Powerbrokers at the Penrith Panthers are facing a very difficult choice as the 2023 NRL season rolls on: keep their halves combination of Nathan Cleary and Jarome Luai together or lock in red-hot fullback Dylan Edwards long-term.
The problem the Panthers are facing is simple on paper. There’s only so much coin to go around in the next bank of re-signings and one of their five-eighth or their fullback—both bonafide premiership stars at this point—can stay.
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In reality, there’s nothing simple about the looming choice.
On one hand, Edwards has done more than enough to earn a mega upgrade. The Panthers number one often runs over 300 metres a game and has added a flashy attack to his already rock-solid defence at the back. He brings a stability to an electric Penrith squad that has proven it can win titles.
On the other, Cleary is only one half of a two-player whole in the beating heart of the western juggernaut that is aiming for a third straight NRL premiership. Not just that, but Cleary and Luai are an Origin-winning combo to boot.
According to news coming out of the camp at the foot of the mountains, there’s really only room for one—and the one that remains will probably earn close to $800,000 to $900,000 under the cap.
The main factor that plays into that pay offering is the re-signings they’ve already made, not least of all Cleary’s $1,300,000 deal.
Luckily, the Panthers have time on their hands. Nothing has to be settled before the November 1 contract date in seven months when both stars will be allowed to talk to rival clubs. Until then, the Panthers can talk to both, figure out their futures when it comes to juniors, and chart a course into 2024.
The Sporting Base expects Penrith to run that time all the way up to the whistle in late October before they make a decision.
The salary cap squeeze at Penrith has already seen big-name players like Viliame Kikau, Apisai Koroisau, and Matt Burton walk out the door to find bigger paydays elsewhere. Similarly, the Panthers lost young gun Isaiya Katoa to the Dolphins ahead of this season too. The club is bracing for another big departure at the end of the year that is already locked in too—Stephen Crichton has lined up a contract with the Canterbury Bulldogs starting from the 2024 season.
Alongside Cleary, the reigning champs have locked in captain Isaah Yeo and prop James Fisher-Harris on long term deals. Other squad stars like Brian To’o and Moses Leota are inked through to 2027 too.
This season the Panthers started slow before roaring to a 3-2 record. They sit in second in the NRL standings.
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