that regard," Yeo said.

Still, of all the names on the list, Yeo feels like the least likely player to depart.

Liam Martin and Mitch Kenny have been identified as targets for the Chiefs, with the latter even touted as a potential captain for the expansion franchise.

Brian To'o has an obvious link to the Chiefs as well given his close friendship with Luai.

Aside from those marquee names, the likes of Moses Leota, Blaize Talagi, Isaiah Papali'i and Paul Alamoti are all unsigned beyond next year and could attract interest.

PNG are only the tip of the iceberg too, given the Perth Bears are desperate to land some top quality players, even if it wouldn't be for their inaugural season.

It would be silly to think the other 17 clubs across the competition wouldn't have their eyes on which players from the Panthers end up hitting the open market in November.

Two members of the current Panthers squad, Scott Sorensen and Liam Henry, have already signed on to join the Bears for the 2027 campaign.

Despite the walls seemingly closing in on the Penrith dynasty, Cameron explained why they won't be pushing any of their premiership-winning stars to make a decision.

"The reality of PNG with their signing two weeks ago has probably amplified not just for us, but other players coming off-contract in the NRL," he said.

"We've been in constant dialogue with the players you're referencing. We've also been talking to their managers.

"If I use Nathan as an example, because obviously it will be topical off the back of this … he clearly indicated that now is not the time to have that conversation.

"Nathan was also quoted earlier in the year saying that he's never been off-contract, which got in some ways misconstrued that he wanted to test the market.

"That's not what he said, but at this point in time, using Nathan as an example, he wants to focus on Origin and from the club's perspective, we respect that decision.

"It's the same with every other player that's off-contract at the moment.

"If conversations change with the managers that we're having at the moment and they want to get a deal done, we'll get a deal done. If they want to focus on what's in front of them at the moment, we will respect that decision.

"If they want to see what opportunities are out there down the track, this cohort of players that we're talking about at the moment have absolutely earned the right to do that and they've been incredibly transparent with us throughout the process.

"Our goal is to keep every single one of those players at this club. That is our priority, we realise through either new clubs coming into the league and advantages they have over other clubs, there may be interest out there. The point I want to make is - this cohort have absolutely earned the right to travel their own path.

"It doesn't mean [general manager of rugby league] Shane [Elford] and I will be sitting there twiddling our thumbs, we've been meeting with these players and managers and we're actively trying to get deals done. Just because they go to November 1 doesn't mean they are leaving the club … it's 507 days until they come off-contract.

"We're not in a rush, we're gonna respect the players and their decisions that they want to make. Our first intent is to get every player that we can re-signed, but second to that is we want to respect their decisions."

Penrith Panthers 2027 off-contract list

Billy Scott, Blaize Talagi, Brian To'o, Isaah Yeo, Isaiah Papali'i, John Fonua, Liam Martin, Luron Patea, Mitch Kenny, Moses Leota, Nathan Cleary, Paul Alamoti