The telling comments Nathan Cleary made as he began his secret relationship with Mary Fowler suggest the smitten power couple could make a move that will rock Australian sport

Nathan Cleary and Mary Fowler’s fans are no doubt wondering how they will keep their romance going when she returns to England to play for Manchester City this week – but the NRL star may have already answered their questions in a very revealing statement.

The sporting power couple took their relationship public on Wednesday in a series of stunning photos taken exclusively by Daily Mail Australia.

Those images came after speculation the couple started dating in August, when they walked along Sydney’s Nepean River and enjoyed an ice cream together.

That same month, Cleary referred to the Matildas when asked about making a huge career change that would pave the way for him to join her in Britain as her career goes from strength to strength.

Now their fans will be wondering how the couple will maintain their relationship when Fowler leaves her boyfriend 10,000 miles away to play football in England – but Cleary may have already answered that question.

Rugby Australia attempted to defect some of the NRL’s biggest stars at the time after securing the signature of Roosters sensation Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii – and Cleary gave a telling response when asked if he wanted to make the move himself to make.

One of the biggest draws that rugby union has for NRL players is the chance to participate in the code’s World Cup and play in front of a truly global audience – a fact not lost on the Penrith halfback.

“The Matildas, what they were able to do, you can’t do that in rugby league,” Cleary said.

“I think that’s the exciting part of a union, it’s on the global stage.

“If you did it for Australia that would be a big thing because Australia has kind of neglected the union for a while and it hasn’t been a big thing yet.

“I think part of it is an exciting prospect,” he told the paper Sporty news.

Although the governing body would want Cleary to play for an Australian Super Rugby team if he were to defect, he would attract huge interest from sides in Britain if he were to become available.

Fowler plays for English giants Manchester City (pictured) – and coming back to Australia to play for a local team would be a huge step backwards for her

On the other hand, Cleary (pictured during the Panthers’ 2023 grand final win) could earn more money and further his career by switching to rugby union and joining her in Britain.

While most code-switched NRL players play at the back, Cleary is a generational talent at halfback who could make it in Britain’s biggest union competition, the Gallagher Premiership.

A start at an English club would not only bring him closer to Fowler, it would also be financially lucrative.

The league’s highest-paid player, Charles Piutau of the Bristol Bears, makes $1.9 million per season

Even a relative newcomer to the game, former NRL star Semi Radradra, takes home just over $1 million a year from the Bristol Bears.

Former South Sydney star Sam Burgess made headlines in both countries when he switched codes and played for Bath in the English top flight in a bid to play for his home country in the 2015 World Cup.

Rugby Australia has already convinced Roosters NRL star Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii to switch codes and would be falling over himself to get Cleary into the Wallabies line-up

Former NRL star Sam Burgess made the move to English rugby league in 2014 after leading Souths to grand finals – and now that Cleary has won three premierships in a row and talked about playing union, he could do the same

The Wallabies halves have been a weak spot for the team for some time and that was the case at the recent World Cup in France, where the team recorded their worst ever result in the tournament when they were eliminated in the group stages.

Rugby Australia is said to be desperate for a player with Cleary’s ability in scrum or fly half with the country hosting the World Cup in 2027 – using the event as a major draw to convince NRL stars like Suaalii to make the switch.

The Panthers kingpin is committed to the club until the end of 2027, but it has been proven that contracts in the NRL are easy to break if the player is willing to make financial sacrifices.

Additionally, the 25-year-old has conquered every mountain the NRL has to offer, winning three consecutive premierships and playing for NSW and Australia.

Cleary and Fowler’s high-profile long-distance affair brings back memories of rugby league star Solomon Haumono’s whirlwind relationship with British model Gabrielle Richens in the 1990s, with the league player taking drastic measures to keep the romance going.

The situation brings back memories of the front-page romance between Solomon Haumono and British model Gabrielle Richens (pictured together) in the 1990s.

Richens rose to fame in Australia after playing a stripper in a controversial Virgin commercial in which she was nicknamed ‘The Pleasure Machine’.

Haumono made headlines around the world when he left rugby league to be with her on the other side of the world.

In 1998, Haumono – who was then a contracted player with the Canterbury Bulldogs – flew from Australia to Britain to be with her without telling his family or club, only to end up back in Sydney the following year to play for Balmain.

Cleary wouldn’t pack up and leave in quite the same way, but he would be much better able to make a life for himself in England while branding himself as a major cross-code.