Panthers make call on Nathan Cleary's Las Vegas availability as halfback's NRL plea rejected

Penrith halfback Nathan Cleary is expected to play in the Panthers' Las Vegas season opener against the Sharks despite his shoulder surgery being delayed so he could spend time with his partner, Mary Fowler, overseas. The sporting power couple have posted several happy snaps of their time in Switzerland hiking the Seealpsee – a scenic alpine lake - this week.

Fowler was also in Switzerland for a Matildas camp in preparation for an international friendly match. Cleary is expected to leave her side to return to Australia in the coming weeks to undergo surgery in early November.

Cleary's Latarjet procedure was delayed due to both Cleary and his surgeon being on holiday. But despite being behind schedule, The Daily Telegraph reports Panthers officials expect Cleary will be fit and in action for Penrith's Las Vegas season opener.

The surgery is expected to require around three months of rehabilitation but he is expected to return to training in January, where he will start off with no-contact drills. It’s not the first time Cleary has had the Latarjet surgery.

The Panthers No.7 missed the first three rounds of the 2022 season after he had the same procedure in late 2021, however, Panthers officials say this time around it is nowhere near as serious. However, despite the club insisting he will be ready to go in round one, the timeframe for his return to action means he will have less time to work with his new halves partner. With long-time halves partner Jarome Luai headed to the Wests Tigers for 2025, Cleary will likely either partner Jack Cole or new Parramatta recruit Blaize Talagi in the halves.

Nathan Cleary's World Club Challenge plea rejected

Cleary had campaigned for the 2025 World Club Challenge to be moved to Magic Round after the Panthers pulled out of the pre-season fixture amid concerns of player fatigue. But NRL CEO Andrew Abdo has conceded the 2025 edition of the famous fixture won't go ahead.

Four-time NRL premiers Penrith from the outset noted that with a first-round assignment in Las Vegas and after another gruelling season, the February fixture would be too much to handle. This led to Cleary urging the NRL to move it to mid-year. But Abdo says the most logical option is to scrap next year's edition of the World Club Challenge entirely.

"At this stage, there aren't any plans to play the World Club Challenge next year," Abdo told Sky Sports Radio this week. "We've looked at a number of different ways in which it might work (but) Penrith made their intentions clear earlier on in the piece. It’s not definitely dead and buried but it’s certainly going to be very challenging to play at the start of next year.

"From a player well-being perspective – and the way the season is with both competition winners featuring in Vegas – it’s probably not going to happen. Now we're turning our attention to working with Super League and what it looks like in 2026 and the possibilities of what we could do in '26 in relation to '25 as well. (And) we're looking innovatively at what other options are available potentially in later years."