A look inside the romance between Aussie sporting stars Mary Fowler and Nathan Cleary
They're Aussie sports hottest couple, but how did they get to where they are today?
Matildas star Mary Fowler and Panthers player Nathan Cleary have been linked for about a year now, only recently going public with their romance.
They've quickly become one of Australia's most beloved couples, but it all started out very hush-hush.
Lets take a look at the romance between Australia's favourite sporting power couple so far.
It all started with an ice cream date.
Back in August of 2023 whispers began of a romance between two of Australia's biggest sporting stars.
Cleary and Fowler had been spotted on an ice-cream date on the Gold Coast, but the Panthers player was quick to shut down any rumours that the pair were dating.
Cleary's team told The Daily Telegraph that their outing was "just ice cream" and "nothing more"
But fans weren't buying it
One week later, The Daily Telegraph shared pictures of the two on a riverside stroll in Sydney, with a source telling the publication that they looked quite cozy.
"They were taking photos and talking with other locals, and walking up and down the Nepean River together for quite some time," the source shared.
At this point nothing was confirmed, but rumours started swirling with fans believing that the couple were indeed dating and had met at an Adidas promotional event, since the company sponsors both athletes.
But after their riverside stroll, we heard nothing for weeks.
Cleary and Fowler next popped up on our radar in October, 2023 in Perth for the 2024 Olympic Qualifiers.
Fowler was playing with the Tillys in an October 29 match against the Philippines, with media outlets reporting that Cleary had flown in to support her.
During their downtime, the pair were papped snuggled up in a park.
A source told The Daily Mail, "They could be seen laying together in the middle of an open park by the water – laughing, hugging, chatting."
But it wasn't until the next night that the rumours of a romance were taken to the next level.
On November 1, Cleary was spotted in the crowd supporting Fowler during the Tillis' match against Chinese Taipei.
When Fowler scored a goal in the 62nd minute, camera's immediately cut to Cleary in the crowd as he struggled to contain his excitement.
From this point on, Australia was convinced that Fowler and Cleary were our sporting power couple.
But neither had said a word about the relationship.
But Aussies only had to wait a few more weeks.
At the GQ Awards red carpet on December 7, Cleary was asked why he was attending solo.
"I'm just here by myself. No plus-one," he added, expertly avoiding mention of Fowler.
But the NRL star wasn't getting away that easy, as reporters than asked him where Fowler was.
"I knew this was coming," he responded, before simply saying, "She's busy."
And busy she was. Fowler was in Vancouver with her Tillies teammates as they competed in a round of friendlies against Canada.
Just two weeks later, the couple were papped reuniting at Sydney airport.
For months, fans waited for any kind of confirmation that they couple were indeed together.
There were rumours that they spent Christmas together on the Gold Coast after being spotted out to dinner with friends.
And while the duo weren't quite ready to go public, they seemed to be having fun with the speculation.
Pictured together in June 2024.
In mid-January, Cleary posted this picture on Instagram, with fans immediately speculating that he was resting on Fowler's legs.
The comments section was full of GIFs of Fowler, as well as followers working together to figure out what was going on.
"Anyone else zooming in like the fbi 😂🤭🧐," wrote one Instagram user.
But it wasn't long before the duo finally put the rumours to rest.
The next week, Cleary confirmed that fans were right about his previous post, sharing a snap of him lying in Fowler's lap on the beach.
The footy star sneakily captioned the post, "That's life…🍦," with fans immediately making the connection between the ice cream emoji and the couple's first date.
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