Nathan Cleary wants World Club Challenge played at NRL Magic Round next year
Penrith halfback Nathan Cleary has called on the NRL to rescue the World Club Challenge by scheduling the match during the competition’s Magic Round.
The World Club Challenge remains the only trophy the Panthers have yet to win during their run of four straight NRL premierships, but the one-off match appears unlikely to go ahead in 2025.
Penrith have agreed to take part in the NRL’s season-opening matches in Las Vegas early next year - a timeslot usually reserved for the game that pits the premiers of the NRL and Super League against each other.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.Panthers bosses, who saw their side suffer narrow defeats to St Helens in 2023 and Wigan this year, have indicated that arranging the match would be a logistical nightmare.
Wigan, who retained the Super League title last weekend, are also playing a game in Las Vegas, but are desperate to defend their crown.
And Cleary, who watched Wigan’s win over Hull Kingston Rovers at Old Trafford alongside his partner Mary Fowler, has suggested Wigan fly out to Australia to ensure the game goes ahead.
“Congrats to Wigan on another win! They’re a great team,” the Penrith halfback wrote on Instagram.
“(I) Would love to be able to play the WCC at Magic Round next year.
“I understand the logistics of getting the game on would be difficult but I think it would be a great spectacle.”
The prospect of Penrith playing Wigan at Suncorp Stadium would undoubtedly be a win for the NRL, meaning that all of the competition’s 17 teams would be represented in Brisbane.
It would also likely attract a strong cohort of travelling English fans, with Wigan chief executive Kris Radlinski saying his club still retained a desire to maintain their standing as world champions.
“All my conversations with Las Vegas that I had in the months leading up to it, there was a place for the World Club Challenge,” Radlinski told the BBC.
“What’s happened since, with Penrith saying that they don’t want to take part, has come as a real shock and surprise to us, which is unfortunate.
“But I’ll stand by everything I’ve said, we’ll play anywhere if there’s a chance to win another World Club Challenge.
“We’ll travel to Australia, we’ll play in England, we’ll play in America; we’ll do whatever it takes.”
