The champion halfback was in attendance to see girlfriend Mary Fowler star for the Matildas.
NRL legend Mark Carroll has urged Nathan Cleary to follow his heart and quit the NRL to be closer to girlfriend Mary Fowler in England. And Cleary’s appearance at the Matildas’ game against South Korea on Monday night will only fuel Carroll’s theory.
Writing in his weekly column for The Nightly on Monday, the former Panthers player noted that Cleary has seemed a bit flat on the field so far this season as Penrith slumped to a 1-4 record. But Carroll reckons Cleary was much more upbeat in the press conference on Friday night when discussing Fowler being back in Australia.
Cleary’s girlfriend played in Sydney on Friday night and Newcastle on Monday night, scoring a goal in the second game for a 2-0 win. “I’ll try to get up to Newcastle on Monday night for the (Matildas) game,” Cleary said last week. “It feels like a little refresh whenever I get to see her, and I’m definitely grateful for it.”
According to Carroll: “There was not only a bounce in his step and a grin on his face, but his words told me where his head might be at. At that stage I didn’t know Mary was in the country with the Matildas, but Cleary’s upbeat demeanour gave it away.
“I do know a thing or two about love, having been happily married for more than two decades. That’s why I feel well equipped to have a word in Nathan Cleary’s ear and tell him to follow his heart and join partner Mary Fowler full-time in England.”
Nathan Cleary has ‘not much more to prove’
Rumours have been rife that Cleary might look to join the English Super League so he can be closer to Fowler, who plays her club football for Manchester City and spends the majority of her year in Europe. The champion halfback is contracted to the Panthers until the end of 2027, but who knows whether the club would stand in his way if he decided he wanted out.
According to Carroll, Cleary has achieved everything in Australia and doesn’t have anything left to prove. The 27-year-old has won four-straight premierships with the Panthers, as well as State of Origin series with NSW and a World Cup with Australia. The only blot on his copy book is he’s never been the star for NSW in an Origin series triumph.
But Carroll doesn’t think that matters. “He doesn’t have to quit rugby league to be with the love of his life,” he added. “He can continue to play professional rugby league in the north of England and be close to Mary. At 27, the halfback’s legacy in the game is ensured. There’s not much more for him to prove.”
Mary Fowler the star as Matildas beat South Korea
Carroll’s comments came before Cleary made his appearance at the Matildas game on Monday night, cheering on his girlfriend and her teammates. Fowler returned to the starting line-up at McDonald Jones Stadium in Newcastle and recaptured her dangerous best against the World No.19 outfit.
The 22-year-old outworked four South Korean defenders in the box to slot home her goal in the 44th minute, before setting up Kaitlyn Torpey’s goal in the second half in front of a record 28,019-strong crowd. It was a move to the left wing – the same role at Manchester City – that helped Fowler spark her side.
“I really like playing there. I think I see a lot of the field from there and just a lot of different angles,” she said after the game. “I felt more comfortable. I felt like I could give more to the team there.
“I want to try to be a bit more consistent with my performance in the national team so I think being out in that position made it a bit easier for me. Hopefully that is a step for me, on an individual level, to keep going in that right direction.”
