Mary Fowler's epic on-field response after Nathan Cleary's grand final glory with Panthers
As Cleary secured his fourth NRL premiership, on the other side of the world Fowler starred for Manchester City.
Matildas star Mary Fowler was unable to be in attendance to watch Nathan Cleary secure an incredible fourth straight NRL premiership but she was making her own waves in England with a stellar performance for Manchester City. On Sunday, Fowler was handed her first start of the Women's Super League (WSL) season with regular No.9 Khadija Shaw demoted to the bench. And the Aussie made an immediate impact, scoring one goal and assisting another in a 2-0 win over West Ham.
Fowler was unable to make the trip to Australia to cheer on her partner as she was needed for Manchester City's game against the Hammers. When Cleary was asked earlier this week if Fowler would be making the trip home to see him play, the Panthers halfback said: "She is not coming. Her season just started over in England. I think she will be watching, but she won't be there."
As Cleary celebrated his fourth straight NRL title with his teammates, Fowler was warming up on the field for her match, determined to put in a strong showing with a rare start and she did just that. Fowler's chances of a starting spot for City have been limited with the WSL contenders having an array of attacking weapons. But the 21-year-old took her opportunity to start on Sunday with both hands.
Fowler demonstrated her dazzling ability once again up front against West Ham as she managed to squeeze a ball through to Lauren Hemp in the 10th minute while surrounded by three defenders, enabling the England striker to get on the scoresheet early.
City and Fowler dominated the rest of the first half but couldn't add a buffer. They turned to Shaw off the bench to provide some spark in the second half. And she provided an immediate impact putting in a well-placed floated cross to Fowler who peeled away at the back post and headed the ball into the net for her first WSL goal of the season.
It capped off an impressive match for Fowler who finished with a goal and assist, two big chances created, an incredible 47 touches, four recoveries and three duels won. After the game, on a high from her performance and her boyfriend's major win, Fowler took to Instagram to applaud Cleary's achievement. On her Instagram story, Fowler posted a picture of Cleary with the Telstra Premiership trophy captioned 'Him', accompanied by the love heart eyes emoji and a flame.
Could Nathan Cleary move to the English Super League?
With Cleary and Fowler's romance blossoming and the fact they play on opposite sides of the globe, there have been murmurings that Cleary could move to the English Super League as early as next season to be closer to his partner. Speculation has swirled that the Panthers could allow the champion halfback a one-year window to play in the UK before returning to the Panthers in 2026.
However, it was a claim the Panthers quickly shut down in September, with Panthers chief executive Brian Fletcher and Cleary’s agent George Mimis saying it isn't something on the table. But Cleary has previously stated that playing in the Super League later in his career was a definite possibility. "Yes, I'm not against it. I have a pretty open mind to that kind of stuff," he said.
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"I think just being able to experience different cultures and different experiences is something I enjoy doing. I'm not closed off to that idea." But despite his NRL trophy cabinet being filled to the brim it seems unlikely he would leave the NRL in the prime of his career to move to the Super League.
