Rumours of a superstar sporting romance between Matilda Mary Fowler and NRL gun Nathan Cleary have reached fever pitch after he flew to WA to watch her play at Optus Stadium.
On Sunday, eagle-eyed fans clocked the 25-year-old Penrith Panther at the stadium to see Fowler score in the Matildas’ 8-0 win against the Philippines in their latest Olympic qualifier.
There have been whispers about a budding romance between Fowler, 20, and Cleary after they were spotted out together several times during Australia’s run to the semifinals at the Women’s World Cup earlier this year.
On Sunday, the rugby league star made the 4000km dash to WA even though he is recovering from a knee injury suffered in his team’s NRL grand final victory last month.
Two fans couldn’t believe their luck when they saw Cleary at Optus Stadium and asked him for a selfie.
He gladly obliged, flashing a smile in an illustrated T-shirt that said “Angel sometimes”.
During the World Cup, he and Fowler were seen by locals taking a stroll along the Nepean River in Penrith.
The pair were seen again enjoying ice cream together and they also follow each other on Instagram.
Cleary previously played coy on any romance with Fowler when he was grilled on the Kyle and Jackie O radio show saying: “Nah, nah, we’re not going to get into that.”
But on the same show Cleary’s teammate Jarome Laui wasn’t so shy, teasing, “He (Nathan) was a bit shy about it, that’s all.
“I’ve been trying to get some information out of him. I wanna see my bro happy, he’s on the lookout for some love. Yeah, but we’ll see how they go.”
Others have previously insisted the pair are “just friends” before Cleary’s latest sighting in Perth.
The “dates” have been a hot topic in sporting circles.
Hello Sport podcast host Eddy Simpson previously joked: “If you’re having an ice cream with someone, that’s saying something. You may as well be holding hands.”
“Unless they’re doing an ice cream commercial then they’re essentially dating.”
Cleary has been single for a year following a brief romance with model Tèah Foot.