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.
3. English Super League
We have already touched on the idea of Cleary going to rugby union, but he could yet stay in rugby league and head to Europe.
It's no secret that the NRL are in talks around purchasing a stake with plenty of control in the Super League.
The competition, if it's going to become marketable not just in the UK, but to Australians, needs a big star.
Cleary would be one of the competition's biggest ever signings, and in a bid to make sure any potential investment was a good one, you'd think the ARLC and NRL would open the bank to Cleary if there was a chance of him heading to the other side of the world.
