Cleary’s 24-hour mission to visit Fowler during Vegas trip

Penrith superstar Nathan Cleary was given the club’s blessing to embark on a 24-hour hit-and-run mission to watch girlfriend Mary Fowler play for the Matildas in San Diego on Wednesday night.

Cleary flew out of Las Vegas late Tuesday night to be with his partner who was preparing for a SheBelieves Cup match against Colombia the following day.

The Panthers had a scheduled day off and Cleary didn’t miss any of the team’s football commitments. He returned to the hotel in Las Vegas late Wednesday night, following the Matildas 2-1 defeat.

Cleary’s trip came a few days after Triple M and Marty Sheargold parted ways after the radio host’s comments about the women’s national soccer team on Monday drew a furious backlash.

During his show on Monday, Sheargold said he would rather “hammer a nail through the head of my penis than watch” women’s soccer, before asking: “Got any men’s sport?”

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Cleary attended a fan fest activity the following morning at Resorts World in Las Vegas and was asked about the comments.

“It’s pretty sad that people are still saying that sort of stuff,” Cleary said. “It’s just unnecessary.”

Cleary’s trip was pre-approved by the club weeks before heading to Las Vegas, and the Panthers No. 7 returned to training as normal on Thursday as the team prepares for their season opener against the Sharks on Saturday (Vegas time).