Nathan Cleary heads overseas in big Fowler news

Ivan Cleary has spilled the beans on his son Nathan’s big Mary Fowler secret and why he has delayed shoulder surgery.

Nathan Cleary is heading overseas to see girlfriend Mary Fowler, delaying shoulder surgery to take a well-earned break.

Panthers coach Ivan Cleary spilled the beans on his son’s getaway, speaking from the club’s Merv Cartwright Medal presentation night.

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The proud dad said the surgery will be delayed a “couple weeks”.

“He’s heading overseas to see Mary, spend some time with her, and then he’ll get it done,” he told 7News.

“(There was) a little bit of work today to see who needs surgery and whatnot. We’ve got some guys picked in rep teams which is always exciting, so good times.”

Cleary is scheduled to attend the club’s fan day on Wednesday.

Rumours of Cleary moving to the UK won’t go away anytime soon. Picture Instagram @maryfowlerrr

The couple went public in April. Photo: Instagram

Fowler is in the UK playing for Manchester City where her team’s 2-0 win over West Ham kicked off just over an hour after Cleary helped his team to an extraordinary fourth-consecutive premiership.

It doesn’t mean the Matildas star wasn’t watching the NRL Grand Final unfold.

As the grand final contest unfolded, Fowler’s name became a hot topic of conversation on social media as viewers hoped to catch a glimpse of the Matildas superstar.

While there was no chance of her jumping over the fence and rushing out onto Accor Stadium into Cleary’s arms, Fowler managed to melt hearts on social media with a one word upload.

In a post to her Instagram stories, Fowler shared an image of Cleary posing with the NRL premiership trophy while holding up four fingers.

She captioned the image with one word, “Him,” which she accompanied with a love heart eyes emoji and a flame.

Mary Fowler's post melts hearts

The loved up couple. Picture Instagram @_nathancleary

With Cleary booked in for surgery, Dylan Edwards, Isaah Yeo, Lindsay Smith and Liam Martin were the Panthers players named in Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga’s team on Monday.

The mercurial playmaker suffered the shoulder injury in Round 24, but managed to get himself back on the field for the club’s three most important matches of the year.

Fowler, 21, and Cleary, 26, went public with their relationship in November last year and recently found themselves at the centre of swirling rumours.

Murmurings spread that the Panthers halfback wants to be closer to his girlfriend as their relationship continues to blossom despite the pair living on opposite sides of the globe.

According to the rumour mill, Cleary was considering exploring the option of taking a year away to play one season for a Super League club in the UK where Fowler spends most of her time as a member of Manchester City.

Jarome Luai and Nathan Cleary on the black carpet for the Panthers presentation night at the Pullman Hotel in Penrith. Picture: Jonathan Ng.

Fowler found the back of the net. (Photo by Ben Roberts Photo/Getty Images)

Cleary recently opened up on their relationship and said he’s constantly checking in on his partner and how she’s dealing with the scrutiny of it all.

”I felt a bit sorry for Mary, just with her personal life being in the spotlight too and all the added attention,” he told the Sydney Morning Herald.

“For her, it’s all blown up so quickly, just after the World Cup last year, then us two.

“I’m always checking in on her, but she handles it well.

“It’s been a meteoric rise, but she’s humble and has got a very good head on her shoulders.”

The couple only made their relationship official in April, but have since admitted they began seeing each other in November.

Despite the long-distance relationship, the loved up couple got to spend plenty of time together after Fowler returned home as Cleary was sidelined with injury earlier this year.

Photos of the pair out and about in Sydney in June showed the affectionate couple looking surprisingly at ease in front of the cameras.

With the NRL season now officially wrapped up, Cleary can close the distance on their relationship and take in the sights around the UK.

— This report incorrectly stated Nathan Cleary did not attend the Merv Cartwright Medal presentation night and this has since been updated

Originally published as Nathan Cleary heads overseas in big Fowler news