One of the National Rugby League’s most promising young playmakers is facing an uncertain future at the Penrith Panthers, with a potential move to a new club for the 2027 season growing increasingly likely as his path to consistent first-grade football is blocked by established stars.
Twenty-two-year-old Jack Cole, who has been a part of the Panthers organization since he was 15 years old, is currently in his fourth season with the club. However, he has been stuck behind star halfback Nathan Cleary, rising talent Blaize Talagi and experienced recruit Jack Cogger in the team’s depth chart, leaving him with little room to break into the top side. Out of contract at the end of the current season, Cole has emerged as a potential target for rival NRL clubs, though he has ruled out a move to the UK’s Super League at this stage of his young career.
In an interview with NewsWire, Cole shared that he expects more clarity around his future over the next one to two months, and is focusing on his on-field performance to attract interest from suitors, whether that be Penrith or rival clubs. “I don’t know yet. It’s still early days, obviously being round five. Hopefully I get a bit more clarity maybe over the next month or two,” Cole explained. “Enjoying my footy and just focusing on my footy is going to help that cause. So I’m not really trying to worry about too much else really. Just trying to knuckle down and get better. And then obviously that will create more interest.”
While Cole made clear he holds deep affection for the Panthers organization that has developed him from a teenager, he acknowledges that professional rugby league is a business, and his next move will be driven by the opportunity to secure consistent first-grade game time and long-term financial security. He is eager to make the jump from understudy to a starting leading man at a club, and is open to a move if Penrith cannot offer him that path. “I love it at Penrith and we’ll just see what happens. I’ve got to go where the best opportunity is, because at the end of the day, it is a business. If there wasn’t an opportunity here for me at the end of the year to progress or play consistent NRL, then you’d obviously have to try to have a look,” he said.
This season, Cole has turned in strong performances in the NSW Cup after recovering from major shoulder surgery that cut short his pre-season training. During his rehab, he leaned heavily on Panthers star Nathan Cleary, who underwent the same procedure years earlier, for guidance on the mental side of recovery. Cleary shared a key mental skills technique he uses – visualization – to help Cole prepare for a return to playing, focusing on routine game processes rather than big high-pressure moments. “He told me to focus on the video and the mental side of the game. There are a lot of good things here we do about visualisation, which obviously if you can train your mind and visualise some stuff then it’s going to help with the physical side when you’re back doing that stuff too. Most people close their eyes and just put yourself in scenarios. It’s more so about process instead of picturing big moments like matchwinning tries,” Cole explained. Cleary also shared diet tips, including bone broth and oysters, though Cole admitted he has not tested the oyster recommendation.
Cole has not yet featured in first-grade this season, but he stands ready to step up into the side when Cleary is away representing New South Wales in the annual State of Origin series. He credits Penrith’s “next man up” culture and the NSW Cup side’s alignment with the first-team game plan for making it easy for reserves to slot straight into the top side when called upon. “I think that’s a big part of Penrith where everyone’s got to be ready. It’s sort of a next man up mentality here, so we all train the same, we all have the same sequences, set plays. Our Cup team models our game off the NRL team, so I think that helps that when someone does get called up, you sort of just slot straight in,” he said. “If I get called up, I’ll be ready and just enjoy it and take it with both hands.”