"I might be the one trying to make it hard for them to keep them," laughs Cleary, in reference to his role at Penrith from next season.
Both players are still under contract - Johnson until the end of next season, Locke for two more seasons - but that will not stop the sharks circling, as agents are approached with lucrative offers.
Chris Sandow, for example, seemed set for a long career at Souths before Parramatta made him an offer he couldn't refuse and he left Redfern on a multi- million dollar four-year deal.
Both born and bred on Auckland's North Shore, Locke and Johnson are reluctant to leave New Zealand's only NRL franchise. Success at club level will help to keep them here, though it will also make the jigsaw harder to put together.
Maloney is also on the radar of top clubs and the Warriors will need to look after him too - plus their stable of four hard-working props.
"The future will be hard to work out," admits Locke. "I'll just have to see how I go. If the opportunity is here to stay I will but if I have to go I will move on."
Cleary took a considered approach with both players and it paid off. Locke - who played his 50th NRL game last night - burst onto the scene in 2009 in a struggling team and was the new sensation.
"He was probably built up a bit too much and that is hard to cope with at a young age - it is life changing," says Cleary. Locke faded in 2010, had some off-field issues and seemed down the pecking order for wing or fullback at the season's start.
"In the first year it was tough coming through and getting noticed on the street," admits Locke. "In the second year I got ahead of myself but now I know what to do and how to work with those situations."
Locke has been a revelation at fullback in 2011 for the Warriors, impressing with his slashing runs, deft retrievals and bravery on defence. He has monopolised man of the man awards in recent weeks and made the top 10 players in the Dally M awards.
Johnson is starting to justify some of the hype that surrounded him when he was the next big thing in the 2009 Toyota Cup team - Andrew Johns called him one of the most exciting prospects he had ever seen - before failing to progress last year.
"When I couldn't crack first grade, I didn't perform for the under-20s and struggled to get myself in the game," says Johnson. "Things weren't coming off. I got a little bit ahead of myself." While many were calling for Johnson's inclusion, Cleary took his time - aware that while he looked ready, he might not be ready.
Cleary knows all about the pressures on young players, having seen plenty in his playing days come through the ranks at the Sea Eagles and the Roosters - only to burn out.
"Some of the hardest stuff is off the field and dealing with how their life changes," says Cleary. "If they can deal with all that and still keep the fire that got them here in the first place I'm sure they will be fine.
Both Locke and Johnson are level-headed characters, who do their best to keep their feet on the ground. Johnson, in particular, is careful in his approach: "I didn't want to overplay my hand or try to do too much or force anything," he says of his first match in the NRL. "It wasn't a spectacular debut like you see some players having but it was solid and gave me something to build on. From the start I think I have added to my game and slowly increased my role in touching the ball and involvement in the game."
He is confident but more in the Australian mould that leans towards self-belief, rather than any hint of arrogance.
"I've been picked for a reason and so has [Kevin]," says Johnson. "We are lucky to have the speed and footwork that we have got and I try not to forget that and use that to my advantage when I can."
