Cleary will have ‘blessing of every person in Penrith’ to leave
NRL great Mark Geyer feels the monster $1.5m-a-season offer that could be tabled by the PNG Chiefs may be too hard for Penrith superstar Nathan Cleary to pass up.
Cleary is set to come off contract at the end of 2027 and has so far resisted any movements relating to an extension with the club he’s won four premierships at. At this stage he will be a free agent come November 1.
Nathan Cleary warms up for the match against Canterbury. Getty Images
A number of his Penrith teammates look set to depart the club next year, including star winger Brian To’o, who is heading to the Chiefs.
To’o inked a three-year deal to join the NRL’s latest expansion team, which already boasts a number of high-profile talent including his former teammate and close friend Jarome Luai.
The star duo came through the ranks at Penrith alongside Cleary, who is reportedly set to be tabled a $1.5 million per season deal by the Chiefs.
It will be the most ever paid per season for a player in the NRL.
Cleary is currently on around $1.3 million per season with the Panthers and also receives additional funds from his lucrative third-party deals.
Geyer believes no Penrith fan would hold a grudge against Cleary if he were to make the move to PNG.
“As hard as it would be for him to leave Penrith, that money - you are getting every cent of it and that is money that I don’t think you can knock that back,” the former Penrith star said on 2GB’s Continuous Call Team.
“He has financially done enough, he doesn’t really need the cabbage.
“Whatever he decides, he has the blessing of every person in Penrith.”
Geyer suggested that Cleary may be motivated by the decisions of his family at the end of next season, with his brother Jett returning to the Panthers. It is also the last season his father Ivan will be in charge of the first-grade team.
“They might just do one last swansong together in 2027 with the three of them together,” he continued.
The Cleary’s pose with the Provan-Summons trophy. Getty
“They might say, ‘you know what, it is time for us to do our own thing. I’ll see you back at the house in five years’. I don’t know.”
Cooper Johns questioned if Cleary would be drawn to the challenge of being part of a foundation club, given how much he has already achieved with the Panthers.
But Darryl Brohman was still unconvinced that Cleary would consider the move.
“The best thing about Nathan Cleary is that he always wants a challenge, he always wants to get better,” Johns, who played at Manly and the Storm, said.
“I see that as the biggest challenge in the game over the next few years. I think he will go.”
Brohman replied: “I don’t think he’ll go.
“I think his stature out there is enormous and deservedly so, he is probably the greatest player they have ever had. His record tells you he is.
“I don’t think he’ll leave, even if his father is not coaching him. I think he’ll stay.
“The only loser will be wherever he doesn’t go to. The legacy he has built at Penrith is massive.
“If he does leave Penrith, they’ll give him their blessing. There will be no criticism. But I think there is something about being a one-club player.”
The Panthers will host the Wests Tigers in their final game before the finals series.
