Nathan Cleary is one of the most important players to his club anywhere in the NRL.
The jury might still be out on the star halfback at representative level, but the success of the Panthers over the last six seasons doesn't just grow on trees.
Five grand finals, four premierships and another preliminary final after at one point being glued to the bottom of the table about halfway through 2025 show exactly the importance of Cleary to the Panthers.
The halfback fits the system perfectly. It's a system designed for him to lead, to be great in, but it doesn't work without him either, and the Panthers have seen the benefit of it for years.
The men from the foot of the mountains began their rise, in truth, under Phil Gould. The director of football might have been widely panned for his 'five-year plan' at the time, but the Panthers are still to this day seeing the benefit of the programs he put in place both through the Panthers as a club, but also in their district and development areas.
Cleary is a direct product of that pathway, as is much of the first-grade team. At one point, the Panthers had as many as 15 of their 17 grand final players who commenced their pathways careers at the foot of the mountains.
In the modern era of salary caps, talent scouts and player poaching, it's a remarkable achievement, and frankly, no surprise Penrith have been able to find so much success not only at the top level, but right up and down the grades.
They are a real club, not just an NRL team, and there is no greater example of that than Cleary who has progressed through the club's pathways to be where he is today - a four-time premiership winning-halfback.
Cleary might be viewed by some as a system player, but that doesn't mean other clubs won't be interested in his services.
There has already been plenty of talk that the PNG Chiefs - who enter the competition in 2028 - will make a play for both Nathan Cleary and coach Ivan Cleary. Both are off-contract at the end of 2027.
Other NRL clubs would be mad not to at least show interest in Cleary if he becomes available.
The bottom line is this - the NRL world will be in an open market frenzy if the halfback arrives at November 1 without a confirmed deal for 2028 to his name.
Maybe that mean it's no surprise Penrith have already kicked off internal discussions.
“What Ivan and Nathan do next is going to become a hot topic of discussion as we move through the 2026 season,” Panthers rugby league head of footy Matt Cameron told The Sydney Morning Herald earlier this week.
“The pair are both contracted until the end of 2027. There is a rhythm that exists once the season starts, and when we feel the time is right our chairman, Peter Graham, will engage with Ivan and Nathan to get the conversation started.
“With Nathan, the way sports science is these days and the way he prepares, he could play on another 10 years – who knows, he could set all sorts of new records for most games played and points scored.
“We'd love Ivan and Nathan to stay. They have already played a huge role in our success and we want that to continue.”
The thing is, staying at Penrith makes perfect sense for Nathan Cleary as much as it does the club.
In fact, there is a pretty fair chance Penrith just keep rolling on if the halfback leaves. Maybe not at the level they have in previous seasons, but the systems in place for the Panthers are now absolutely rock solid.
They have dealt with every player departure they have been forced to endure in recent years. The exits of Jarome Luai and James Fisher-Harris - two enormous key weapons - ahead of 2025 finally looked to have found them out when they were bottom of the table halfway through the year, but then something clicked.
The youngsters turned a corner, Cleary went from one level to the next, and the Panthers made the aforementioned preliminary final, only being cut short on the road by a rested Brisbane Broncos side who would go on to lift the Provan-Summons trophy on the first Sunday in October.
With that season in the bag, and the five before it, the question really is why would Cleary tempt fate by changing clubs?
He is going to finish his career with a legacy as one of the best Panthers to ever lace a boot. Maybe one of the best players to ever do it if he can find some representative level consistency.
There is no need for him to risk that, and ruin a one-club reputation, by changing homes.
No, this should be a grand slam home run for the Panthers. An almost straightforward contract negotiation.
Cleary isn't going anywhere unless he elects to leave the NRL for the riches of overseas rugby, or a stint in the English Super League, where he would be closer to his partner, globetrotting soccer player Mary Fowler.
If he does that, it would be hard to pass blame on a man who no doubt wants family to be a priority, and would earn an outrageous amount in the process.
He has indicated rugby union isn't out of the question previously, and if the R360 competition does launch in 2028, then it would come at the same time as his contract expires.
But otherwise, he will be a Panther for life.
