Wearing the No.7 comes with heavy responsibility and Penrith halfback Nathan Cleary will feel the burden more than ever during NRL season 2020.

Although he won’t have the official duties of a captain, with James Tamou retaining that honour, the 22-year-old has put his hand up to lead the side as they rebuild after losing five-eighth James Maloney to Catalans.

Maloney not only carried the bulk of Panthers attack with 16 try-assists compared to Cleary’s nine in 2019, he was a leadership figure within the club who boasted almost 250 NRL games and two premierships.

His departure leaves a gaping hole in terms of experience for the Panthers but Cleary is ready to be the boss man they need him to be.

“I’m kind of primed for it now coming into my fifth season of first grade; I’m excited for the challenge and looking forward to it,” the State of Origin half said on Wednesday.

“I’m just trying to take that next step forward. It’s obviously a tough gig without Jimmy given the player he was and the leader he was but I did learn a lot off him and learned a lot about myself in the past year or so, especially in the ups and downs of footy.

“I’ll try and pass that onto the younger guys. Whoever my halves partner will be, they’ll be a bit less experienced so I can kind of help them and take a bit of pressure off them.”

Young guns Jarome Luai and Matt Burton are battling to win the No.6 jersey left vacant by Maloney but Cleary wants to absorb the main burden on behalf of whoever steps into the role.

And while it’s inevitable he’ll one day captain the side, he’ll at least do so figuratively in 2020.

“I think I kind of have to. I have the No.7 on my back and I’ve got to lead from the front,” he said.

“That’s one thing I learned about myself over the last 12 months is leadership qualities and trying to work all that out.

“It’s a lot more complex than I first thought but it’s been a good learning process and I’m looking forward to taking that on this year.”