Matildas goalkeeper, Mackenzie Arnold — AKA Australia’s brick wall — has slightly roasted Mary Fowler‘s rumoured relationship with Penrith Panthers captain Nathan Cleary. As a Parramatta Eels fan, I 100 per cent agree with Arnold’s two cents.
Tillies fans were recently hung up over the romance of Fowler and Cleary. Rumours of a relationship first began to swirl a while back when Thomas Birmingham and Eddy Simpson claimed they saw a Sydney Morning Herald article about the two sports superstars going on a cheeky ice cream date.
The rumours soon escalated after The Daily Telegraph shared pap photos of Cleary and Fowler walking around the Nepean River. It was radio silent — for like 10 seconds in my eyes — and then BOOM! Soon, the pair were spotted getting cozy in Perth during the Matildas run in the Asian Olympic Qualifier.
Although the pair were visibly romantic, as there was documented cuddling and hand-holding, as per Daily Mail Australia, they’ve yet to publicly confirm that they are indeed a couple.
However, one Tillies star has chucked in her two cents on her thoughts on the Penrith Panthers el Capitano.
During an interview with 2DAY FM’s Hughesy, Ed & Erin, Arnold said that seeing Cleary in the crowd during the Matildas Asia Olympic Qualifiers was “a little bit different”.
“Seeing Nathan Cleary in the crowd was a little bit different for us. I was still pretty salty from the (NRL) Grand Final to be honest,” Macca told the radio hosts.
You see, Arnold is a Brisbane Broncos fan, and if you’re someone who doesn’t keep up with sports, here’s a quick summary. Basically, the Broncos CHOKED during the NRL grand final against the Panthers back in October.
To add some extra salt in the wounds of Bronco’s fans — specifically Arnold — it was Cleary who won the winning try for the Panthers, owning them their third NRL Premiership title in a row.
“I wasn’t happy about it,” Arnold continued, venting about her saltiness towards the Panthers player.
“I let Mary know that he couldn’t come on the field.”
Again, as a Parramatta Eels who is still salty over the 2022 NRL grand final, Arnold is correct!
As for Cleary’s teammates, Brian To’o has stirred the pot via Cleary’s most recent Instagram posts. In his first holiday dump, To’o commented, “My guy”, followed by a soccer ball emoji and heart emoji. In the second IG dump, Cleary’s fellow teammate posted the same thing, but instead of a heart emoji it was a ring.
Some folks have speculated an engagement, but honestly, I think To’o is just stirring the pot as Tillies fans seem to flock to Cleary’s page for Fowler content.
Despite being the anti-Panthers, I must admit that I find Fowler and Cleary super cute together.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Their relationship is reminiscent of when the two school captains start dating. They are literally a power couple.
Again, neither Fowler or Cleary have confirmed the romance so I guess we just have to sit tight and wait for a launch.
Image source: Getty Images / Chris Hyde for FIFA
