Nathan Cleary has some thinking to do, after Hull KR offered him a four-year, $1.9 million-a-season deal to move to England, play in the Super League until at least the end of the 2031 season — and, most importantly, live near partner Mary Fowler, who’s signed with Manchester City in the Women’s Super League.
Hull KR originally made an informal offer back around the first round of the NRL season — they’ve been keen on getting Cleary as a big-money signing for some time — but nothing progressed much further there until just recently, when they knocked again.
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Cleary, who is ringing in his 200th game in Australia’s top rugby league competition this week, is only signed with the Panthers until the end of 2027 and can formally sign new deals from November.
He’s also been very vocal about wanting to live closer to Mary for some time now. Hull is just two hours away from Manchester, which certainly beats the 24-hour-plus travel from Penrith. There’s no guarantee Fowler is still in Manchester, either, and may be able to move closer to Hull. Her deal with the Sky Blues right now runs through to 2027 as well.
The 28-year-old just recently said he was “not closing any doors” on his future beyond 2027, though he also pointed out he’s never really declared he’s going to market and is just happy to let his agent figure out the finer details before things get serious.
“I don’t think I’ve ever announced it [going on the market],” Clearly said. “I’m at the stage now where I’m like, there’s no point even talking about it.”
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It’s no secret every single other club in the NRL would kill to have Cleary in their roster, and he’ll likely earn a whole lot more than the $1.2M-a-year he’s on right now. Rugby Australia has also been sniffing around for some time, but Cleary has long made it clear he loves rugby league too much to quit the thirteen-man code for a hand in other footy.
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“I’m still contracted here for two years, and it feels like such a long time for me. It hasn’t been a discussion; I just said I wasn’t gonna close off any avenues,” the four-time NRL champion continued.
“It’s come pretty early – maybe it’s something that needs to be fast-tracked.”
