He has joked that his son Nathan is Mary Fowler’s ‘male version of a WAG’, but now Penrith coach Ivan Cleary has made a moving statement revealing the effect of the romance on the NRL superstar.
Nathan and the Matildas star went public with their romance about a year ago and their relationship is going from strength to strength, with Mary recently posting a touching ‘I love you’ message to her man after the couple shared some time together in England and Europe after the NRL grand final.
The Panthers running back postponed much-needed shoulder surgery to be with his teammate before flying back for the operation two weeks ago, and Ivan was questioned about whether his son could have undergone the procedure earlier in an interview this week. week.
The delay has left Nathan facing a tight battle to be fit for his team’s first game of the 2025 season on March 2, with former NRL star turned commentator Aaron Woods asking the coach why the creator game was not brought back to Australia.
“I had to have a heart-to-heart conversation with him,” Ivan said. triple-mbefore revealing the effect Maria has had on her son.
“Anyway, the surgeon couldn’t do (the operation) immediately and, to be honest, I’ve never seen him so happy, and that’s important too.”
Nathan Cleary and Mary Fowler are pictured during his recent trip to England to spend time with her after the NRL grand final.
The Penrith star’s father Ivan (pictured together after winning the 2024 premiership) has revealed he has never seen his son so happy after returning from his time with the Matildas star.
Cleary and Fowler have been busy sharing memories of their European holiday on social media as they are once again 17,000 kilometers apart while she plays for Manchester City.
More recently, Nathan shared a post titled ‘Downtime Pt.2’ with photos of himself exploring Europe with the Matildas pistol and playing darts with it.
He joined Fowler when the Matildas traveled to Switzerland and Germany for two matches, and were also seen in the stands at the English Super League grand final, where Nathan was interviewed on television and asked about rumors that he could move to the competition to be closer to their partner, or even jump codes to rugby union so they can be in the UK with them.
There have been other signs that the couple’s relationship is anything but a long-distance fling.
Last month, Nathan gave a very revealing three-word answer when asked about settling down and having a baby with Fowler.
Business guru Mark Bouris asked the star if he was thinking about preparing for life after football on his podcast after Cleary made a high-profile investment in a Sydney brewery with fellow UFC fighters Tai Tuivasa and Tyson Pedro.
“I’ve been thinking about it more, especially this year with the injuries, I’ve had a lot of time to think,” Cleary responded.
“You just think this is going to last forever and then you get some injuries and you’re out of the game.
Cleary and his partner have been busy sharing memories of their time together in the UK and Europe, and Fowler sent him a heartfelt three-word message earlier this week.
The Penrith coach (pictured after this year’s grand final) has previously joked that Nathan is Fowler’s “male version of a WAG”.
‘In a way you realize that this is not going to last forever.
“I think this is the first year I’ve really thought about post-football and what that means to me.
‘It has been an interesting journey. It’s something that excites me.
“I know there’s still a long way to go, well I hope it’s still a long way off, but what excites me is a new passion, something you can put your time and effort into.” We’ll see when we get there.
Bouris then began talking about the need to think about the future once Cleary had hung up his boots, adding that their romance could change his long-term plans.
“Having a girl you’re interested in too, you’re probably starting to have thoughts like, for one day, I have to keep the name Cleary,” Bouris said.
“Absolutely,” Cleary responded emphatically.
“Maybe I just have a son and, above all, sports,” Bouris said as they both laughed.
“I could be a football player,” Cleary laughed.
‘Could be, why not?’ Bouris responded.
‘I tell them what would be good, if there is a girl or boy it would be a good kicker. “They would be able to kick a ball.”
Ivan Cleary replied: “You’d like to think so.”