Cleary free agency bombshell in post-injury twist as club handed pricetag to land him

Nathan Cleary is set to become a free agent for the first time with his dramatic finals injury set to delay his negotiations with the Panthers.

The superstar’s management has told the SMH contract talks with any club “were not at the top of the agenda” following the compound fracture and dislocation of his left ankle, and broken bone in his right foot, suffered in the preliminary final loss to the Knights.

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This was more or less confirmed by Panthers CEO Matt Cameron, who told CODE Sports that the club and Cleary have only had “positive” but “preliminary conversations” so far.

The focus on returning for Round 1 next year rather than striking a deal means Cleary is extremely likely to hit November 1 as a free agent, making him open to offers from rival clubs including the PNG Chiefs.

Cleary has reportedly told friends that he’s in no hurry to ink a new deal and it’s understood Penrith aren’t overly worried by the prospect of the game’s best player hitting the open market.

It had previously been reported Cleary was likely to re-sign with the Panthers but the injury-triggered delay will open the door and drive up his pricetag which has reportedly reached $1.7 million a year.

The Chiefs’ offer will have the advantage of being tax-free.

The Panthers have reportedly approached Cleary’s management “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.”

Earlier Cleary penned a tribute to his girlfriend, Matildas star Mary Fowler, who announced her withdrawal from two friendly matches against Germany and Haiti due to “personal” reasons.

The Matildas star didn’t offer an explanation when she withdrew from the squad’s friendly matches against Germany and Haiti, citing only “personal circumstances”.

However, it was later confirmed she flew back to Sydney to care for her boyfriend.

“I simply do not have enough space in this caption for the amount of nice adjectives I would use to describe (Mary Fowler) but this woman is the absolute best!!!” he wrote.

“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 so-so grateful.”

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Fowler commented on the post, saying it was “easy to look after someone when they’re a BIG cutie patootie”.

“Feeling very blessed we got this time together,” she said.

While the Panthers are confident they’ll eventually be able to lock down Cleary and Isaah Yeo, the club has hit somewhat of a snag in confirming Yeo’s multi-year deal.

Earlier reports suggest the two parties have agreed on a deal but the NRL is yet to rubber-stamp it.

Yeo is set to sign an extension until the end of 2030 but the Panthers wish to also add a post-playing role within the club as a part of the deal.

According to CODE Sports, the NRL’s salary cap auditor has yet to tick off on that provision of the contract, but is expected to.

It’s the reason why the club has yet to formally announce the three-year extension for the Panthers co-captain.

“We’ve been in constructive negotiations in respect to Isaah,” Cameron said.

“We are nearing completion of a three-year contract; however, we have not yet reached a conclusion, which we hope will be imminent.”

Yeo is currently in Kangaroos camp ahead of Rugby League World Cup, which starts on Thursday night.