Penrith Panthers fans are hoping the power of love will work its magic on injured captain Nathan Cleary after his partner and Matildas star Mary Fowler came to his aid this week.
The representative halfback is a key cog in the Panthers’ bid to win their fourth consecutive NRL championship but aggravated an existing shoulder injury during the club’s 24-22 defeat to the Melbourne Storm on Thursday night.
Panthers fans were in stitches when he grabbed the ball and was helped off the field just weeks before the NRL finals.
On Friday, Cleary was spotted leaving the Panthers’ headquarters with Fowler. Fowler appeared to be carrying the X-rays that would determine his fate.
Cleary suffered a new injury, but was overjoyed when the woman in his life, Mary Fowler, arrived at the Panthers’ headquarters
The couple left the Panthers club with what appeared to be the scan results of his body, which would determine the severity of his shoulder injury.
Luckily for Cleary, Fowler is in Australia for a pre-season tournament with her Women’s Premier League team Manchester City
Panthers officials said the scans had provided good news and that his son would not require surgery, allowing him to return for the NRL finals and another bid for the championship.
‘Scans today have confirmed that Nathan is experiencing a recurrence of the shoulder instability he experienced earlier this year,’ the club said.
“The scans indicate he has avoided immediate surgery. The positive outcome is that the club intends to have Nathan available for the NRL finals.”
In the meantime, Cleary will have Fowler at his side as he attempts to recover and rehabilitate as quickly as possible to be ready for the finals in mid-September, just four weeks away.
Fowler is back in Australia after the Matildas were knocked out in the group stages of the Paris Olympics despite a courageous performance against the United States in their final match.
Cleary and Fowler were named the glamour couple of Australian sport earlier this year
Despite living on opposite sides of the world, Cleary and Fowler find a way to make their relationship work
Fowler returned to Australia after the Matildas were knocked out early at the Paris Olympics
The Women’s Super League kicks off on September 22, but luckily for Fowler, her Manchester City team-mates are also in Australia for a friendly in Perth with West Ham United, Leicester City and Paris Saint-Germain.
While the Panthers are hoping hard work and a bit of magic from Mary Fowler can bring their star halfback back to full health, a former NRL champion who played with a broken shoulder isn’t so sure.
Johnathan Thurston led the North Queensland Cowboys to their first NRL championship in 2015, but fell short in 2007 when they were knocked out in the preliminary final by Manly.
By the end of that season, Thurston’s shoulders were so bad that he said he could no longer lift his arms higher than his chest.
Thurston fears Cleary is returning too soon after the Cowboys superstar himself suffered from shoulder problems during his active career
And the recently inducted NRL Hall of Famer said if Cleary returned even slightly unprepared it could cost the Panthers dearly.
“It’s hard to play with shoulders when they’re broken. You can’t play with a broken shoulder in that position,” he said.
‘You’re under attack. Each side will send their back rowers, their forwards, to test it.
‘That’s just the nature of the beast when you play, [and he’s] the best player in the league.
‘If you have such a minor injury and you play the preliminary rounds or one of the finals, they come after him.’
Five-eighth Jarome Luai is set to become the main man if Cleary can’t overcome his latest injury or is injured again in the final
If Cleary does not play in the final, or is injured again by a shoulder injury, the Panthers’ fate will largely depend on five-eighth Jarome Luai.
The New South Wales player is enjoying one of his best seasons to date and is a key reason why Penrith are pushing for another championship title after Cleary suffered a serious hamstring injury that kept him out for almost three months.
“I’m absolutely disappointed for him,” Luai told Triple M.
‘He’s spent quite a bit of time on the sidelines this year and that’s typical football sometimes.
You just have to go with the flow and ride the roller coaster.
‘He has a lot of support around him, so we go to him and pray for him.
‘I’m a confident guy.
‘I think I was a bit overconfident (against the Storm) because I just wanted to chase points.
‘At such moments, when you are under pressure, you need, like Nath, coolness: you have to be calm, controlled and stick to your structure.’
“But at the end of the day, I’m a competitor, so I’m not going to die.”