- Cleary won the NRL premiership for the fourth time on Sunday
- Shortly afterwards, his partner Mary Fowler had a dream day for Manchester City
- Even in the midst of celebrating the title, Cleary had a message for Fowler
He may have been involved in the celebrations of winning a fourth consecutive premiership, but Penrith Panthers star Nathan Cleary found the time to recognize his famous girlfriend’s sporting achievements.
Cleary and Australian Matilda Mary Fowler have been an item since late 2023, as exclusively revealed by Ny Breaking Australia.
Following the Panthers’ historic victory over the Melbourne Storm in the NRL decider, Fowler posted a photo from the Manchester City dressing rooms in Britain, wearing a Penrith jersey and simply writing ‘HIM’ on it to honor her friend.
But hours later the Matildas chief executive was writing a new chapter in her own sporting story.
Fowler made the most of her opportunity to start for Manchester City in the absence of resting star striker Khadija Shaw. She scored one goal and another in the Women’s Super League hopefuls’ 2-0 win over West Ham.
Amid the NRL premiership celebrations, Nathan Cleary found the time to share this image of friend Mary Fowler
Fowler was handed a rare start for Manchester City and made the most of her opportunity around the same time Cleary lifted the NRL trophy
Fowler’s chances of starting for City are limited because the WSL contenders enjoy so much attacking wealth, but the 21-year-old was included after they decided to rest golden boot winner Shaw for the visit of Katrina Gorry captain West Ham.
That gave Fowler the chance to demonstrate her brilliant skills up front once again, as she somehow managed to guide the ball to Lauren Hemp in the tenth minute while surrounded by three defenders, giving the England striker the first could score a goal.
The 21-year-old added an image to her Instagram gallery of the tribute to Cleary, celebrating with teammates and posting: ‘A good weekend indeed’.
And Cleary posted his own tribute, sharing the image of Fowler wearing the Penrith jersey to his social media with a simply lovesick emoji for his high-profile lover.
Cleary has now led the Penrith Panthers to four consecutive NRL premierships
Fowler also responded to Cleary’s post with this series of emojis to congratulate him
It was an emotional ride for Cleary, who admitted after the grand final that the 2020 loss to the Melbourne Storm still haunted him.
‘I’m actually at a loss for words. Five years ago, four or five years ago, I was standing there crying and losing to these guys who have been the best for so long. [Now] we just won four in a row. It’s really mind-boggling,” he said after Sunday’s grand final win.
‘This feeling here is worth it all. It’s hard to get to the top, very hard to say there, but right now it’s all worth it. It’s honestly the best feeling in the world.”
But he also recently opened up about his relationship with Fowler, saying their love was as emotional as any football victory.
“I loved it, it’s everything I could have ever dreamed of having a partner, to be honest,” he said.
“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.’
‘Nathan Cleary will undergo surgery
on his injured shoulder, with the number 7 ruled out of Australia’s Pacific Championships campaign.