Penrith coach Ivan Cleary didn’t want to talk about losing another star

Ivan Cleary must be used to star players leaving by now, but the Panthers coach was quick to squash chat over another young gun.

Taylan May and Ivan Cleary. Photos: News Corporation

Holding on to every star remains a battle for Penrith and coach Ivan Cleary concedes the club may not be able to keep strike centre Taylan May as rivals circle the young gun.

The price of achieving the ultimate success means losing players, which is nothing new to the Panthers, who have won three straight NRL premierships to be the benchmark team of the competition.

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Jarome Luai is the latest star Panther to leave, agreeing to a lucrative deal with the Wests Tigers from 2025 onwards.

May’s brother Terrell, an in-form forward at the Roosters, has spoken about his desire for the pair to play together and the impending departures of Joey Manu and Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii leaves them with a hole to fill at the Bondi Junction club.

Penrith is keen to keep the Samoa international and has begun formal talks about a new deal, but other clubs could, as they did with star playmaker Luai, throw more money in his direction.

Cleary knows the offers will come for May.

Taylan May and Ivan Cleary. Photos: News Corporation

“Don’t know, not sure,” Cleary said when asked if May will stay.

“I don’t know (if I’m confident). I haven’t been reading the articles ... I don’t know.

”I’m not discussing it.

“We would love Taylan to stay. He knows that.”

The Panthers are preparing for Thursday night’s grand final rematch against the Broncos in Penrith and Cleary said they had reviewed last year’s historic victory.

Cleary, who has said previously losing the 2020 grand final to Melbourne helped fuel his club’s stunning run, noted there was a key reason that he and his coaching staff had taken a closer look at last year’s game.

“We refer to the grand final through our preview for the game just because it’s the last we played them,” he said.

Taylan May (left) has had a strong start to the new season. (Photo by Jason McCawley/Getty Images)

The Panthers have reviewed last year’s decider. Photo: Adam Head

Cleary did add his team had “not discussed” the rematch element of the clash.

The Panthers will be without star prop James Fisher-Harris with a shoulder injury and he’s now a week-by-week proposition.

But his loss has been offset by the Broncos losing fellow forward star Payne Haas, who will miss the clash at BlueBet Stadium along with injured Brisbane captain Adam Reynolds.

The Panthers are a different looking outfit having lost star centre Stephen Crichton to the Bulldogs, the biggest in a line of guns who have moved on from Penrith with premiership medallions.

May, 22, is the highest-profile Panther off contract at the end of this year and, having missed 2023 through injury, has impressed in his two games to start 2024.