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Australia's premier sporting power couple have been reunited at last, with Mary Fowler cheering her NRL star boyfriend Nathan Cleary to victory in the second Ashes Test against England.
Mary Fowler and Nathan Cleary's relationship first drew attention in mid-2023 after they were photographed together at several public events, including an ice-cream date and a park outing soon after the Women's World Cup.
The pair confirmed their romance later that year, with Cleary attending Matildas matches and Fowler spotted supporting Penrith's NRL finals campaign.
In 2024, they balanced their high-profile sporting careers with a long-distance relationship as Fowler played in England for Manchester City while Cleary remained in Australia.
The couple were able to catch up earlier this year when Fowler was in Australia with the Matildas, despite recovering from an ACL tear.
She was unable to watch Cleary in the first Ashes Test as it clashed with her Manchester City commitments.
Nathan Cleary catches up with his support crew including his family and girlfriend Mary Fowler
Nathan shares an embrace with brother Jett, who is carving his own NRL path in New Zealand
But she made the 'mad dash' to Liverpool after Man City teammates had played against West Ham.
She sat with the Cleary family, including coach Ivan, his wife Rebecca and Nathan's rising NRL star brother Jett Cleary - who is likely to feature for the New Zealand Warriors in 2026.
And Nathan made a beeline for them at the conclusion of the 14-4 win that sealed the Ashes in emotional scenes.
'Love this family and what they stand for. Love the way they all support each other. Amazing roll models,' one fan posted.
'This is how I want my son to grow up. Beautiful family,' added another.
It was a touching reunion made even more special by the fact Cleary said the couple want to have children together in the future.
'Yeah, it does [cross my mind],' Cleary said about starting a family before the series began.
'Like, that's probably my biggest goal in life – to one day be a father. But it's just probably not meant to be at the moment, and there are still things that have to fall into place.
Fowler and Cleary have been juggling a long-distance relationship since they first became official in 2023
'We're both in the middle of our sporting journeys and enjoying that. When the day comes, I would absolutely love that. But yeah, it's just not right now.'
Their union has not been an easy one, juggling sporting commitments on the other side of the world from each other.
Earlier this year Fowler said the time they had together in Australia in the early stages of their relationship had helped cement their bond and make it work.
'I think it helped that we started off as long distance, because we didn't have to transition from having so much nice time together, and then doing it,' Fowler said.
'Which I think is quite difficult. Like, I know couples that have been together for years and then one them has to go abroad for a bit, and it is just really difficult to transition from having that close contact and quality time, to now having a phone call. It just doesn't match up.
'But I think for the both of us, we just really enjoy having deep conversations and it has just worked for us how we've adjusted to having phone calls and having quality time on the phone.'
