Panthers boss hits back after 'delusional' detail in Nathan Cleary and Mary Fowler comments

Penrith boss Brian Fletcher has clarified the club's position over a tongue-in-cheek proposal to lure Mary Fowler back to Australia to ensure star halfback Nathan Cleary remains at the Panthers. The Penrith CEO caused a storm during the week when asked whether he feared Cleary might be tempted to depart the NRL to be with his football star girlfriend in the UK.

"It might be the other way around," Fletcher said. "Mary will come back here I'd say to be closer to him." Fletcher later doubled down, adding: "That's CEO of the football department Matt Cameron's job... to bring her back here permanently."

While the comments were delivered with a knowing smile, some fans took Fletcher at his word, ridiculing the thought Fowler would give up a highly-paid contract with Manchester City to return to Australia. The suggestion was labelled "delusional" and "embarrassing", with critics pointing out Fowler would be giving up a lot more than Cleary.

But asked about his comments on Sunday, Fletcher told Sky Sports Radio's Big Sports Breakfast Weekend: "It was light-hearted. We've got Nathan and Ivan signed up till the end of '27 and it's our job – or my job – to try to extend that out as far as we can to keep them both at the foot of the mountains until their rugby league days are over.

"It'd take a lot of speculation out of it if she (Fowler) did come home, but that's between her and Nathan and we don't interfere in those matters." Overnight, Nathan confirmed he would not be moving to the UK "anytime soon" in an interview at halftime in the Super League grand final at Old Trafford.

Panthers unfazed by lure of rugby for Nathan Cleary

That will take some of the heat out of the speculation over the champion No.7's future, with Fletcher also unconcerned over talk rugby union may make a play for the four-time premiership winner. Matty Johns this week expressed his fears European rugby clubs could pounce if Cleary showed any desire to move to the northern hemisphere.

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"My only fear with Nathan is him going to England puts him pretty much in the spotlight or basically he's right in the backyard of these big French rugby clubs and European rugby clubs," he said on SEN's Morning Glory with Matty Johns. "And there would be a temptation there (to poach him). Some of them (rugby clubs) would probably look to make a bid sooner rather than later, that's the only thing that would concern me."

Fletcher countered: "These days there's plenty of money in the cap and Nathan's highly paid. I don't know whether they'd be able to pay him the sort of money that he gets paid here with his third-party agreements as well. He's a very marketable sort of player. And why would he want to leave if he continues to create history?"