Now that Nathan Cleary‘s Penrith team have won through to their fifth straight NRL grand final, fans are asking whether his partner Mary Fowler will make a flying visit to Sydney to see him star in the year’s biggest game.
The Panthers beat Cronulla 26-6 on Saturday night to punch their ticket as they try to claim an incredible fourth straight premiership, and it didn’t take fans long to speculate on the chances of Fowler making a mad dash down under to support him.
‘Wait… you’ll be back for the GF won’t you?’ one wrote as they commented on one of Mary’s latest Instagram posts, which revealed her new look.
‘Men in mary fowler’s comments asking if she’s going to the grand final… baby that’s australia’s princess and she has places to be why r u asking her silly things,’ another wrote.
Others warned Mary that they thought her boyfriend would be on the losing side when they tackle the Storm on Sunday night, with some commenters asking her not to take her man ‘back to England’ after rumours Cleary was considering playing for an English team to be closer to her.
But as keen as Aussies are to see Fowler in the stands at Homebush for the grand final, there’s next to no chance of it happening.
Her duties with Manchester City will make it impossible for her to get away, as the team play West Ham just hours after the NRL grand final.
Fowler – who scored in City’s big win over Paris FC in the Champions League earlier this month – isn’t injured and is sure to feature in the match.
Fans are itching to see Fowler jet to Sydney to support Cleary (pictured together) as he tries to win his fourth straight premiership with Penrith on Sunday
Some sports fans took to social media as they wondered whether the Matildas star would make an appearance at the NRL grand final – but there’s next to no chance of that happening
Fowler (pictured in action against Brighton on Sunday) is in the thick of the Women’s Super League season with Manchester City and won’t be able to make the journey
She came on as a substitute in the side’s 1-0 win over Brighton on Sunday and came close to doubling her side’s lead with a shot that just soared over the crossbar.
Cleary is battling a worrying shoulder injury that could cause him problems in the grand final, but Penrith are adamant he’ll be fit for the game.
His right hand was heavily bandaged in the win over Cronulla, shocking footy fans as there was no previously indication of any problem with that part of his body.
There was even speculation that he’d picked up a fracture in his hand, but the club has not confirmed that.
The calls for Fowler to attend the grand final come hot on the heels of Cleary opening up about the start of their relationship as he revealed he got into a ‘car chase’ with paparazzi soon after their love became public.
‘Whenever I was with her it just felt like we were two normal people … and then all of a sudden people were taking photos of us, and then they were being published, and then there were articles, then there was people waiting out the front of my house,’ Cleary told the Marlee and Me podcast.
The couple have largely brushed off the attention while their relationship grew, but one episode – which is not connected to any of Daily Mail Australia’s stories about them – stands out for the Penrith Panthers halfback.
The Panthers superstar has injury worries heading into the decider against Melbourne but Penrith are adamant he will play
Cleary and Fowler’s romance went public in November last year and he recently opened up about getting involved in a ‘car chase’ with paparazzi soon afterwards
‘One day I was driving and I realised this car was following me,’ he said.
‘Then I took a few turns, took a few turns, they took the exact same turns. I was pretty much in a car chase.
‘That was, like, mind-blowing to me. I understand it, I guess, because people care [about the romance].
‘It all happened so quick, and now her relationship was in the public eye, it was hard to wrap your head around.’
Cleary also opened up about rumours that he staged the photos of him and Fowler cuddling in Perth, with the fact he was shirtless at the time fuelling speculation that he tipped off the photographer.
‘I swear to god I had no idea,’ he said.
‘Leading up to that, we were probably pretty blasé about how much people actually cared.
‘After the park we went back to the car and then we saw someone with the big camera there, and pretty much a couple of hours later it all came out.’
