- The Australian sports power couple recently reunited
- Fowler was Down Under ahead of the Paris Olympics
- Cleary has been sidelined with injury for months.
Nathan Cleary received some very good news on Tuesday when it was announced that he was back on the pitch after a 10-week lay-off with a hamstring injury that has been the subject of a bizarre theory on social media.
The Penrith scrum-half was out for the entire State of Origin series after suffering an injury in May, when he aggravated the injury for the second time in two months.
He now has to line up for the Panthers against the Dolphins on Sunday afternoon, and the team is doing an outstanding job of sitting second in the standings despite not having the man many consider the best player in the world.
Cleary’s long absence had a silver lining, as it allowed him to spend time with his girlfriend, soccer star Mary Fowler, while she was in Australia in early June after the Women’s Super League season ended.
The Manchester City striker was in Sydney for the Matildas’ game against China on June 3, where she was seen greeting Cleary as he sat in the crowd with his mother Rebecca.
Shortly after, they shared a romantic night out in the harbour city, prompting one fan to ask when they were announcing their engagement, and also visited the Panthers’ headquarters in Sydney’s western end.
Fowler and Cleary shared photos of their time together on social media, showing them swimming at a forest spot and enjoying a night in a luxury room in the shadow of the Sydney Harbour Bridge before she had to leave to join the Matildas ahead of the Paris Olympics.
Late last month, the BorderAthleticsSC account on X shared a “conspiracy theory” about what they claimed was the true nature of Cleary’s hamstring ailment.
Nathan Cleary and Mary Fowler appear in a photo shared on Instagram as the Matildas star took a trip to Australia recently.
The happy couple are often kept apart by their sporting commitments but were able to catch up when Cleary was injured and Fowler finished the Women’s Super League season in the UK.
Their reunion was the subject of a bizarre theory that emerged online, which claimed Cleary’s injury was not as serious as reported and that Penrith had given him time off to spend time with his partner.
“I had a relative on a plane with an NRL HB (halfback) and his girlfriend. The injury is nothing like what was reported. It’s more like a sabbatical,” the post read.
‘It turns out my girlfriend is on a very small holiday period and the NRL Hb would have missed most of this period with Rep games anyway.’
The account reinforced the theory that Penrith had essentially given the star time off to be with Fowler in a post made on July 11.
‘Matilda and Mary Fowler are now in Spain, ready for an Olympic warm-up match against Canada.
‘In other news, Nathan Cleary will be selected for Panthers Rd 20 immediately after Origin 3.’
Australia’s sporting power couple are pictured goofing off on camera during Fowler’s recent trip to Australia before she left to join the Matildas ahead of the Olympics.
That last prediction turned out to be correct, but the claim that Penrith would jeopardise their bid for a fourth consecutive title by allowing him to take time off is far-fetched at best.
Cleary rejoins the team as they face a relatively easy run to the end of the regular season, with their only remaining top-eight opponents being the Dolphins and Storm in their final eight games.
Meanwhile, Fowler and the Matildas will play their first game of the Paris Olympics against Germany on July 26, Australian time.
