Nathan Cleary’s relationship with Mary Fowler has reached a turning point considering a photo of the NRL superstar supporting his girlfriend in Europe.
The Penrith premiership winner has been communicating with the Manchester City star in England and on the continent after winning this year’s grand final with the Panthers, with the pair sharing photos of their moments together.
Now, Fowler’s Matildas teammate Katrina Gorry has revealed a photo of Cleary holding her daughter Harper during the Aussies’ recent victory over Germany.
It is the first evidence that the 26-year-old is spending time with his teammate’s great teammates on the national team in what is a big step forward in their relationship.
One fan who commented on Gorry’s Instagram post summed up the development writing, ‘It’s good that Nathan is getting involved in the Tillies family. He needs to get control of the family before he gets serious with Fowler. Looks like he’s on the right track!’
Another wrote: “I never expected to see a photo of Nathan Cleary holding Harper.” Yet here we are!’
Cleary and Fowler were spotted together in Manchester on their post-PM holiday, with the pair sharing photos from their trips and the NRL star also joining her at the Matildas’ match against Switzerland last week.
The pair had first been spotted in Europe a week after defeating the Melbourne Storm to take a fourth consecutive NRL title.
Cleary is seen with the daughter of Mary Fowler’s Matildas teammate Katrina Gorry, in the first evidence that she has been spending time with some of the other important people in her partner’s life.
A Matildas fan summed up the situation nicely with this comment on Gorry’s Instagram post.
The Penrith star has been spending time with Fowler (pictured together) in Europe after winning their fourth consecutive NRL grand final.
They were photographed at Old Trafford watching the Super League Grand Final as Wigan claimed victory over Hull Kingston Rovers.
At half-time, Cleary was invited to an interview with Sky Sports Rugby League, where he refused to totally dismiss rumors linking him with a move to play in Europe so he could be closer to Fowler.
“To be honest, not in the short term,” Cleary said when asked about speculation linking him with Super League teams and a possible code switch to play in the union in the northern hemisphere.
‘I’ve seen all the rumours. But come here and watch (Mary) play, which is nice, and take a break. But I’m not moving here anytime soon.”
He posted a couple of photos of him and Fowler hiking along the coast and visiting a quaint town.
Fowler also took to Instagram to mock Cleary after she took a photo of him looking through a camera with the lens still on the shutter.
Reacting to her Instagram post on Monday, Fowler wrote in the comments, “There’s my favorite model,” adding a camera emoji, a “heart face” emoji, and a fire emoji.
The couple were spotted at the Super League grand final shortly after Nathan arrived in Manchester to be with his girlfriend.
Fowler appears in action against Germany on Monday, with Cleary cheering her on from the stands alongside some of her teammates.
One of Cleary’s Penrith teammates, Brian To’o, also reacted to her post, writing “Ahhh love always wins” with a heart emoji.
Fowler has made no secret of his desire to have a family one day, and Cleary gave a revealing one-word answer when asked about settling down and having children in a recent appearance on Mark Bouris’ podcast with his father and coach, Ivan.
The broker was discussing his investment in a Sydney brewery with two Australian UFC stars when he was asked about preparing for life after football.
“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.
“You kind of realize this isn’t going to last forever.”
“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.