- Nathan Cleary will postpone surgery to be with Mary Fowler
- NRL champion will soon head to Britain to be with his partner
- Nathan Cleary went into the grand final with an injury
Penrith Panthers coach Ivan Cleary has revealed his son Nathan will postpone surgery so he can fly to Britain and spend time with partner Mary Fowler.
Cleary was exceptional in the 14-6 win over the Melbourne Storm, the team that defeated Penrith in their first grand final of a five-year run in 2020.
It now makes him a four-time champion, a Dally M medalist, a Clive Churchill medalist, a State of Origin champion, a World Cup winner with the Australian Kangaroos.
However, the superstar halfback has been struggling with recurring problems with his shoulder all season and revealed after the decider that he would soon have to go under the knife again.
But Ivan says this has been on the back burner for a few weeks now.
“He’s going abroad to see Mary, spend some time with her, and then he’ll get it done,” he told Seven during the club’s awards ceremony on Tuesday.
“(There was) a little bit of work today to see who needs surgery and who doesn’t. We have selected a number of boys into rep teams, which is always exciting, so good times.”
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.
Nathan Cleary will postpone surgery so he can spend time with partner Mary Fowler
NRL champion has been dealing with an injured shoulder all season
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.
Mary and Nathan started dating towards the end of 2023, with their relationship first revealed by Ny Breaking Australia.
They have since become Australia’s top sporting power couple, with their social media posts attracting thousands of comments from football and rugby league fans.
This paved the way for rumors that Cleary could move to the English Super League for the 2025 season to be closer to his partner who plays for Manchester City.
There is speculation that the champion halfback could play in Britain for a year before returning to the Panthers in 2026.
It was a suggestion that the Panthers would retire quickly in September. Panthers CEO Brian Fletcher and Cleary’s agent George Mimis both said it was never discussed, let alone formalized.
Cleary will be celebrating winning the NRL grand final all week
Fowler posted this photo of her wearing her boyfriend’s jersey in the Manchester City dressing room shortly after Penrith’s stunning win in the 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.’