Penrith Panthers fans are hoping the power of love will work its magic on injured captain Nathan Cleary after teammate and Matildas star Mary Fowler rushed to his aid this week.
The representative scrum-half is a key cog in the Panthers’ bid to win a fourth consecutive NRL championship but aggravated an existing shoulder injury in the club’s 24-22 loss to the Melbourne Storm on Thursday night.
Panthers fans had their hearts in their mouths when he grabbed his joint and was helped off the field just weeks before the NRL finals.
On Friday, Cleary was seen leaving Panthers headquarters alongside Fowler, who appeared to be carrying the X-rays that would decide his fate.
Cleary suffered another injury setback, but was all smiles when the lady of his life, Mary Fowler, arrived at Panthers headquarters.
The pair left the Panthers club holding what appeared to be the results of a scan that would determine the extent of his shoulder injury.
Fortunately for Cleary, Fowler is in Australia for a pre-season tournament with her Women’s Premier League team, Manchester City.
Panthers officials said scans had revealed good news and their son would not need surgery, clearing the way for him to return for the NRL finals and another title bid.
“Scans today confirmed that Nathan has experienced a recurrence of the shoulder instability he suffered earlier in the year,” the club said.
”Scans indicate he has avoided immediate surgery. The positive result means the club expects Nathan to be available for the NRL final.”
Cleary, meanwhile, will have Fowler by his side as he looks to accelerate the recovery and rehabilitation stages to be ready for the final in mid-September, just four weeks from now.
Fowler is back in Australia after the Matildas crashed out of the Paris Olympics at the group stage despite a brave performance against the United States in their final match.
Cleary and Fowler became Australian sport’s glamour couple earlier this year.
Despite living on opposite sides of the world, Cleary and Fowler find a way to make their relationship work.
Fowler returned to Australia after the Matildas were eliminated early from the Paris Olympics.
The Women’s Super League kicks off on September 22, but luckily for Fowler, her Manchester City teammates are also in Australia for a pre-season tournament in Perth with West Ham United, Leicester City and Paris Saint-Germain.
While the Panthers are hoping a bit of hard work and Mary Fowler’s magic touch can nurse their star scrum-half back to full health, a former NRL champion who has played through injured shoulders isn’t so sure.
Johnathan Thurston led the North Queensland Cowboys to their first NRL title in 2015, but failed to achieve that feat in 2007 when they were eliminated in the preliminary final by Manly.
By the end of that season, Thurston’s shoulders were so destroyed that he said he couldn’t lift his arms higher than his chest.
Thurston fears Cleary could return too soon, after the Cowboys superstar suffered his own shoulder problems during his playing career.
And the newly inducted NRL Hall of Famer said if Cleary returned even slightly below expectations it could cost the Panthers dearly.
“It’s hard to play with your shoulders when they’re hurt… you can’t play with a hurt shoulder in that position,” he said.
‘They’ll make you the target. Every team will send their defenders and forwards to test you.
‘That’s just the nature of the beast when you’re playing, (and he’s) the best player in the competition.
“When you have such a minor injury, if you come back for the preliminary round or one of the final matches, they will go for it.”
Five-eighth Jarome Luai is set to become the main man if Cleary cannot overcome his latest injury setback or is injured again during the final.
If Cleary cannot return for the final – or re-injures his shoulder in the attempt – much of the Panthers’ fate will rest with five-eighth Jarome Luai.
The New South Wales midfielder is enjoying one of his best seasons to date and is a big reason Penrith are pushing for another title after Cleary suffered a serious hamstring injury that sidelined him for almost three months.
“I’m definitely disappointed for him,” Luai told Triple M.
‘He’s spent quite a bit of time on the sidelines this year and that’s football sometimes.
‘You just have to roll with the punches and go with the roller coaster.
‘He has good support around him, so we will reach out to him and give him our prayers.
‘I’m a self-confident guy.
‘I think I was a little frantic (against the Storm) just trying to get the points.
‘In those moments, under pressure, you need a bit of that ice that Nath has and just keep that calm, cool, collected voice and stick to our structures.
“But I’m a competitor after all, so I’m not going to die.”
