For the first time in years, the Panthers have not lost any big names at the end of a season and can build for the 2026 campaign with a sense of stability.
While fringe first-graders Asu Kepaoa, Soni Luke, Brad Schneider, Luke Sommerton, Daine Laurie and Trent Toelau headline the list of departures, the best 17 won't change all that much heading into the new campaign.
It's a positive for Ivan Cleary given the way his side started the 2025 campaign following the departure of five-eighth Jarome Luai to the Wests Tigers and elite prop James Fisher-Harris to the New Zealand Warriors.
The Panthers might be relatively stable heading into 2026, but Ivan Cleary still has questions to answer.
Here are the key ones.
What role does Isaiah Papali'i play?
One of the unsung heroes of Penrith's work in the second half of 2025 was Isaiah Papali'i.
After a poor stint at the Eels, he took the gamble to move to Penrith, hoping to find a role in a stable forward pack, and a system that worked previously without his explosiveness.
But Papali'i has always had the potential to excel at NRL level, and he did just that in 2025, becoming one of Penrith's most important forwards.
Whether lining up on the edge or in the middle, he was elite for much of the campaign and will look for more of the same in 2026.
The question will be whether he starts or plays from the bench, and, beyond that, whether he is considered as more of a middle or an edge player.
With Liam Martin, Luke Garner and Scott Sorensen all able to play on the edge, we suspect Papali'i might again be used as an impact player through the middle off the bench, but with the versatility to do whatever Ivan Cleary needs in the forward pack.
