There is absolutely zero dispute right now that Penrith Panthers star halfback Nathan Cleary is no guarantee to remain at the club beyond the end of 2027.
That's not saying he is a certainty to leave, but with his father Ivan hanging up the coaching clipboard, Nathan admitting he is thinking about testing the market, his fiancee living abroad, Penrith's salary cap stretched and just maybe the thought of another challenge lingering in the back of his mind, a Cleary squared departure from the club's match day operations is certainly not off the table.
Sometimes in rugby league, things are a coincidence, and sometimes, they are not.
The fact Nathan Cleary has been talking about the potential of heading to November 1 uncontracted for the first time in his career for a couple of months now coincides roughly with the timeline of when his father would have been talking about, and ultimately decided, to not continue coaching, is not one of the times a coincidence has occurred.
If Cleary does decide to up sticks and leave the foot of the mountains, there are plenty of clubs who will chase his signature, but some potential homes stand out more than the rest.
Here are the options for Cleary.
6. Perth Bears
The Bears come into the competition in 2027, but as it stands, it would be hard to suggest they have built the type of roster they'd want for their opening season.
The upcoming signing of Jamie Humphreys will help, but he is no Nathan Cleary. For that matter, neither is any of their current half signings in Tyran Wishart and Toby Sexton.
Cleary is a the best in the game, particularly at club level, and the Bears will have cash to throw around.
There is no doubt they will need plenty of it to get Cleary across the country and keep him out of the jaws of other clubs, but this isn't out of the realms of possibility.
