Rumors of a superstar sports romance between Matilda Mary Fowler and NRL gun Nathan Cleary reached fever pitch after flying to WA to watch her play at Optus Stadium.
On Sunday, eagle-eyed fans clocked Penrith Panther, 25, at the stadium to watch Fowler score in the Matildas’ 8-0 win over the Philippines in their latest Olympic qualifier.
There have been rumors of a budding romance between Fowler, 20, and Cleary after they were spotted together on several occasions during Australia’s run to the Women’s World Cup semi-finals earlier this year.
The rugby league star traveled the 4000km to WA on Sunday, even though he is recovering from a knee injury suffered during his team’s NRL grand final last month.
Two fans couldn’t believe their chances when they saw Cleary at Optus Stadium and asked him for a selfie.
He readily agreed, flashing a smile in a graphic T-shirt that said “Angel Sometimes.”
During the World Cup, he and Fowler were seen by locals walking along the Nepean River in Penrith.
The two were spotted enjoying ice cream together and they also follow each other on Instagram.
Cleary had previously played coy about any romance with Fowler when he was interviewed on the Kyle and Jackie O radio show saying, “No, no, we’re not going to bring that up.”
But on the same show, Cleary’s teammate Jarome Laui wasn’t so shy, teasing: “He (Nathan) was a little shy about it, that’s all.”
“I tried to get information out of him. I want to see my brother happy, he’s looking for some love. Yeah, but we’ll see how they turn out.
Others have previously insisted the pair were “just friends” before Cleary’s latest sighting in Perth.
“Dating” is a hot topic in sports circles.
Hello Sport podcast host Eddy Simpson previously joked: “If you eat ice cream with someone, that means something. Might as well hold your hand.
“Unless they’re doing an ice cream commercial, they’re dating.”
Cleary has been single for a year after a brief romance with model Tèah Foot.
