Penrith Panthers star forward Liam Martin held a meeting with the club over his future, but the result is unlikely to please the retention staff.
Reports first emerged of the crunch meeting last week, with it said that Martin is chasing seven figures per year on his next deal.
The Panthers want to retain Martin, of that there is no doubt, but the club only has so much money they can throw around given the number of players coming off contract at the end of 2027.
Martin headlines that list alongside the likes of Isaah Yeo and Nathan Cleary, while the club is also grappling with the future of Moses Leota, who has been allowed to explore his options early and already has considerable outside interest for 2028.
Martin is believed to be well and truly in the mix to head to November 1 without a deal, and per News Corp, a meeting on Tuesday confirmed all talks will now be halted until after the season.
“Talks were productive,” Martin's manager Allan Gainey said.
“Both parties are mindful of the timing and potential distractions around upcoming finals.
“We are confident we can get to a mutually beneficial position once the Panthers have finished their commitments for 2026.”
While Martin's manager is confident a deal will be reached, and Penrith are understood to feel the same way, the fact that no deal has been struck is a cause for concern at the foot of the mountains.
With Martin a likelihood of being selected in the Rugby League World Cup, it now appears unlikely he will have anything signed before November 1 unless the Panthers come up with a spectacular collapse in the finals series, allowing Martin to have some downtime before his Australian commitments begin.
Penrith are believed to be in talks with the likes of Yeo and Isaiah Papali'i at the same time as they discuss Martin's future, while the next contract for Nathan Cleary also remains clouded.
Martin is not the only second-rower on the open market seeking seven figures, with Hudson Young in similar discussions with the Canberra Raiders as the PNG Chiefs circle, while Jacob Preston is looking for very high six figures as he negotiates with the Canterbury Bulldogs.
