Nathan Cleary and Mary Fowler may be the hottest power couple in Australian sport, but now they’re heading to a showdown to see who can capture the hearts of Australian fans.
Cleary, a three-time NRL premiership winner with the Penrith Panthers, and Fowler, the Matildas forward who starred at the 2023 World Cup in the absence of injured captain Sam Kerr, have been an item since October.
They first attracted attention as a possible couple when they were spotted together twice after the Women’s World Cup.
Their first public appearance included a leisurely stroll along the Nepean River in Penrith, where the 25-year-old NRL sensation and the Matildas forward enjoyed each other’s company.
Moreover, they were seen sharing ice cream after participating in a promotional event organized by Adidas, a brand endorsed by both athletes.
The couple officially revealed their romance in Perth in October, confirming suspicions their previous sightings had raised.
NRL star Nathan Cleary and Matildas forward Mary Fowler have become the hottest power couple in Australian sport
Fowler and the Matildas will appear at Sydney’s Accord Stadium in Homebush in June
Cleary and the New South Wales Blues will play home state Queensland at the same ground just two days later
Now they will go head-to-head for crowd attendance and ratings with the Matildas and New South Wales Blues to share the same venue, just two days apart.
Firstly, the Matildas will host China on June 3 in a crucial pre-Olympics preparatory match.
On June 5, the Blues will attempt to steal back the State of Origin shield from the Queensland Maroons at Homebush.
So who gets to brag when it comes to the number of fans?
On October 29, 2023, during the 2024 AFC Olympic Qualifier against the Philippines, the Matildas set a new home attendance record for a standalone match, with an impressive attendance of 59,155 spectators.
While that falls well short of the record 91,513 fans who packed the Melbourne Cricket Ground to watch New South Wales play Queensland in 2015, the Matlidas’ star is on the rise.
And while more than 90,000 fans attended the Origin match at Australia’s largest venue, the gap narrows when you consider the records of both teams at Accor Stadium.
When the stadium first opened in 1999, ahead of the 2000 Sydney Olympics, a record crowd of 88,336 flocked to Homebush for the first State of Origin clash.
However, the stadium has been redesigned over the years and now has a maximum capacity of 83,500 seats, which can only be achieved at concerts where the audience can use both the playing surface and the stands.
Accor Stadium, also known as Stadium Australia, will be a hotbed of sporting action in 2024 – with the Matildas and NSW Blues starring within two days of each other in June
Who will win the bragging rights? Fowler and her Matildas? Or Cleary and his NSW Blues?
The attendance for Origin in 2023 was 75,342, while the Matildas World Cup quarter-final against England at the same venue attracted 75,784 people – an official sell-out that broke their previous record by more than 15,000 people.
The Matildas will be optimistic about continuing their run of sell-out matches in Australia.
FIFA requirements and increased media seating limited attendance in the semi-final defeat to England, giving the Matildas a chance to improve on their previous record.
Football Australia CEO James Johnson certainly thinks so, saying the national team has become “a box office entertainment juggernaut” over the past 12 months.
“Our senior national teams are Australian teams, and it is important that we play matches in as many cities and regional centers as possible, and we are pleased that we will continue to open the door to all Australians at the next series of Matildas home games. connect and witness the team live,” he said.
Meanwhile, New South Wales has lost the last two Origin series to Queensland – and three of the last four – which could make it harder to sell tickets this time around.
It’s sure to make for interesting dinner table conversations between Cleary and Fowler as both compete for the city’s hottest ticket this June.