Penrith Panthers CEO Brian Fletcher has addressed rumours that superstar halfback Nathan Cleary is interested in leaving the NRL to play in the Super League competition.
Since revealing his relationship with Matildas star Mary Fowler, the rumour mill has been humming that Cleary could potentially leave the NRL to move closer to his girlfriend.
The 21-year-old Fowler has been playing in the Women's Super League for Manchester City since 2022 after stints with Adelaide United (A-League) and Montpellier (Premiere Ligue) and is contracted there until 2026.
As Fowler remains overseas, Cleary is contracted with the Panthers until the end of the 2027 season.
This led to rumours that he was considering taking a year off from the NRL and would play overseas in the Super League competition.
This also coincides with the departure of long-time friends and teammates Jarome Luai and James Fisher-Harris at the end of the season as they will move to the Wests Tigers and New Zealand Warriors, respectively.
However, Penrith Panthers CEO Brian Fletcher and Cleary's agent George Mimis have shut down the rumours, revealing that he has never mentioned that he wants to exit the NRL, per The Daily Telegraph.
One of the greatest halfbacks in the game of rugby league, Cleary is less than a fortnight away from potentially winning his fourth consecutive premiership with the Panthers, which will cement his status as a future Hall of Famer and potential Immortal.
A two-time Clive Churchill Medal winner, Cleary and the Panthers will need to defeat the Cronulla Sharks on Saturday evening to reach the 2024 NRL Grand Final against either the Melbourne Storm or Sydney Roosters.
However, the Sharks will be looking to ruin the Panthers dream of gifting a perfect farewell to trio Jarome Luai, James Fisher-Harris and Sunia Turuva.
After defeating the North Queensland Cowboys on Friday night, Sharks half Nicho Hynes admitted that he reached out to Cleary to help listen to his secrets.
"He was in the area so he came over and I picked his brain a bit," Hynes said viaย NRL.com.
"I have a great relationship with Nathan. I'm not ashamed to say I respect and idolise Nathan and what he's done in this game.
"I really love the bloke, he's a genuinely nice person, he cares about me and I care about him. I'm grateful we can have those discussions to try and help each other out.
"Next weekend it's going to be business as usual, I want to try and take him and his team down. He's going to try and do the exact same thing.
"Regardless of the result, we'll shake hands, share a beer together and whoever's going on to the next game, we'll wish them luck."
