1 week ago
Ivan Cleary has labelled prospective Panther David Fifita a 'marquee player' arsenic nan Gold Coast wrecking shot prepares to make a telephone connected his NRL early successful nan coming days.
To stay astatine nan Titans successful 2025, barnstorming second-rower Fifita must trigger a subordinate action successful his statement by information 10, which originates connected Thursday.
The 24-year-old flew to Sydney and met Panthers officials connected Sunday evening, pinch nan triple reigning premiers successful a position to make a lucrative connection now that James Fisher-Harris is leaving to subordinate nan Warriors successful 2025.
The Panthers are understood to person tabled Fifita a semipermanent woody worthy an estimated $850,000 a play from 2025 but Cleary held his cards adjacent to his thorax erstwhile pressed connected Monday.
The Penrith Panthers are understood to person tabled nan barnstorming Fifita (pictured) a woody worthy an estimated $850,000 a season
Penrith coach Ivan Cleary (pictured) labelled nan prospective Panther a 'marquee player'
'It's evidently a very delicate issue, each recruitment,' nan Penrith coach said.
'It affects a batch of group astatine clubs, players, agents, families. I deliberation we've astir apt filled our quota for recruitment stories this twelvemonth truthful I'm not going to talk it today.'
Fifita could slot into Penrith's near second-row spot, which has featured a rotating formed since Viliame Kikau joined Canterbury for 2023.
Scott Sorensen is presently nan first-choice second-rower connected that edge, though he arrived astatine nan nine arsenic a mediate guardant and could beryllium switched backmost to accommodate Fifita's arrival.
'He's a marquee player,' Cleary said of Fifita
Regardless of nan prospective recruit, Cleary was not opposed to tweaking his broadside for 2025, having learned from nan slow commencement to past play that followed aggregate subordinate exits.
'We're ever looking to evolve,' he said.
'If you're conscionable staying nan same, you're going to get passed. There's ever a threat if you do that excessively much, you suffer way of what you're bully at, too.
The talented 24-year-old flew to Sydney and met Panthers officials connected Sunday evening
'It's a spot of a balance. We sewage that a small spot incorrect early past year.'
It's an unfamiliar position for nan NRL's heavyweight side, famed for its expertise to scout and create elite inferior prospects; only six players who made their debuts elsewhere person won a expansive last pinch nan Panthers successful nan past 3 years.
The costs to lure a large food person besides eluded nan Panthers successful caller years arsenic their section talents' salary packets person increased.
Cleary credited Kurt Capewell and Api Koroisau's arrivals for nan 2020 play arsenic nan past awesome arrivals astatine nan club, though a lawsuit could beryllium made that it hasn't been since James Maloney successful 2018 that a family sanction was lured to Penrith.
'It's different,' Cleary said of nan existent situation.
'Our instruction astatine nan nine is to build from within.
'We walk a batch of clip and money and effort successful that respect and we still will. But from clip to time, if you don't person that, you've sewage to look outside.'
