Nathan Cleary has revealed he was involved in a “car chase” with paparazzi as he opened up for the first time about his relationship with Matildas star Mary Fowler.
As Penrith coach Ivan Cleary confirmed his son was “highly likely” to undergo shoulder surgery at the end of the season – meaning Mal Meninga will be on the lookout for a new Kangaroos’ No. 7 – Nathan gave a fascinating insight into one of sport’s highest-profile relationships.
Cleary and the Panthers face Cronulla on Saturday night for the chance to advance to a fifth straight NRL grand final.
The game’s best playmaker could not be happier away from the field, after going public with his relationship with Fowler at the start of the year.
“Whenever I was with her, it just felt like we were two normal people … then all of a sudden, people were taking photos of us, then they were being published, then there were articles, then there was people waiting out the front of my house,” Cleary told the Marlee And Me podcast, which is published by Nine, owners of this masthead, and will be released on Monday.
“One day I was driving and I realised this car was following me … I took a few turns, took a few turns, they took the exact same turns. I was pretty much in a car chase.
Power couple: Mary Fowler and Nathan ClearyCredit: Instagram
“That was, like, mind-blowing to me. I understand it, I guess, because people care. But I also thought you deserve some sort of private life.
“I probably felt more sorry for her [Fowler] to be honest. She’s younger than I am, and after the World Cup happened, she became quite a public figure.
“It all happened so quick, and now her relationship is in the public eye. It was hard to wrap your head around.”
Such is the interest in Fowler and Cleary that there were suggestions the Panthers ace was prepared to make a move to the Super League to be closer to his partner, who plays with Manchester City. When asked about that possibility on Thursday, coach Cleary was almost bemused.
Nathan Cleary is eyeing a fifth straight NRL grand final appearance.
Credit: Getty Images
The 26-year-old Cleary returned from a shoulder injury in the qualifying-final thumping of the Sydney Roosters, and will have benefited from the week off.
Cleary snr confirmed Nathan was set to go under the knife, meaning international duty was off the cards for a second straight year.
Back-rower Scott Sorensen is pushing hard to return from a hamstring injury against the Sharks, while Isaah Yeo plays his 244th game for Penrith, making him the most-capped Panther ever – previous record-holder Steve Carter is in town for the jersey presentation – and Dylan Edwards brings up 150 games.
Cleary said Yeo was the ultimate clubman who reminded him of New Zealand Warriors workhorse Simon Mannering, while Edwards was “the fittest guy I’ve ever seen”.
“Even this year, the way he’s gone into Origin, and gone up again … there was a fair bit of pressure around that [NSW] selection, taking over from ‘Teddy’ [James Tedesco], the skipper and such a great player – he [Edwards] has kept getting better, and I’m glad he’s doing it in a Panthers jersey,” Cleary said.
Cleary is no stranger to high-stakes September football, but admitted to still battling pre-match nerves.
“We all have fears and doubts, and your mind starts wondering, for sure,” he said. “But we also practice mental skills to get us back to the present, and what we need to do.
“If you weren’t feeling different at this time of year and in these games, your pulse might be about to stop.
“It’s cool. The expression ‘pressure is a privilege’ is definitely true. But it’s also a little bit nerve-racking, too.
“I go through my own rituals. I have a lot of confidence in the boys. If we’ve prepared well, I can enjoy the game, and all the highs and lows the best I can.”
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