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Breakout Panthers star's 12-year connection with Cleary
Jasper Bruce, AAP •  August 4th, 2026 5:39 pm
Jaxen Edgar | Photo: AAP
Penrith's latest overnight sensation Jaxen Edgar has spent 12 years learning from four-time premiership-winning coach Ivan Cleary.
Now, with each passing week, the 20-year-old is boosting his chances of succeeding Dylan Edwards as the NRL powerhouse's first-choice fullback.
Edgar has known Penrith's master coach since he was an eight-year-old on the same Oztag team as younger son Jett Cleary.
He remained close with the Cleary family as he and Jett went on to high school at St Dominic's College and played junior footy with Brothers Penrith.
The elder Cleary, the Warriors' fullback in the 2002 grand final, has been imparting wisdom to budding custodian Edgar from a young age.
"Ive's always given me advice, just little pointers every now and then. Growing up with Jett, I've always seen him around," Edgar said.
As Cleary presided over modern rugby league's greatest dynasty at the Panthers, Edgar was quietly coming through the club's grades.
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"Watching it growing up, I was like 'Oh my God, this is crazy'. Now to be part of all the boys and be around them is pretty special," Edgar said.
Last year, Edgar re-signed through to 2028, having made his NRL debut for an understrength Penrith in the penultimate round of the regular season.
His first opportunities to start has come in the past fortnight as Edwards nursed a shoulder injury.
Edgar was unfazed by the prolific kicking games of Parramatta's Mitch Moses and Canberra half Ethan Sanders and scored his first NRL try in the 42-18 thrashing of the Raiders.
It's the kind of thing he and Jett daydreamed about in school.
"We were both pretty naughty (in school), to be honest, we weren't really the smart ones. We were more just there to have fun and play footy," Edgar said.
"As kids, (the NRL) is all we've dreamt of. Now to be doing it is special."
At the end of last season, the Panthers zeroed in on Edgar as their next fullback prospect, with his primary competition Jack Attard moving to Wests Tigers.
Edgar now looms as the clear leading contender to step into the shoes of 30-year-old Edwards when the four-time premiership winner eventually calls time on his career.
It might not be for a while, but Edgar is focused on becoming a week-in, week-out fullback at the Panthers.
"That's definitely the goal, one day," he said.
"I'm not looking too far (ahead), but it's very exciting."
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