Penrith Panthers coach Ivan Cleary has revealed that his son Nathan will put surgery on hold so he can fly to the UK and spend time with partner Mary Fowler.
Cleary was exceptional in the 14-6 win over the Melbourne Storm, the team that beat Penrith back in the first grand final of their five-year run back in 2020.
It now makes him a four-time champion, a Dally M Medal winner, a Clive Churchill Medal winner, a State of Origin champion, a World Cup winner with the Australian Kangaroos.
However, the superstar halfback has endured recurring problems with his shoulder all season, and revealed after the decider that he would need to go under the knife again soon.
But Ivan says that has now been put on the backburner for a couple of weeks.
‘He’s heading overseas to see Mary, spend some time with her, and then he’ll get it done,’ he told Seven at the club’s awards night on Tuesday.
‘(There was) a little bit of work today to see who needs surgery and whatnot. We’ve got some guys picked in rep teams which is always exciting, so good times.’
Fowler wasn’t able to be in the stadium to see Cleary win a fourth straight NRL crown because she was about to take to the field for Manchester City, but she was still keeping an eye on the score.
Nathan Cleary will put surgery on hold so he can spend time with partner Mary Fowler
NRL champion has been battling with an injured shoulder all season
Once her match was over, she posted a message to Instagram with the word ‘Him’ along with a fire and heart-eyes emoji above a photo of Cleary celebrating with the trophy.
After she played a starring role in City’s 2-0 win over West Ham by scoring one goal and setting up the other, Fowler posted the caption ‘A good weekend indeeed’ alongside photos of her during the match and one of her wearing her man’s Panthers jersey and giving a double thumbs-up in the City dressing room.
Mary and Nathan began dating towards the end of 2023, with their relationship being first revealed by Daily Mail Australia.
Since then they have become the premier sporting power couple in Australia with their social media posts attracting thousands of reactions from football and rugby league fans.
This paved the way for a rumour that Cleary could be headed to the English Super League for the 2025 season, to be closer to his partner who plays for Manchester City.
Speculation has swirled that the champion halfback could be allowed a one-year window to play in the UK before returning to the Panthers in 2026.
It was a suggestion the Panthers quickly shut down in September. Panthers chief executive Brian Fletcher and Cleary’s agent George Mimis both said it had never been discussed, let alone formalised.
Cleary has been celebrating winning the NRL grand final all week
Fowler posted this shot of her wearing her boyfriend’s jersey in the Manchester City dressing room soon after Penrith’s stunning grand final win
Cleary has recently opened up about their relationship in detail for the first time, explaining how Fowler has changed his life, supported him and opened his eyes.
‘I’ve loved it, it’s all I ever could have dreamed of in having a partner, to be honest,’ he told Channel Nine’s Marlee and Me podcast.
‘It’s just added new perspective but it’s also added an extra layer there that when things are going good you want to share with them and want to talk about it and when things aren’t going good, they’re there too.
‘Super supportive and I’ve absolutely loved it. It’s just a great addition to life, to be honest, and made me really happy. Love wins.’
