Nathan Cleary and Mary Fowler may be the most powerful couple in Australian sport, but now they are heading into a showdown to see who can capture the hearts of Australian fans.
Cleary, the three-time NRL premiership winner with the Penrith Panthers, and Fowler, the Matildas forward who starred at the 2023 FIFA World Cup in the absence of injured captain Sam Kerr, have been a fixture since October.
They first attracted attention as a potential couple when they were seen together twice after the Women’s World Cup.
Their first public appearance included a relaxed stroll along the Nepean River in Penrith, where the 25-year-old NRL sensation and the Matildas forward were seen enjoying each other’s company.
In addition, they were seen sharing ice cream after participating in a promotional event organized by Adidas, a brand supported by both athletes.
The couple officially announced their romance in Perth in October, confirming suspicions raised by their previous sightings.
NRL star Nathan Cleary and Matildas forward Mary Fowler have become the most powerful couple in Australian sport.
Fowler and the Matildas will line up at Homebush’s Accord Stadium in Sydney in June
Cleary and the New South Wales Blues will face Queensland in State of Origin at the same ground just two days later.
They will now go head to head in terms of crowd attendance and ratings with the Matildas and New South Wales Blues to share the same venue, just two days apart.
Firstly, the Matildas will host China in a vital pre-Olympic warm-up match on June 3.
On June 5, the Blues will look to steal the State of Origin shield from the Queensland Maroons at Homebush.
So who will win the bragging rights regarding the number of fans in attendance?
On October 29, 2023, during the 2024 AFC Olympic Qualifying match against the Philippines, the Matildas set a new home attendance record for a stand-alone match, with an impressive turnout of 59,155.
While that number is well short of the record 91,513 fans who packed into the Melbourne Cricket Ground to watch New South Wales take on Queensland in 2015, the Matlidas’ star is on the rise.
And although more than 90,000 fans attended the Origin match at Australia’s largest stadium, the gap narrows when considering both teams’ records at Accor Stadium.
When the stadium was first opened in 1999 ahead of the 2000 Sydney Olympics, a record crowd of 88,336 flocked to Homebush for their inaugural clash with the State of Origin.
However, the stadium has been reconfigured over the years and now has a maximum capacity of 83,500 people, which can only be reached for concerts where the public can use the playing surface in addition to the stands.
Accor Stadium, also called Stadium Australia, will be a hotbed of sporting action in 2024, with the Matildas and NSW Blues starring there within two days of each other in June.
Who will win the bragging rights? Fowler and his Matildas? Or Cleary and his NSW Blues?
Origin’s 2023 viewership figure was 75,342, while the Matildas World Cup quarter-final against England at the same venue attracted 75,784 people, an official sell-out that surpassed its previous record by more than 15,000.
The Matildas will be optimistic about continuing their run of sell-out matches in Australia.
FIFA requirements and expanded media seating meant attendance was limited in the semi-final loss to England, so the Matildas have a chance to surpass their previous record.
Football Australia chief executive James Johnson certainly believes that will be the case, saying the national team has become “a giant of box office entertainment” in the past 12 months.
“Our senior national teams are Australia’s teams, and it is important that we play matches in as many cities and regional centers as possible, and we are delighted that in the next series of Matildas home matches we will continue to open the doors for all Australians tune in and witness the team live,” he said.
Meanwhile, New South Wales have lost the last two Origin series to Queensland, and three of the last four, which could make ticket sales difficult this time around.
The table discussions between Cleary and Fowler will no doubt be interesting as they both compete to be the hottest ticket in town this June.