Nathan Cleary won’t be spending the next few weeks lapping up the Penrith Panthers’ premiership triumph, with father Ivan revealing he’ll jet off to the UK to spend some time with Mary Fowler. Nathan Cleary helped steer the Panthers to a fourth-straight premiership on Sunday night, but is set to depart the country and cut his celebrations short.

Speaking at the Panthers’ awards night on Tuesday, father and coach Ivan Cleary revealed his son is set to make his way to the UK this week to see his girlfriend. Fowler is currently in England playing for Manchester City and wasn’t able to make the trip down under to watch the NRL grand final.

Ivan also revealed that Nathan has put shoulder surgery on hold for two weeks so he can make the most of his down-time with Fowler. “He’s heading overseas to see Mary, spend some time with her, and then he’ll get it done,” Ivan told Channel 7.

“(There was) a little bit of work done today to see if he needs surgery and whatnot. We’ve got some guys picked in rep teams which is always exciting, so good times.”

The four-time premiership winning coach said the last few days had been “pretty hectic”, but “it’s been with the people you love so it’s pretty cool. So much work goes into a premiership campaign and so many things have got to go right and, yeah, it still feels a little surreal.”

Nathan Cleary’s overseas trip might raise a few eyebrows

Nathan Cleary wasn’t picked in Mal Meninga’s Kangaroos squad for the upcoming Pacific Championships, with Australia’s first game on October 18. It was thought he would head in for immediate surgery on the shoulder issue that has plagued him for most of the season.

But the fact he won’t get the surgery done for a couple of weeks might raise eyebrows at NRL headquarters. It’s completely understandable that Cleary won’t be playing for the Kangaroos due to his shoulder injury. But should he be on an overseas holiday while Australia are playing without him?

It might not sit well with Kalyn Ponga considering he was forced to backflip on his decision to make himself unavailable for the Kangaroos due to fears of burnout. Ponga eventually declared he was available to play, only for Meninga to overlook him for selection anyway. There’s no suggestion Cleary should be forced to play through his injury for the Kangaroos, but some might feel it’s a bad look to be heading overseas after making himself unavailable to play.

Could Nathan Cleary play in England to be closer to Mary Fowler?

Cleary’s trip to see Fowler will also do nothing to ease the fears of Panthers fans that he might decide to leave the club to play in the Super League. Rumours have been rife that Cleary might join a club in the UK to be closer to Fowler, with nothing left for the superstar halfback to achieve in Australia.

Earlier this year, the 26-year-old admitted he was open to playing in the Super League one day, and it makes complete sense if he wants to spend more time with his Manchester-based girlfriend. Panthers boss Brian Fletcher and Cleary’s agent George Mimis have both dismissed the speculation in recent times, but Cleary previously said: “Yes, I’m not against it. I have a pretty open mind to that kind of stuff. I think just being able to experience different cultures and different experiences is something I enjoy doing. I’m not closed off to that idea.”

Meanwhile, Cleary’s co-captain Isaah Yeo won the Panthers’ player of the year award on Tuesday night. Mitch Kenny won the John Farragher award for courage and determination, while Liam Henry received the Ben Alexander Rookie of the Year award.