Ivan Cleary has labelled prospective Panthers recruit David Fifita a “marquee player” as the Gold Coast wrecking ball prepares to make a call on his NRL future in the coming days.
To remain at the Titans in 2025, barnstorming second-rower Fifita must trigger a player option in his contract by round 10, which begins on Thursday.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Panthers call for NRL compensation amid $2.5m David Fifita offer.
Newsletters: Our top sports news direct to your inbox. Subscribe now
The 24-year-old flew to Sydney and met Panthers officials on Sunday evening, with the triple reigning premiers in a position to make a lucrative offer now that James Fisher-Harris is leaving to join the Warriors in 2025.
The Panthers are understood to have tabled Fifita a long-term deal worth an estimated $850,000 a season from 2025 but Cleary held his cards close to his chest when pressed on Monday.
“It’s obviously a very sensitive issue, all recruitment,” the Penrith coach said.
“It affects a lot of people at clubs, players, agents, families. I think we’ve probably filled our quota for recruitment stories this year so I’m not going to discuss it today.”
Fifita could slot into Penrith’s left second-row spot, which has featured a rotating cast since Viliame Kikau joined Canterbury for 2023.
“He’s a marquee player,” Cleary said of Fifita as he did his best to sidestep questions, turning his focus to compensation claims and declaring ‘it’s hard to argue’ they deserve to be helped out when juniors leave the club.
Splashing the cash is an unfamiliar position for the NRL’s heavyweight side, famed for its ability to scout and develop elite junior prospects.
Only six players who made their debuts elsewhere have won a grand final with the Panthers in the last three years.
In contrast, eleven players have left Penrith after tasting premiership success and that number is set to swell to 14 next year with Fisher-Harris exiting alongside Jarome Luai and Sunia Turuva.
Rival clubs have targeted Penrith players for their premiership experience but the chance to grab bargains from their league-leading junior nursery has proven just as enticing.
The Dolphins famously signed Isaiya Katoa as one of their first recruits before the Panthers had the chance to play the then 18-year-old at first-grade level and he has since blossomed into an NRL calibre half.
Mason Teague, Luke Hanson, Keagan Russell-Smith and Delahia Wigmore are among Katoa’s 2022 SG Ball grand final-winning teammates also playing away from Penrith in 2024.
Cleary’s teenaged son Jett became the latest junior Panther poached when he signed with the Warriors from 2025 last month.
Ahead of the Panthers’ first clash with three-time premiership winner Stephen Crichton on Friday evening, Cleary had the revolving door of players on his mind.
The coach did not expect to be compensated for losing NRL talent, but echoed Penrith’s long-held frustrations about rivals raiding their nursery.
“I think we should get dispensation, probably more in a development sense,” he said.
Privately, Penrith management would be in favour of a model that financially rewarded NRL clubs for investing in regional areas, as the Panthers have done so effectively in western NSW.
Under the system, teams would receive varying grants to match the level of development they were undertaking regionally.
Cleary himself did not suggest a method of compensation when quizzed this week, but did not believe it would need to come in the salary cap.
“We develop a lot of players here that end up elsewhere, so I feel like we should get looked after more by the NRL in that space, apart from the salary cap and how it all works, it’s hard to argue with,” he said.
“But I do think we should be compensated in some way for the amount of players we’ve developed and the status they’ve become throughout the league.”
Cleary said Penrith’s ability to lure a big fish like Fifita is “different”.
“Our mandate at the club is to build from within,” he said.
“We spend a lot of time and money and effort in that regard and we still will. But from time to time, if you don’t have that, you’ve got to look outside.”
Regardless of the prospective recruitment, Cleary was not opposed to tweaking his side for 2025, having learned from the slow start to last season that followed multiple player exits.
“We’re always looking to evolve,” he said.
“If you’re just staying the same, you’re going to get passed. There’s always a danger if you do that too much, you lose track of what you’re good at, too.
“It’s a bit of a balance. We got that a little bit wrong early last year.”