NRL Las Vegas 2025: Nathan Cleary delivers on Mary Fowler promise with interest
Nathan Cleary made a game-day promise to his old man and coach Ivan if he got the chance to see partner, Matildas star Mary Fowler, before kick off. On Sunday, Cleary delivered on that promise with interest. Watch the best video highlights from Vegas.
Nathan Cleary promised his old man and coach Ivan that he would play better if he got the chance to spend some time during the week with his partner, Matildas star Mary Fowler.
At Allegiant stadium on Sunday afternoon (AEDT), Cleary delivered on his word. If you want to know why Penrith will be there again when the whips are cracking at the end of the season, you only have to look at the bloke in the Panthers No.7 jersey.
He set up tries with his hands and his feet. He nailed kicks from the sidelines. He got folded in half by Sharks back rower Briton Nikora, got some attention from the trainer, sucked in a couple of deep breaths and promptly set up another try.
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Cleary came into the game on a limited preparation after undergoing shoulder surgery in the offseason. He was only cleared to play a couple of weeks ago. He needed some treatment on his calves midway through the second half as fatigue set in.
“I was a little bit worried about it coming into it, just not having the full pre-season,” Cleary said.
“It hit me with like 20 minutes to go ... I was thinking these could be a long 20 minutes and they started to come home.
“So we got there in the end and think I’ll be better for the run.”
He was still the difference in the end. The Panthers lost some big players in the offseason but they kept their talisman and playmaker.
Cleary is the best player in the game. That’s not only our view by the way - NRL coaches recently crowned him the king yet again by a decisive margin.
He was in and around everything good that happened for Penrith against the Sharks. It was his kick that set up a try for Izack Tago as Penrith overcame a slow start to slowly take a grip on the first half.
He was involved in tries to Daine Laurie and Paul Alamoti on either side of the field. He nailed conversions of both from the sideline. After the Sharks fought their way back into the contest, Cleary was involved in the try that sealed the result. It was poetry in motion.
They pinned the Sharks on their own line time and time again in the second half. He did it having jumped on a plane and raced to San Diego during the week to spend a few hours with Fowler, who was on duty with the Matildas.
Their relationship has become one of Australian sport’s great love stories and it clearly agrees with the Panthers star.
“It was a bit of a rusty performance,” Cleary said.
“It was round one, sort of expected, but just an amazing experience. It makes it sweeter to come home with the win.
“Really enjoyed it.”
There are some who expect the Panthers to slip this season given the players they have lost.
“I think all that outside noise about we might fall off, is all outside noise,” Cleary said.
“Within the group we’re always still confident that you know that our training prevails and we do what we need to put ourselves in positions to win.”
MATCH REPORT: PANTHERS V SHARKS
In just five minutes two of Penrith’s biggest names turned the game when it looked like Cronulla might ambush the four time champions.
But just like they have done for so long it was Panthers co-captains Nathan Cleary and Isaah Yeo who stood up when it mattered to give Penrith a 28-22 win in front of 45,209 people at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
This year was supposed to be the year the Panthers faltered right? Just like the year before. And the year before that. Minus Jarome Luai, James Fisher-Harris and Sunia Turuva have left the club from last year’s grand final while Brian To’o and Liam Henry were injured the Panthers still managed to topple Cronulla who many predict to be a top four team.
BIG GAME BRILLIANCE
Cronulla led 4-0 after a Jesse Ramien try four minutes into the clash but the momentum shifted thanks to two big plays from Yeo and Cleary.
The Sharks dominated the opening exchanges but their good work came unstuck when Yeo sliced through a tired defensive effort from Addin Founa-Blake and a slow read by Tom Hazleton who had just come onto the field. Yeo burst through the two middle men to score in the 27th minute.
Blayke Brailey kicked the ball over the dead ball line on the full from the restart which gifted Penrith possession. And Cleary made them pay instantly. He put in a deft cross field kick into the in-goal which landed in the hands of Izack Tago who crossed just two minutes later to give Penrith a 12-4 lead.
The Panthers held a 12-10 advantage at half-time after Briton Nikora scored from a Braydon Trindall grubber.
AFB DEBUT
Despite a poor miss on Yeo in the first half, Founa-Blake extracted some revenge which he ran through Yeo to score during Cronulla’s second half comeback. But that was not before Penrith threatened to run away with the game.
A Paul Alamoti try in the 53rd minute had the Panthers leading by 14 but Cronulla were still in the fight when Kayal Iro crossed five minutes later.
Founa-Blake scored to have the Sharks trailing by just two with 12 minutes to go. He finished the game with 17 runs and 168 metres.
The game was all but over for the Sharks when Daine Lauire scored with four minutes left.
SHARKS FUNDAMENTAL ERRORS
The Sharks just lacked polish at crucial times and made some blunders. Brailey’s kick out on the full, Braydon Trindall failing to find touch from a penalty kick and Nicho Hynes spilling a regulation kick-off catch all hurt them. Trindall though was among Cronulla’s best. Will Kennedy had two big moments in the first half, knocking the ball free as Lindsay Smith looked certain to score while also stopping a 40/20.
EARLY BLOW
Penrith faced adversity early when rookie winger Casey McLean came from the field and failed his concussion test after colliding with the legs of a Cronulla player. McLean lasted just three minutes before being replaced by Laurie who would go on to score a double.
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