Panthers will listen to all parties
re player releases

Penrith will listen to proposals from any club interested in some of its high profile forwards, the club's General Manager of Rugby League, Michael Leary, said tonight.

He was commenting on media reports that the club wanted to offer an early release to players such as Ben Ross or Joe Galuvao at the end of this season.

"That's not the situation at all," Leary said. "We don't want to release anyone.

"However, the fact is we have a good crop of quality forwards and a shortage in the inside backs at the moment.

"Our results so far this year have shown that is our weak spot - and we have to do something about it before next season.

"With the salary cap as it is, we cannot afford to hold onto all our established forwards, shore up the contracts of some of our promising local juniors and go into the market place for a quality back.

"So we will listen to any proposal from any club that is interested in seeking an early release for some of our forwards.

"At this point nobody has approached us but the media reports are so strong that we felt the need to clear the air."