Mary Fowler reveals baby plans with NRL player Nathan Cleary - as Matildas star looks toward retirement

Daily Mail​

2 days ago

She's one of Australia's most beloved football stars, but Mary Fowler is already dreaming of trading stadiums for stables.
The Matildas forward, 22, has revealed her long-term plans with NRL beau Nathan Cleary - and they include babies, adoption, and a life surrounded by animals on a rural property.
Currently recovering from an ACL injury in England, Fowler gave fans an intimate look into her hopes for the future and after retiring from sport during a candid appearance on the Keegan and Company podcast.
Despite being more than 17,000km away from home - and with no plans to play in Australia again 'any time soon, if ever' - Fowler says she's already looking ahead to a quieter life with the Penrith Panthers halfback.
'I really want to have a big family,' she said.
'The only dream I have at the moment is to be a mum and have heaps of kids and be in a space where they can play outside a lot.'
Not content with just a picket fence and a swing set, Mary is thinking big - envisioning a home where her future children can get their hands dirty in the veggie patch, feed farm animals, and 'run wild in the mud.'
'If I had the set-up for that, it would be a dream,' she added.
Mary, who hails from Cairns and is one of five siblings herself - Caoimhin, Seamus, Ciara and Louise - said she sees a similar-sized family in her own future.
'I would love to have two or three kids of my own and then adopt,' she revealed.
'I don't know how many I would adopt, it's a long process. But in an ideal world I would like to adopt siblings. I would bring all of them into the home.'
Nathan, 26, is the eldest of four children in the Cleary clan, which includes sisters Indiana and Milaya, and younger brother Jett.
But it's not just kids the sports golden couple are planning on welcoming into their future home.
Fowler also wants a fully-fledged animal sanctuary – complete with a cow, goats, geese, a pig, and a towering Great Dane.
'I really want to have a whole range of animals,' she said, laughing. 'It's very random and I'm trying to convince Nath that it would be a good idea.'
While her vision may seem like a far cry from the world of elite sport and international fame, Fowler insists it's the grounded, wholesome life she's always imagined.
'I'm not as bothered about what the house would look like, I just want to have space for a garden set-up to grow my own crops.'
Mary's comments come as she continues her rehab journey after undergoing surgery for a torn ACL she suffered in April – a devastating blow that's kept her sidelined from the pitch.
But despite the setback, she's choosing to see it as a pause that's allowed her to reflect on what really matters.