Nathan Cleary, the celebrated Penrith Panthers and Kangaroos half-back, has openly declared that he is in no immediate hurry to commit to a contract extension with his current NRL club. Speculation has been intensifying regarding Cleary's long-term future, as his existing agreement with the Panthers is scheduled to conclude at the end of the 2027 NRL season.
Contract Uncertainty and Future Speculation
While it appears improbable that Cleary will depart the Panthers in two years' time, the 28-year-old playmaker has previously been linked with a potential cross-code transition to rugby union. Former Australia rugby union coach Eddie Jones once humorously remarked that he would have driven from Coogee to Penrith to secure Cleary's services for a code switch.
Focus on the Present and Personal Philosophy
Currently engaged in pre-season training with the Panthers, Cleary briefly paused his preparations to participate in Thursday's LIV Golf pre-am event in Adelaide. During this outing, he teamed up with Australia's stand-in Test cricket captain Steve Smith, sharing laughs and camaraderie with fellow compatriot Cam Smith.
When questioned about his future prospects at the event, Cleary emphasised his contentment with his present situation and his reluctance to make hasty decisions. "In my mind, there's no need to make a decision right now," Cleary stated at LIV Golf Adelaide. "I don't want to make decisions about my future too quickly, or jump the gun on anything."
He elaborated further, explaining, "At the end of the day, I love where I'm at right now. To me, I haven't really thought too much about my future because I still have two years to run on my contract. I understand people will start to talk about it, but it's not in my mind at all – it still seems so far away."
A Holistic Approach to Career Decisions
Cleary's perspective is shaped by a desire to avoid regrets upon retirement. "I look at how I want to be once I retire, I want to have no regrets – and that's with the way I play, my preparation, whether I'm enjoying myself, contract negotiations… it's a more holistic thing rather than just about contracts. I never want it to become a distraction. [But] it still feels so far away," he affirmed.
This sentiment echoes comments he made recently on the UNSCRIPTED podcast with Josh Mansour, where he was directly asked about the possibility of leaving the Panthers. "Ummmm, I’m not sure," Cleary responded. "I would like to be [stay at the Panthers], but then it’s like the no regrets thing. Would I get to the end of my career and think: 'Ah I wish I had tried something different?'"
He continued, "At this point in time, I’m happy being a Panther, it’s home to me. I couldn’t see myself in another jersey... but you just never know. So much can happen in a week let alone two years. So I’m still contracted for two years."
Panthers Dynasty and Openness to Rugby Union
Following his instrumental role in guiding the Panthers to their fourth consecutive premiership title in 2024, Cleary insisted that the club's NRL dynasty is far from over. When pressed specifically on the potential of switching to rugby union, he revealed a more open-minded stance.
"I don’t know. I’m open to it," Cleary admitted. "I’m open to different possibilities, whereas, in the past I might have been like: 'I’m locked into this'. But as I’ve said, that thing about having no regrets really drives me. At the moment it’s driving me to do my best for the Panthers and build that dynasty even more."
Concluding his thoughts, he added, "I don’t know, we’ll see what happens in due time." This leaves the door ajar for future possibilities while maintaining his current focus on the Panthers and their ongoing success in the NRL.
