Nathan Cleary and Mary Fowler may be the hottest power couple in Australian sport, but now they are headed for a showdown to see who can capture the hearts of Aussie fans.
Cleary, the three-time NRL premiership winner with the Penrith Panthers and Fowler, the Matildas striker who starred at the 2023 FIFA World Cup in the absence of injured skipper Sam Kerr, have been an item since October.
They first attracted attention as a possible couple when they were spotted together on two occasions following the Women’s World Cup.
Additionally, they were seen sharing ice cream after participating in a promotional event hosted by Adidas, a brand endorsed by both athletes.
The couple officially unveiled their romance in Perth in October, confirming the suspicions raised by their earlier sightings.
NRL star Nathan Cleary and Matildas striker Mary Fowler have become the hottest power couple in Australian sport
Fowler and the Matildas will line up at Accord Stadium at Homebush in Sydney in June
Cleary and the New South Wales Blues will line up against Queensland in the State of Origin at the same ground just two days later
Now they will be going head to head for crowd attendances and ratings with the Matildas and New South Wales Blues to share the same venue, just two days apart.
First up, the Matildas will host China in a vital pre-Olympic Games preparation match on June 3.
On June 5 the Blues will be looking to steal the State of Origin shield back from the Queensland Maroons at Homebush.
So who will win bragging rights when it comes to how many fans turn out?
On October 29, 2023, during the 2024 AFC Olympic qualifying match against the Philippines, the Matildas set a new home attendance record for a standalone match, with an impressive turnout of 59,155 spectators.
While that is well short of the record 91,513 fans that crammed into the Melbourne Cricket Ground to watch New South Wales take on Queensland in 2015, the Matlidas’ star is on the rise.
And while over 90,000 fans attended that Origin match at Australia’s largest venue, the gap shortens when you consider both team’s records at Accor Stadium.
When the stadium was first opened in 1999 ahead of the 2000 Sydney Olympics, a record crowd of 88,336 flocked to Homebush for its inaugural State of Origin clash.
However, the stadium has been reconfigured over the years and now has a maximum capacity of 83,500, which can only be achieved for concerts where the crowd can use the playing surface as well as the stands.
Accor Stadium, also called Stadium Australia, will be a hotbed of sporting action in 2024 – with the Matildas and NSW Blues to star there within two days of each other in June
Who will win the bragging rights? Fowler and her Matildas? Or Cleary and his NSW Blues?
The crowd figure for Origin in 2023 was 75,342, while the Matildas World Cup quarter final against England at the same venue attracted 75,784 – an official sellout that smashed their previous record by more than 15,000 people.
The Matildas will be optimistic about continuing their run of sellout games in Australia.
FIFA requirements and expanded media seating meant that the attendance was capped in the semi-final loss to England, so the Matildas have a chance to beat their previous record.
Football Australia CEO James Johnson certainly thinks they will, saying the national side has become ‘a box office entertainment juggernaut’ over the past 12 months.
‘Our senior national teams are Australia’s teams, and it is important we play matches in as many cities and regional centres as possible, and we are thrilled that the next set of Matildas’ home matches we will continue to open the door for all Australians to connect and witness the team live,’ he said.
Meanwhile, New South Wales has lost the last two Origin series to Queensland – and three out of the last four – which could make tickets harder to sell this time around.
It will certainly make for interesting dinner table discussions between Cleary and Fowler as both vie to be the hottest ticket in town this June.
