Cleary admits speculation over next move could force him to ‘fast-track’ contract talks

Panthers superstar Nathan Cleary says he might have to “fast-track” contract negotiations to avoid derailing the club’s premiership hopes.

Cleary is not off contract until the end of 2027, but the halfback said on Thursday he had been surprised by how much discussion there had already been about his next move.

Should Cleary remain unsigned beyond 2027 by the time this year’s finals roll around, the speculation over his future is likely to increase exponentially – to the point it could well become a distraction as the Panthers attempt to win a fifth premiership in six years.

The Panthers have already launched ‘Operation Keep Clearys’ in a bid to extend Cleary and his father, coach Ivan Cleary, before they come off contract at the same time.

Nathan has declared on more than one occasion he is open to anything, including a switch to rugby, and told this masthead just last month: “I don’t want to make decisions about my future too quickly, or jump the gun on anything.

“I’m not closing any doors. I’m open to anything. I’m also very happy with where I’m at, I’m very happy with rugby league – it’s my passion – and I couldn’t see anything changing anytime soon.”

But for the first time, Cleary, 28, has accepted that circumstances might force him to make a call earlier than expected.

The Panthers have started the season in red-hot form, with Cleary outstanding in attack. After three wins from their first three games, a crowd of more than 20,000 is expected at CommBank Stadium for Saturday evening’s clash with Parramatta, despite sluggish ticket sales at the start of the week.

“It [the contract talk] has come pretty early so maybe it’s something that needs to be fast-tracked,” Cleary said on Thursday.

“We’ll see what happens. I’m still contracted here for two years, it feels like such a long time to me. Trying to imagine being somewhere else, it’s tough to think of.”

Should Cleary remain at Penrith, and the club can retain the core of its playing group – co-captain Isaah Yeo, representative winger Brian To’o and back-rower Liam Martin, as well as five-eighth Blaize Talagi are all off at the end of 2027 – the Panthers will remain in the premiership window for years to come.

But Cleary insisted more premiership success would not be the main factor when he decided on his next career move.

“I don’t think about the accolades too much in terms of making decisions; [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 such a long time in rugby league, let alone a few months. You just don’t know what will happen.”

NRL newcomers the PNG Chiefs have already expressed an interest in the Clearys. While Ivan has already ruled himself out of the coaching job, Nathan is the kind of player the Chiefs’ could build their franchise around.

The Chiefs will be able to offer more money than any other rival NRL club, including the Panthers, because of their tax concessions, while Cleary’s partner, Matildas’ favourite Mary Fowler, has Papua New Guinean heritage.

Cleary said he had played a NSW Cup trial in the country a decade ago, and while it had been a “good experience”, reiterated he had not given the Chiefs any thought.

Penrith have easily accounted for premiers Brisbane, Cronulla and the Sydney Roosters to start the year, and Cleary said the settled squad – and settled pre-season – could not be ignored.

“It helped in the 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.

“We also didn’t lose a big-name player for the first time in a while, and we’ve kept the same 17 we had through the finals series last year. That plays a big part. We just can’t fall in love with ourselves.”

Cleary said the No.7 match-up with Mitchell Moses was one he looked forward to, even though the pair defend on opposite sides of the field, and said he rated Moses “in my eyes, the premier halfback in the competition”.