Surprise JFH replacement emerges amid Penrith scramble

Penrith has been left scrambling to fill a major hole in their roster for next season and beyond, with the departure of James Fisher-Harris set to cripple the powerhouse club.

Just months after bidding farewell to Spencer Leniu, the reigning premiers are now set to lose the heart and soul of their forward pack after Fisher-Harris was granted a release to return home to New Zealand and sign with the Warriors.

The 28-year-old is arguably the best prop in the NRL right now, taking out the Golden Boot award last season and winning three-straight titles with the Panthers.

Fisher-Harris is going to be a tough man to replace – especially in the short-term given the nature of the player market – but hope is not lost entirely for Penrith.

James Fisher-Harris during a warm-up for the Panthers.

Moses Leota is locked up long-term and will become the leader of the engine room, while young props Liam Henry and Lindsay Smith are pushing for an extended role.

However, the Panthers will need to look outside their own four walls in an attempt to replace Fisher-Harris, who lays the platform for the star-studded backline each week.

Wide World of Sports breaks down potential replacements for the Kiwis captain and spiritual leader at the club for 2025 and beyond.

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STEFANO UTOIKAMANU

Stefano Utoikamanu could be available at the end of 2024.

According to reports, the Wests Tigers rising star tops the list to replace Fisher-Harris and he looms as the perfect man for the job at Penrith.

At just 23 years of age, the Tigers prop has already represented NSW and Samoa at the representative level and possesses the same raw power and work rate Fisher-Harris did at a similar stage of his career.

Utoikamanu reportedly has a clause in his contract which could see him become available to rival clubs at the end of the season – if the Tigers miss the finals, he is free to leave for 2025, although that clause is negated if he plays two Origin games for NSW in this year’s series.

While the Panthers wouldn’t be the only club looking to acquire Utoikamanu’s services, they would certainly have the salary cap space and could offer him more than just money given their incredibly successful run over the past four campaigns.

DAVID FIFITA

While he might not be an out-and-out prop, David Fifita has the ability to become a stellar middle-forward and a move to Penrith could be exactly what the doctor ordered.

With size, speed and power that very few players in the NRL have in their arsenal, the 24-year-old has enjoyed a mixed stint with the Titans and things are clearly going backwards at the club to kick-start the 2024 campaign.

Fifita is another player with a strange clause in his contract. While he re-signed last year with Gold Coast, he holds an option in his favour that he can trigger if he’s not enjoying life under Des Hasler by round 10. Should he choose to activate that option, the Maroons powerhouse is entitled to test the open market.

Hasler’s arrival has failed to turn the Titans around and in order for Fifita to reach his undeniable potential, a move to a stronger force might become tempting.

There is also a suggestion that in order to increase his output, Fifita could be better suited playing as a two-stint middle-forward, as opposed to playing big minutes on the edge and relying on the halves to feed him the ball.

KULIKEFU FINEFEUIAKI

Kulikefu Finefeuiaki remains without a deal for 2025 and beyond.

Somehow, one of the game’s most exciting young forwards – Kulikefu Finefeuiaki – is still off-contract for 2025 and yet to commit to the Cowboys long-term.

The rampaging back-rower has been tipped for higher honours since making his debut for North Queensland last year, with his impressive 190cm and 105kg frame causing havoc for opposition defences across his 18 NRL appearances.

Similar to Fifita, he’s not a trademark front-rower and Penrith would need to build around him, but there’s no denying Finefeuiaki could add some further spark to their pack.

JACK DE BELIN

Dragons star Jack de Belin hasn’t re-signed for next season.

This may be a left-field choice, but given the lack of quality middle-forwards available for the Panthers to sign for next year, Jack de Belin could be a great stop-gap solution.

The experienced Dragons star remains off-contract at the end of 2024 and at this stage, the club are yet to offer him a new deal to remain in Wollongong.

De Belin has also gone on the record to say he wishes to continue his career after spending well over two years on the sidelines, there’s still plenty of gas left in the tank for the 33-year-old.

While age is not particularly on his side, de Belin’s output in the middle for the Red V remains more than solid, averaging 105 run metres and 35 tackles per game this year.

2026 OPTIONS

Looking a little bit further down the line to the free agency period, Penrith could start planning some major bids to lure prodigious young forwards to the club.

As it stands, Griffin Neame, Davvy Moale, Xavier Willison and Leo Thompson will all be available to sign with other NRL clubs from November 1 this year and the Panthers would be silly not to look into signing at least one of those players.

Nelson Asofa-Solomona is back in the Storm lineup for round seven, but there have been rumblings of an early exit for the towering Kiwi prop, while players like Heilum Luki and Oregon Kaufusi could attract major interest across the competition.

Penrith will never hit the panic button and sign a player for the sake of it, but they are going to need to be strategic if they are any chance of replacing Fisher-Harris.