Nathan Cleary’s contract negotiations have been put on the back-burner as the game’s best player looks to make a full recovery from two lots of surgery.
As Cleary publicly praised high-profile partner Mary Fowler for withdrawing from soccer friendlies with the Matildas to make the long-haul trip to Sydney be by his side, his management confirmed contract talks with Penrith – and any rival after November 1 – were not at the top of the agenda.
Penrith approached Cleary’s management a few weeks ago to ask what kind of money the star halfback had in mind if he was “hypothetically” prepared to entertain offers from rival NRL clubs. Sources with knowledge of the situation not authorised to speak publicly confirmed Cleary’s management has since informed the Panthers of the figure.
The same sources confirmed Cleary was in no rush to return to the negotiating table, and “the immediate focus is his health”.
The delay means he will likely become a free agent for the first time – and officially be open to offers from the likes of the PNG Chiefs – but, according to the sources, Cleary’s sole priority is making sure his surgeries do not delay his return for round one of the 2027 NRL season.
Cleary suffered a double compound fracture to his left leg in the Panthers’ preliminary final loss to the Knights. The club later revealed he had taken a broken bone in his right foot into the game.
Penrith have held preliminary talks with Cleary, Isaah Yeo, Liam Martin and Moses Leota about extending their deals beyond 2027.
Yeo is in the final stages of formalising a three-year extension, and told this masthead last week he was, “just trying to tweak a few little things in the background, and how the [post-career] might look.”
“I don’t know if it will [be finalised by November 1],” Yeo said. “I also think just because you hit November 1, it’s not like all of a sudden these offers and conversations are had, as much as fans might think that’s the case. It’s not how it looks.”
Cleary took to social media to thank Fowler on the weekend, who made herself unavailable for international friendlies against Germany and Haiti, but has since flown back to England, where she plays for Manchester City in the Women’s Super League.
Fowler posted photos of Cleary on Monday, saying: “Came with love and left with even more.”
Yeo said of the social media posts: “I think it was a bit of a surprise from Mary, and I’m sure it lifted his spirits because he is stuck in a wheelchair and bed bound at the moment.
“She came back for a week. We’re all in relationships with people you love; you go above and beyond for those people. They’re a happy couple; you’ll do anything for your partner.”
Penrith and Kangaroos teammate Martin added: “He’s so lucky he has that support network, whether it’s Mary or his mum and dad.
“It’s pretty cool to see those two. I don’t know how they do the long-distance thing, but their love for one another is pretty special – it’s pretty awesome.”
As for his own future, Martin said: “I’m pretty confident a deal will get done. I’d love to stay. With the kids coming through, you want to be a part of it. I know we can have success for a long time, and I’d love to be a part of it.”
Cleary posted about Fowler late on Sunday: “I simply do not have enough space in this caption for the amount of nice adjectives I would use to describe @maryfowlerrr but this woman is the absolute best.
“I can’t thank you enough for flying to the other side of the world to look after me and be by my side during this past week of recovery. I’m a very lucky man and I’m so, so grateful.”
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