The NRL has formally warned the PNG Chiefs after board member Marcus Bai publicly called for the expansion club to sign Penrith superstar Nathan Cleary.
Bai declared that Cleary joining the Chiefs would “stop the whole nation” and described how passionately Papua New Guinean supporters would embrace the champion halfback.
The comments were originally made earlier in 2026 but attracted renewed attention as reports emerged that PNG is preparing a record four-year, $6 million offer.
Cleary remains contracted to Penrith until the end of 2027 and cannot formally negotiate with the Chiefs or other rivals until November 1.
The NRL has issued a warning rather than finding PNG guilty of tampering or imposing a financial penalty.
Bai Publicly Calls for Cleary Signing
Bai, a former PNG captain and Melbourne Storm premiership winner, made no attempt to hide his desire to see Cleary lead the new franchise.
“I would love to see Nathan Cleary playing for PNG,” Bai said.
“When locals here talk about Nathan Cleary, the people say he is our brother-in-law. Everyone is claiming Nathan Cleary because his girlfriend has PNG heritage.
“If Nathan Cleary turned up at the airport, he wouldn’t get out the doors. He would be leaving in a car with the Prime Minister.
“I can tell you now, if Nathan Cleary signs for PNG, it will stop the whole nation.”
Cleary’s partner, Matildas star Mary Fowler, has Papua New Guinean heritage.
That connection has contributed to the enormous enthusiasm surrounding the prospect of Cleary becoming the Chiefs’ foundation halfback.
However, the NRL’s strengthened anti-tampering rules do not allow club officials to publicly express interest in contracted players simply because the comments concern their cultural or commercial appeal.
Why the Comments Created a Problem
The NRL changed its anti-tampering regulations on February 1, 2026.
The expanded rules cover public and private statements that could be interpreted as attempts to lure or entice a contracted player before he or she becomes legally available to negotiate.
According to the NRL’s official explanation, tampering can include “any expression of interest” made through the media with the aim of securing a player’s services during a prohibited negotiation period.
The league designed the rules to protect each club’s contractual and negotiating rights.
Bai is not merely a retired player offering an independent opinion. He is a Chiefs board member speaking about a player his club is widely expected to pursue.
That position changes the significance of his remarks.
Saying PNG would love to sign Cleary and outlining the extraordinary reception he would receive could reasonably be interpreted as public recruitment.
Chiefs Warned but Not Punished
Reports indicate the NRL has issued PNG with a formal warning over Bai’s comments.
That should not be confused with a breach notice, confirmed anti-tampering offence or financial sanction.
The Chiefs have not been fined, lost salary-cap space or been prevented from pursuing Cleary when he becomes available.
The warning instead places the expansion club on notice that further public comments could result in more serious action.
Potential penalties available under the NRL rules include:
- Financial sanctions against clubs, players, officials or accredited agents.
- Salary-cap penalties.
- Deregistration of officials, agents or players in the most serious cases.
No such punishment has been imposed against PNG.
The warning may reflect that Bai’s comments were broad expressions of hope rather than evidence of direct negotiations with Cleary or his representatives.
However, the NRL has now made clear that even public recruitment commentary can cross the line.
Cleary Cannot Negotiate Until November 1
Cleary’s Penrith contract runs through the 2027 season.
Under the NRL’s contracting rules, he can formally negotiate with rival clubs for 2028 from November 1, 2026.
Before then, the Chiefs cannot approach Cleary, present a contract or use public and private messages to encourage him to leave Penrith unless the Panthers provide written permission.
There is no indication Penrith has granted that permission.
The Chiefs are reportedly considering a four-year agreement worth $1.5 million per season, which would become the richest NRL contract when measured by annual salary.
Its tax-free structure could leave Cleary approximately $2.5 million more in take-home income across the four years than a similarly valued Australian contract.
Potential third-party and endorsement agreements could further increase the difference.
Those figures describe a reported future proposal.
They do not establish that the Chiefs have formally offered Cleary a contract or begun prohibited negotiations.
PNG Must Separate Planning From Recruiting
The Chiefs are entitled to plan their salary cap, identify priority positions and prepare offers before November 1.
Every professional club builds recruitment strategies before players officially enter the market.
The restriction concerns contact and inducement.
PNG cannot negotiate with Cleary or use its officials to publicly sell him the benefits of joining before the permitted date.
That line becomes increasingly difficult to manage when prospective contract figures, tax advantages and declarations from board members are repeatedly discussed in public.
Chiefs boss Michael Chammas previously demonstrated how club officials can address the subject without crossing into direct recruitment.
“There are rules in place that prohibit us from talking about those guys contracted, and I want to respect it and not get fined,” Chammas said.
“There’s a hit list of players we’ll go after on November 1.”
Chammas acknowledged the club’s future recruitment plans without publicly pitching PNG to a specific contracted player.
Bai’s comments went considerably further.
Panthers Have Already Lost To’o to PNG
Penrith’s concern is understandable because the Chiefs have already recruited one of the club’s most important players.
Brian To’o will join PNG in 2028 after the Panthers granted him a seven-day window to negotiate before the normal November deadline.
That written permission meant the discussions did not breach anti-tampering rules.
To’o will reunite with former Panthers teammate Jarome Luai, who became the Chiefs’ inaugural signing.
PNG has also secured Alex Johnston, Zac Lomax, Connor Watson and England forward Matty Lees as it builds its first roster.
Those signings give the Chiefs a credible foundation and make the Cleary speculation more threatening to Penrith.
The expansion club is no longer discussing an imaginary team. It is assembling an experienced roster filled with premiership winners and representative players.
Chiefs Have Also Publicly Identified Carrigan
Bai previously expressed interest in Brisbane forward Pat Carrigan.
“It would be awesome to have Pat Carrigan,” Bai said.
“He is not only a great player, but the support for the Broncos in Papua New Guinea is unbelievable.
“He is the type of player PNG would want and the fans would bow down to him.”
Carrigan is contracted beyond PNG’s entry into the competition, making public discussion of his recruitment particularly sensitive.
The current warning has been reported as relating to the Cleary comments, not as a separate finding concerning Carrigan.
However, Bai and every other Chiefs official will now need to avoid similar statements about contracted players unless their clubs provide written permission.
Warning Arrives as $6 Million Report Emerges
The timing places greater scrutiny on PNG’s reported Cleary plan.
The Chiefs are believed to be preparing a four-year, $6 million package that would reunite him with Luai and To’o.
Former Panthers chief executive Brian Fletcher remains confident Cleary will stay with his only NRL club.
“I feel confident Nathan will be a one-team player for the rest of his life,” Fletcher said.
“Why would you go anywhere else when you can play with a team like that and be successful?”
Penrith has until November to prevent the situation becoming an open-market bidding war.
The departure of Ivan Cleary as head coach following the 2027 season and the gradual breakup of Penrith’s premiership core could influence Nathan’s decision.
However, none of those circumstances gives PNG permission to begin recruiting him early.
NRL Had to Enforce Its New Rule
Bai’s enthusiasm is understandable.
Cleary would immediately become the face of the Chiefs and could transform the expansion club’s commercial and competitive prospects.
His arrival would also hold cultural significance because of Fowler’s connection to Papua New Guinea.
But the strengthened rules were introduced specifically to stop officials from publicly courting contracted players.
Ignoring Bai’s comments would make them almost impossible to enforce against anyone else.
The NRL has chosen the proportionate response.
There is no public evidence that PNG secretly negotiated with Cleary or presented him with a contract, so a major financial or salary-cap penalty would be difficult to justify.
A formal warning makes the boundary clear without inventing a more serious offence than the available facts establish.
PNG can still chase Cleary.
It must wait until November—and keep its recruitment pitch out of public view until then.
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