Nathan Cleary has replaced Reece Walsh as the most marketable player in the NRL – and it is only now the Panthers superstar says he is comfortable being the face of the game.
Cleary received the loudest reception at Penrith’s fan day on Tuesday, and was the last player remaining signing autographs and posing for photographs at a second meet-and-greet at Sydney’s Overseas Passenger Terminal on Thursday.
Twelve months ago, league fans were going crazy for Walsh, ARL Commission chairman Peter V’landys telling this masthead at the time: “He is the Justin Bieber of rugby league. Not only is he a brilliant rugby league player, he’s bloody good looking.”
Reminded of those comments on Saturday, V’landys laughed and said: “If Reece Walsh is Justin Bieber, Nathan Cleary would be the Ryan Gosling of rugby league. Actors don’t get much bigger than ‘Ken’. Nathan is box-office gold.
“Not only is he a champion player, he is a champion human being. What he does behind the scenes for kids with cancer, and a lot of other charities, it’s exceptional.
“He’s the perfect role model we’re lucky to have in our game.”
Top Cat: Penrith halfback Nathan Cleary.Credit: Steven Siewert/SMH
Walsh is worshipped north of the border, especially with young fans – he has 535,000 followers on Instagram and 362,000 on TikTok – but has struggled with injuries and living in the spotlight this season as the Broncos crumbled to miss the finals.
Newcastle’s Kalyn Ponga is the highest-paid player in the game, but has fallen short in delivering the Knights on-field success, while Ryan Papenhuyzen is adored in Melbourne, but another who is yet to prove himself on the representative stage.
Cleary’s 420,000 Instagram followers trails Walsh, but is still well ahead of Penrith’s 379,000 followers.
Cleary’s public profile has expanded even further this year due to his relationship with Mary Fowler, and the Panthers star has appeared on no shortage of billboards across Sydney in recent months with sponsors Rexona and adidas.
Brisbane and Queensland fullback Reece Walsh.Credit: Getty Images
“I remember seeing one of those billboards for the first time and thinking it was pretty cool; it was something I never imagined would happen growing up – I thought that would have been so far out of reach,” Cleary told this masthead. “But I think I’ve handled [the attention] pretty well.”
Cleary said he would not have coped with the same level of public attention five years ago.
“I’m grateful I learned these things at an early age – how to deal with social media, how to deal with pressure and the extra eyes on you,” Cleary said.
“That’s probably why it doesn’t feel like too much at the moment. I’m grateful for the position I’m in. I’m constantly trying to have that humility my parents instilled in me.
“Something I did struggle with early on was not being able to say no. I took on a lot of commitments. It was draining me, to be honest.
“Now I stick to my values and what I think is best for me. At the end of the day, footy is the main priority. I need to do what I can to be the best on the field, and sometimes that means cutting off extra commitments.”
Cleary has started to open up about his relationship with Matildas and Manchester City soccer star Fowler. She will not be at Accor Stadium on Sunday because she will be preparing for Manchester City’s clash with West Ham in the early hours of Monday, but she has played a key role in Cleary’s calm mental state.
“I’ve got a lot of love for her; I’m very happy off the field,” Cleary said of Fowler.
Penrith officials received some marketing analysis from the NRL nearly two years ago, which placed winger Brian To’o ahead of Cleary at the time as one of the most marketable players in the game. To’o has a huge TikTok following, with one video of him at the Dally Ms recorded by the Herald generating more than 300,000 views in the first 12 hours of being posted.
Mary Fowler and Nathan Cleary.Credit: Instagram
But Panthers players were united when it came to who was the club’s biggest drawcard.
“Nathan is the face of the game,” Penrith co-captain Isaah Yeo said. “He’s the best player in the game, and it feels like that [profile] is continually growing.
“He does a really good job of saying no to things. I’m sure he’s got people pulling him in every direction with endorsements and stuff, but he’s good at leaving it at the door, and once it’s footy, it’s footy.
“I pinch myself knowing I get to co-captain alongside him. He’s one of my best mates, so to see him where he started to where he is now, it’s been an incredible journey. I’m happy to be a part of it.”
Back-rower Liam Martin added: “Every kid that comes up to you will tell you, ‘You’re my second favourite player’. And when you ask them who their favourite is, they all say, Nathan. He’s such a great role model for the kids. How can you fault him?
“I never get offended when the kids say that. I tell them Nathan is my favourite, too.”
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