Penrith Panthers star dummy half Mitch Kenny has revealed he wants to stay at the club, ending months of speculation over his plans.
It was first floated a number of months ago that Kenny could be interested alongside teammate Liam Martin in a move to the PNG Chiefs when they enter the competition in 2028.
Kenny, alongside a list of talented players that includes Brian To'o, Nathan Cleary, Isaah Yeo, Isaiah Papali'i and Paul Alamoti among others, is off-contract at the end of 2027.
Rated as a future club captain, he is one the club at the foot of the mountains want to lock down and take away from the prying eyes of PNG, who could well raid the Panthers for talent given the stretched salary cap status of Ivan Cleary's outfit.
But Kenny has now revealed to Fox Sports that he has no intention of leaving Penrith and wants to extend his time in the far west of Sydney.
“Absolutely,” Kenny said when quizzed.
“I've been quite vocal and in my position that my preference is to stay with Penrith and unfortunately you don't always get what you want, but I'd really like to stay at Penrith and hopefully they're keen as well and something can be done there.
“I'm sort of leaving that with my agent at the moment, just trying to invest all my time and energy and getting the leg right.”
The news will come as a relief to the Panthers and their fans, who may be able to get their first major win in the race to secure talent for 2027.
It's almost certain that Nathan Cleary and Isaah Yeo, the State of Origin-winning halfback and captain duo, will test the free agency market, while To'o is widely expected to sign with the Chiefs, and prop Moses Leota has already been given permission to test his value in free agency.
It could leave the Panthers squad gutted heading into 2028, but the signing of Kenny would restore some balance to the otherwise dire forecasts surrounding the Panthers playing group and their futures.
Kenny, who is currently out injured but should be back on the park in the next few weeks, has played 135 games for the Panthers since his debut in 2019, with the now 28-year-old playing through their premiership run and becoming a crucial cog in the system.
