Things are unravelling at the Penrith Panthers.
That's the public perception, anyway.
A host of players, with Isaah Yeo the most recent, have indiciated they are going to test the open market from November 1, star halfback Nathan Cleary is no guartantee of remaining at the foot of the mountains, and a number of others could look to follow Jarome Luai to the PNG Chiefs.
The Panthers have a long list of players off-contract at the end of 2027, with all of Yeo, Cleary, Blaize Talagi, Brian To'o, Isaiah Papali'i, Liam Martin, Mitch Kenny, Moses Leota and Paul Alamoti from their regular list of 19 able to negotiate from November 1 alongside fringe players Billy Scott, John Fonua and Luron Patea.
But panic is not the view of Ivan Cleary, who told the media via AAP on Friday that things will work themselves out, and he is confident in the system already built at the foot of the mountains.
"Not really, no," he said.
"We're comfortable with what we've built here at Panthers. We've lost players that we've wanted to keep for many, many years. It's sort of just part of what happens when you're successful.
"It'll work itself out, I'm really confident about that."
And he isn't wrong.
The Panthers have had enormous turnover in recent years, owing to a salary cap crunch brought on by a string of success that included four straight premierships, five straight grand finals, and another preliminary final in 2026.
Their losses were minimal this year, but certainly impacted them last year after the departures of Jarome Luai and James Fisher-Harris.
It's Luai who is the latest worry for the Panthers and potentially Wests Tigers, although that was alleviated a little on Friday when both Terrell May and Taylan May re-signed through to the end of 2030, meaning they won't be foundation players for the Chiefs.
But a number of Luai's former teammates at Penrith could consider the tax free dollars on offer from the Willie Peters coached side.
Cleary, for his part, suggested he has no issue with his stars testing the open market.
"They've earned that right. Just because they said that doesn't mean they're leaving," Cleary said.
"It'd be very hard for all of our boys to leave here. But the reality is it can happen. We're experienced in this caper. Sure, the Chiefs, that's a new, little layer to it but as I said, it'll work out."
