NRL boss goes public with Mary Fowler plan as Cleary linked with $600m team switch

Yahoo

03-03-2025

NRL CEO Andrew Abdo has revealed he hopes Mary Fowler's heritage will help grow rugby league in PNG and make the new team a success. And he admitted it would be the icing on the cake if her boyfriend Nathan Cleary decides to play for the PNG franchise as well.
The Australian government has given the NRL $600 million to set up a new team in Port Moresby, and the PNG franchise will come into the competition in 2028. Part of the $600 million will go towards building a gated community for the players and their families to live in, and potential targets will have the added incentive of not having to pay tax if they decide to join the new team.
Speculation has been rife about which top players might be lured to PNG, and Cleary would undoubtedly be No.1 on the wish list. Adding to the speculation around Cleary is the fact Fowler's mum was born in PNG and she still has family there.
Speaking on the 'Hello Sport' podcast this week, Abdo said he hopes Cleary and Fowler stay together long-term so she can help promote the PNG franchise. 'It could be something that plays out in the future as something really exciting,' Abdo said. 'A really exciting combination isn't it?
"It captivates people. There will be a lot of people that are Mary Fowler fans that now are interested in rugby league. There's a lot of people who know nothing about sport who are interested in the romance between the two. And obviously if Nathan was playing for PNG down the track that would be pretty interesting as well.'
In Las Vegas last weekend for the NRL's season opener, Cleary was asked about the links between himself and PNG. The Panthers superstar admitted someone like him who doesn't have young children would be the perfect fit.
'It's not something I've had to think about too much,' he said. 'Obviously I don't have a family. In saying that, that will be spoken about quite a bit, especially if it's a young family. We'll have to wait and see.
'I think it's honestly amazing with Papua New Guinea. I've been over there once and it was like a NSW Cup trial and the crowd was unmatched to anything I've seen, so I couldn't imagine actually having their own NRL team to get behind. I think it's great for them. It's pretty cool with the incentive of the tax (concessions) that they can try and draw big-name players in. It'll be interesting.'
Cleary's current contract with the Panthers runs until the end of the 2027 season, meaning he will be a free agent in 2028 when the PNG team comes in. The dream scenario would be for Nathan and father Ivan Cleary to both make the move north, with Ivan becoming the team's inaugural coach.
Players who sign-up to play for the PNG team will be given special exemptions and won't have to pay tax. That means if Cleary is on $1.2 million, he'd be able to keep around $500,000 that he'd normally hand back to the government through tax.
Speaking in December, NRL great Scott Sattler shot down suggestions that veteran players like Cameron Munster (who have small children) would be willing to move to PNG with their families. "Cameron Munster will be 33, going on 34 (in 2028)," Sattler said. "He's got three kids at the moment and may have more by then. I can't see Munster taking his young family up to Port Moresby."
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But according to Sattler, suggestions that Cleary could join the new team aren't too far-fetched. "Nathan and Ivan Cleary come off contract at the end of 2027, and by 2028 Jett Cleary (Nathan's brother) might have played 50 NRL games with the Warriors. For 2028, the conspiracy is all going to play out," Sattler said tongue-in-cheek.
"The Clearys times three - Ivan, Nathan and Jett - will sign with PNG, and move up there with Mary. We think this could be a conspiracy that's all been playing out in front of our eyes."