Penrith question whether Nathan Cleary would join dad Ivan at struggling Wests Tigers
AFTER losing Matt Moylan to Cronulla, Penrith aren’t about to let Nathan Cleary join his dad at a club “that might not be a chance of winning a comp”.
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PENRITH chief executive Brian Fletcher has thrown a hand grenade back at Wests Tigers coach Ivan Cleary, questioning if Nathan Cleary would want to join his father at a club “that might not be a chance of winning a comp”.
A week after losing Matt Moylan to Cronulla in a swap for James Maloney, Ivan Cleary this week put more heat on Penrith when he revealed that he and his son had basically come “to the opinion that we’d like to play together” at some stage in the future.
Penrith expect to finalise the deal with Maloney in the coming days and how he combines with Nathan Cleary next year could well determine if the young halfback stays.
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The Daily Telegraph can also reveal that three months after Penrith opened negotiations to extend Nathan Cleary’s deal for a further five years, nothing has advanced.
While the 20-year-old still has two years to run on his current deal at Penrith, he will become a free agent on November 1 next year.
Interestingly, Ivan Cleary said this week “we’re not thinking about it too much right now. Probably in 12 months time it will be more relevant.”
Fletcher told The Daily Telegraph back in August that the club had started negotiations to try and extend Nathan’s deal until the end of 2024.
Asked if those negotiations had advanced, Fletcher said: “No. We just started talking to his manager, nothing has progressed since.
“For no reason, we just haven’t got around to it and we are just sort of waiting to sort the cap out going forward.”
Fletcher said Phil Gould handled contract negotiations and talks would probably resume after Christmas, or sometime next year.
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It’s no secret Gould and Ivan Cleary’s relationship all but ended the moment Gould sacked Cleary as Penrith coach, with Gould claiming Cleary was “tired”.
There has also been continued speculation of unrest at Penrith between some players and coach Anthony Griffin that culminated in Moylan’s exit.
Fletcher conceded Cleary’s loyalty to his father would be “pretty hard to beat” when it comes to securing the gun halfback’s future.
Asked if Cleary’s comments this week were a concern for Penrith, Fletcher said: “Well, we can’t do anything about that.
“That is up to his old man and Nathan and his management, isn’t it? We will talk to him well prior (to Nathan becoming a free agent).
“Gus has spoken to him. Gus would be well advanced on what has to happen.
“All indications that we have had is that Nathan would probably like to extend his contract if his management is agreeable with what they come up with.
“You have got to keep him but if he wants to go and play with his dad, well, you could understand that too.
“We’d do everything in our power to keep him but family loyalty is pretty hard to beat.”
But Fletcher said it could also come down to if Nathan Cleary wanted to play with a successful club.
“Just say for instance if Penrith finish in the top four and Wests finish in the last four, do you want to go to a club that is a chance of winning a comp?” Fletcher said.
“Do you want to go to a club that might not be a chance of winning a comp? Or yes, you go there because it is your dad.
“I understand the loyalty. He is just a great kid.
“We wouldn’t be tying him down and making him uncomfortable at all. All we want to do is give him a very comfortable contract to go forward.”