- Nathan Cleary went into the grand final with an injury
- Halfback braved the pain and played the leading role in the victory
Superstar halfback Nathan Cleary has confirmed he will require immediate surgery on his shoulder in the coming days, ruling him out of the Pacific Championship Test matches for Australia.
The 26-year-old Cleary has suffered from recurring problems with his shoulder all season. The first of these saw him miss three weeks of full-contact training in January.
He then went down injured in round 24 after a tackle from Storm lock Josh King – and returned under an injury cloud for the final.
On Sunday night, after leading the Panthers to a fourth straight title, Cleary confirmed rumors that he will go under the knife again.
‘I’m not going to go into all the details [of what I’ve been through]but it has been a frustrating year,” he said after the match
‘It was tough and annoying, but I had to work hard to get back. Because I saw the boys going out there every week, I wanted to pay them back.
“The only way I could do that was to work as hard as I could around the clock so I could be here.
“I told mom I had to play three games, and that was it.
Nathan Cleary (pictured) has confirmed he will require immediate surgery on his shoulder in the coming days, ruling him out of the Pacific Championship Tests
Cleary has suffered from recurring problems with his shoulder throughout the season, recently hurting it again against the Storm in Round 24
“I knew if I worked hard I could come back for those three games and be nice. It worked.’
Although the operation will prevent Cleary from playing for the Kangaroos at the Pacific Championships from October 18 until the final on November 10, it could give him a chance to catch up with partner Mary Fowler in Great Britain much sooner than expected.
Fowler couldn’t be in the stadium to see Cleary win her fourth consecutive NRL crown as she was about to take the field for Manchester City, but she still kept an eye on the score.
When her match was over, she posted a message on Instagram with the word “Him” along with a fire and heart eyes emoji above a photo of Cleary celebrating with the trophy.
After playing a starring role in City’s 2-0 win over West Ham by scoring one goal and setting up another, Fowler posted the caption “A good weekend indeed” alongside photos of her during the match and one of her her husband’s Panthers wore. jersey and a double thumbs up in the City dressing room.
The break from footy could give Cleary the chance to visit girlfriend Mary Fowler in Britain (Fowler is pictured in one of his jerseys in England after the NRL grand final)
Cleary recently opened up about their relationship in detail for the first time, explaining how Fowler changed his life, supported him and opened his eyes.
“I loved it, it’s everything I could have ever dreamed of having a partner, to be honest,” he told Channel Nine’s Marlee and Me podcast.
“It’s just added a new perspective, but it’s also added an extra layer: when things go well, you want to share it with them and talk about it, and when things don’t go well, they’re there too.
‘Super supportive and I absolutely loved it. It’s just a great addition to life, to be honest, and it’s made me very happy. Love conquers.’