Panthers’ Daine Laurie ‘open to anything’ in 2026

Jasper Bruce |

Penrith’s Daine Laurie is open to offers for 2026, including staying at the Panthers.
Penrith’s Daine Laurie is open to offers for 2026, including staying at the Panthers.

Daine Laurie is keen on remaining at Penrith but concedes he must be open to joining a rival club in 2026.

Laurie is among the most talented players still unsigned beyond this season and reiterated his worth on the open market with a stand-out performance on Thursday night.

The fullback set the standard defensively against Canterbury as Penrith rested players en masse before finals, rolling out the least experienced side ever seen in the NRL era.

When he did have the footy Laurie fired a beautiful cutout pass that put Paul Alamoti in for the Panthers’ only try in the 28-4 loss to the premiership hopefuls.

“It’s probably the best ball I ever threw,” Laurie said of his magical pass on the Panthers’ right edge.

At the Panthers, Laurie is stuck behind incumbent NSW fullback Dylan Edwards for opportunities in the No.1 jersey.

Coach Ivan Cleary has tried Laurie on the wing and from the bench since the Panthers junior returned from Wests Tigers in 2024.

But Laurie’s dream is to play fullback week-in-week-out at an NRL club.

“That’s definitely the goal. It’s obviously hard (to achieve that) sitting behind Dyl,” he said.

“Every time I get an opportunity, I try and put my best foot forward.”

Laurie made his NRL debut at Penrith in 2020 and has been tied to one-year deals since returning last year.

He is open to a similar arrangement next year if the Panthers can find room in their salary cap.

“I’m just going to take it day by day, my manager is going to sort all that stuff out. I’m just going to rip in for the Panthers and hopefully they can give me one more year,” he said.

But Laurie knows it might not be so simple and has plenty to offer for the right club.

Laurie
Laurie is open to offers but the opportunity to play fullback at other clubs is few and far between. (Dan Himbrechts/AAP PHOTOS)

In terms of local opportunities, Cronulla are the only NRL club whose first-choice fullback remains unsigned beyond 2025.

The Sharks baulked at the asking price from Will Kennedy’s management earlier in the season but believe an extension could still be arranged in the off-season.

The Perth Bears can also begin signing players in November, though they do not enter the competition until 2027.

“I’m open to anything, whatever’s best for myself and my missus,” Laurie said.

“(I want to sign) probably before the season ends then we’ll go from there.”

AAP