Nathan Cleary’s uncle Josh Stuart reveals plans to try and lure Ivan and Nathan Cleary to Perth Bears franchise

Forget rugby union – there’s a bigger chance Nathan Cleary will end up in Western Australia if his uncle, former Bears player Josh Stuart, has anything to do with it.

Forget rugby union – Penrith’s biggest threat to keeping their halfback could be a family tie to the NRL’s newest franchise, the Perth Bears.

Just days after Mal Meninga was named coach of the new Perth outfit, former North Sydney Bears star and Nathan Cleary’s uncle, Josh Stuart, revealed the club is very interested in luring his nephew west.

“Hundred per cent we want him,” Stuart said.

“Who wouldn’t want him? He’s the best player in the game.”

(L-R) Bears legends Chris Caruana, Mark Soden and Josh Stuart. Stuart is Nathan Cleary’s uncle. Picture: Julian Andrews

Stuart, who played 29 first-grade games alongside Nathan’s father, Ivan Cleary, for the Bears in a 111-game career at North Sydney, has been riding the high seeing his beloved team welcomed back into the competition. But now, his focus is firmly on building the club into the powerhouse it once was.

The 52-year-old is hoping his close relationship with Nathan will be enough to sway him to WA – sooner rather than later.

“Nathan bounces a fair few things off me just in life in general,” Stuart said.

“I’m a mortgage broker by trade, so I do his home and a few of the boys out there, so we talk a fair bit.”

But Stuart isn’t relying solely on their bond to bring Nathan to the west. He’s also hoping geography might play a part – namely, Perth’s proximity to England, where Nathan’s girlfriend Mary Fowler is based.

Ivan Cleary playing for the Bears in 1995.

“Is Western Australia a lot closer to England than Sydney?” Stuart asked.

A flight from Sydney to the UK takes around 24 hours, while departing from Perth shaves that down to about 17.

Stuart also revealed Nathan had approached him to talk about marriage.

“It blew me away,” Stuart said.

“It would have been six or eight months into them dating, he said, ‘Uncle Josh, when did you know you were in the right relationship to get married?’

“I knew we had something serious here.”

While the Bears’ pursuit of Nathan will only intensify the longer his relationship with Fowler stays in the spotlight, he’s not the only Cleary on their radar.

Bears legends Mark Soden chats with fans at North Sydney Oval. Picture: Julian Andrews

If Stuart has his way, brother-in-law Ivan Cleary will also return to the red and black.

“Nathan would be unreal. His old man being the coach would be even better,” Stuart said.

“I’m playing golf with Ivan this Wednesday, so I’ll have a chat.”

Stuart was on a mission at North Sydney Oval on Sunday at the CODE Sports Bar during the Beer, Footy, Food Festival, sharing some of his fondest memories with the Bears to hundreds of fans who turned out to meet the legends from the foundation club.

Originally published as Nathan Cleary’s uncle Josh Stuart reveals plans to try and lure Ivan and Nathan Cleary to Perth Bears franchise