Nathan Cleary will recommit to the Penrith Panthers long-term in the coming weeks, with Code Sport reporting a deal is “all but done” after some rather large question marks regarding whether the reigning Dally M Medallist would join the PNG expansion efforts in 2028.
Penrith are so satisfied that Cleary will put pen to paper in the next few weeks that they’ve already moved on to speaking to club captain Isaah Yeo, and will be lining up extension talks for Moses Leota sometime soon as well.
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It’s a huge windfall for the dynasty team, considering Nathan’s father Ivan is hanging up his coaching cap after 2027 and several more star Panthers are leaving soon.
The Papua New Guinea bosses, who have been building quite the star-studded roster for the Chiefs’ first season, had been hopeful that a massive-money deal—all completely tax-free, remember—would have swayed Cleary.
The Sporting Base understands that Cleary was a clear number one on their hit list, and they were hoping to pay around $1.5 million a season. A halfback is one of the biggest pieces of the expansion team still missing, and some at the Chiefs had already quietly considered him a signed player.
The Sydney Roosters and several Super League teams had also been sniffing around, with the U.K. teams eager to sell him on reuniting with Matildas star Mary Fowler, who plays soccer for Manchester City.
Neither tempted him enough, apparently, considering the whispers now coming out from the foot of the mountains—or there could be one last twist in the tale.
It is worth noting that the rumours suggest he has signed a deal worth upwards of $1.7 million a season. While that isn’t tax-free like the PNG offer would have been, it’s still one of the richest deals the NRL has ever seen before.
Cleary is recovering from a horrible broken and dislocated ankle he suffered in the Panthers’ shock loss to the Newcastle Knights in the 2026 preliminary final. He is also rehabbing a fracture in the other foot he had from earlier.
He has been at the club since he debuted, and has played 217 NRL games and scored 813 points. Since 2018, he’s played 20 matches for New South Wales and eight Tests for the Kangaroos.
The Panthers are currently hopeful Cleary will be fit to play as soon as Round 1, 2027.
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