The Penrith Panthers have revealed they are still willing to fight for the services of Stephen Crichton beyond the end of the 2023 season, but have put a pause on all negotiations at the present time as the NRL and Rugby League Players Association continues to deliberate over the next collective bargaining agreement.
The CBA, which sets the total salary cap, expired on October 31, and at the present time, teams don't know what the final salary cap will be for the 2023 season, let alone future campaigns.
Some clubs have been forced to put players on train and trial deals - like the Sydney Roosters with Matt Lodge, and the Manly Sea Eagles with Cooper Johns - so that they can train with insurance while the wait for an outcome to the deliberations continues.
Despite the fact the NRL season is less than three months away from kicking off, Penrith CEO Matt Cameron told The Daily Telegraph the Panthers have just 26 players at this stage for 2023, with the club unable to commit to more contracts until the salary cap figure is known.
โAt the moment we only have 26 players for this coming year so we still have to sign another two players but I'm reluctant to do anything until I know what the salary cap is," Cameron said.
โWe need some clarification to move ahead.โ
That then goes further for the club, with Stephen Crichton currently one of the most hotly-pursued prospects for the 2024 season.
He is off-contract with the Panthers at the end of the 2023 season and has been linked with the Bulldogs.
Penrith have admitted they will likely be forced to shed at least two players per season moving forward to keep in restraints of the salary cap, as they have done over the previous two seasons. 2023 will see regular starters Viliame Kikau and Apisai Koroisau depart, with the club hoping to fill the void through a mix of signings and players out of their own academy, which was the product of four premierships (NRL, NSW Cup, Jersey Flegg and SG Ball) during the 2022 campaign.
The same may yet occur for Crichton, and while Cameron admitted it was getting tougher to hang onto talent with values going up on the back of back-to-back premierships and Origin appearances, he said the Panthers want to keep Crichton.
โWith respect to Stephen, our goal is to do everything we can to keep our best kids here at Penrith,โ Cameron said.
โWe want to keep every local junior who is progressing into the first grade squad at our club for as long as we can. That is what we are working towards.
โBut it is getting harder. And not just with Stephen. Every player in our squad is getting better and deserves more money. Jarome (Luai), Dylan (Edwards) and Isaah (Yeo) come off contract after 2024. That's just us as a club moving forward."
That comes despite the Bulldogs reportedly set to be offering something not all that far off seven figures to the star centre, who played for both New South Wales and Samoa this year.
There have also been suggestions that Crichton could angle for an immediate departure from Penrith, however, Cameron shut those down.
โNo way. We have had no indication of that and we have been pretty strong in the past with situations like this," Cameron said.
โWe'd like to think players finish out the season at the club that they're at.
โWe haven't shown an interest previously for letting players go early unless it suits the Penrith Panthers and in this case I don't think it does.โ
