The Panthers are in danger of losing three star forwards with Kangaroos prop Lindsay Smith, veteran Scott Sorensen and young gun Liam Henry to test their value on the open market.
The Daily Telegraph reported the Penrith trio will test their value after the November 1 deadline due to a Panthers salary cap squeeze.
Penrith have lost a steady stream of one or two players at least each season on their run of four straight premierships and they could be about to lose some more after their preliminary final exit in 2025.
Last year Penrith lost James Fisher-Harris to the Warriors and Jarome Luai to the Tigers, which proved too tough to overcome in their bid for a fifth straight title.
However, their forward pack now faces being gutted if they lose two or more of Smith, Sorensen and Henry on the open market.
The trio are signed for 2026, but are free to negotiate with rivals from November 1 for 2027 and beyond and the introduction of the Perth Bears, who need to fill 30 roster spots should worry the Panthers and plenty of other NRL clubs.
The Bears need players and are tipped for a spending spree in the lead-up to Christmas, with 10 players in their sights including Warriors halfback Luke Metcalf and Titans counterpart Jayden Campbell, who are high on their hit list.
However, if they take a leaf out of the Dolphins’ book, who raided the Storm for forwards, the Panthers trio would be a great place to start to build the Bears’ pack from scratch.
The Dolphins signed the Bromwich brothers and Felise Kaufusi from the Storm to be the veteran leaders that they needed to hit the ground running in their inaugural season in 2023.
Smith and Henry are hardly veterans, but along with Sorensen they have a winning mentality and could earn much more than the Panthers have to offer at this stage.
The Panthers’ salary cap issues are a major concern as Ivan Cleary scrambles to keep his dynasty squad together.
It’s understood Sorensen is the most likely of the trio to join the Bears, given he is coming to the end of his career and will be 33 by the time his Panthers deal ends.
His versatility and ability to play in the middle and on the edge, as well as his hard-nosed defensive approach, could make him a priority target for the Bears, who need veteran leaders to build their team into winners from day one.
Sorensen could also entertain offers from the Super League, but the Bears could offer more money for him to stay in Australia, albeit on the West Coast.
Henry is also very likely to leave given his improvement as a bench player this season and the fact the Panthers don’t have enough money to offer him an upgrade he richly deserves.
Smith has an offer on the table from the Panthers, but his stocks could rise further with a starring role on the Kangaroos’ Ashes Tour that kicks off this month.
There will be no shortage of clubs lining up for the trio’s services and the Panthers will do well to keep Smith let a lone all three beyond 2026.
