Nathan Cleary future update after Ivan announces shock Penrith Panthers exit
Nathan Cleary warms up ahead of his 200th appearance for Penrith Panthers in 2026
Penrith Panthers coach Ivan Cleary has announced he will quit the club at the end of the 2027 season – with talk already turning to what it means for the future of son Nathan.
Cleary’s incredible tenure with the Panthers will come to an end in 18 months, after he made an announcement early on his future.
Penrith have already confirmed that former half-back Peter Wallace will succeed him on a three-year deal from the start of the 2028 season, putting to bed any discussion on head coaching plans early and allowing the club to focus on the remainder of Ivan’s stint in charge of the NRL juggernauts.
But the situation is not the same for many of his squad – including his son.
A clutch of Penrith stars that have been central to their success in the NRL including Cleary, Isaah Yeo, Brian To’o and Liam Martin are all off-contract at the end of next year, meaning they can test the open market from November this year.
But Panthers CEO Matt Cameron insists bizarrely, he thinks the chances of renewals for some of their big names are ‘enhanced’ by the news Wallace will be the head coach moving forward and Cleary will be leaving.
He said: “The reaction from the playing group was clearly different when Iv(an) told them that he was not continuing with his contract but the emotion in the room when the group was informed that Pete will be taking over, I think in many ways, will actually be a benefit to us as we move forward.”
When asked specifically about Nathan’s future, Cameron seemed relaxed about the chances of getting him to commit to a new deal.
The face of the Penrith brand, losing both Clearys would be a huge blow, but Cameron stressed there is no guarantee the half-back definitively wants to test himself on the open market.
He said: “At this point in time, using Nathan as an example clearly he wants to focus on Origin and from the club’s point of view we’re more than happy to respect that decision and it’s the same with every other player who is off-contract at the moment and the conversations Shane is having with the managers at the moment.
“If they want to get a deal done, we’ll get a deal. If they want to focus on what’s in front of them at the moment, we’ll respect that decision, and if they want to see what opportunities are out there down the track, this cohort of players that we’re talking about, absolutely have earned the right to do that.”
