NRL

The PNG Chiefs are in strife for flirting with the NRL’s anti-tampering rules.

According to reports in the Sydney Morning Herald a formal warning has been issued to the club following comments made by club board member Marcus Bai in relation to the potential recruitment of Panthers superstar Nathan Cleary.

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Earlier in the year Bai spoke with News Corp saying that he would ‘love to see’ Cleary playing for PNG and that his signing would ‘stop the whole nation’.

With rumours swirling this week that a monster offer for Cleary is in the wings, those comments were republished drawing the ire of the NRL.

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The NRL’s strict anti-tampering guidelines are designed to stop club officials from making public statements that could be seen as attempts to lure players currently contracted to other NRL clubs.

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The issue was thrust into the spotlight during the 2025 season when Canterbury boss Phil Gould made controversial on-air comments about then-Tigers playmaker Lachlan Galvin — who subsequently joined the Bulldogs mid-season.

Off-contract at the end of 2027, Nathan Cleary is one of a host of stars that will be free to negotiate with the PNG Chiefs — and other NRL rivals — from November 1.

Other players within the Chiefs’ tax-free sights for 2028 include NSW State of Origin forwards Liam Martin and Hudson Young who has been granted permission by the Canberra Raiders to speak to the Chiefs before November 1.

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