Penrith Panthers have looked to address their roster for the 2027 season by signing South Sydney Rabbitohs forward Liam Le Blanc.
The Daily Telegraph has reported that Le Blanc is set to join the Panthers after the club is set to lose middle forwards Scott Sorensen and Liam Henry to the Perth Bears, and Toby Crosby has agreed to join the Warrington Wolves next season.
In six games for the Rabbitohs season, Le Blanc has shown potential and will head to Penrith with aspirations of being a consistent member of their bench next season.
The 198cm, 95kg lock forward made his NRL debut in 2024 and is known to have solid carries and work in the middle.
Since his debut, Le Blanc has made 27 appearances for the Rabbitohs.
The former Australian Schoolboy from Ingham, Queensland, has averaged 48.3 running metres per game and has made 111 tackles this season at 88.1% efficiency.
Liam Le Blanc, who will be 22 years old in mid-September, last made an appearance in the Rabbitohs NRL side against the Cronulla Sharks in Round 22, where the Bunnies lost 32-16 on the road.
Penrith are in the middle of trying to extend key premiership-winning stars on their roster after they gave Brian To’o permission to negotiate with the PNG Chiefs and agreed to a three-year deal with the NRL’s 19th team starting from the 2028 season.
The Panthers remain hopeful of keeping Isaah Yeo, Nathan Cleary, Liam Martin, and more who remain off-contract at the end of 2027 before they are able to talk to rival clubs on November 1.
Moses Leota is still contracted with the Panthers until the end of 2027. However, his future at the club remains uncertain.
The Panthers gave him permission to negotiate with clubs for a period of time, with at least a dozen clubs interested in his services.
It is clear the Panthers will look drastically different in 2028 in comparison to how we have seen their roster constructed in premiership-winning years, as Peter Wallace will begin his head coaching journey in 2028 when he takes over from Ivan Cleary.
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