Mary Fowler and Nathan Cleary have been given a couple nickname - and fans hate it

Move over 'Brangelina' and 'Bennifer'. Nathan Cleary and Mary Fowler's relationship has received its own nickname, but it hasn't exactly gone down well with fans.

The NRL and football stars are the 'it' couple of the sporting world right now, with fans in a frenzy over any updates on the Aussie stars. Cleary and Fowler were reunited in Sydney last week for the first time since November, with Fowler flying home for a Christmas break after spending the last month with club team Manchester City in England.

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Cleary met Fowler at the airport, with the happy couple sharing a kiss as they reunited. They've been seen on multiple outings in the days that have followed, with Fowler reportedly staying with Cleary over the Christmas period.

The level of interest in the relationship has ascended to the level where Cleary and Fowler have been given their own couple nickname. One article published on Saturday dubbed them 'Nath-ilda', and it wasn't the first time it's been used.

The 'Nath' part obviously stems from Cleary's first name, and the 'ilda' comes from the fact Fowler plays for the Matildas. But the more it gets used the more backlash it receives on social media.

Prominent Panthers fan Nat Hanrahan wrote on X on Saturday: "This is absolutely the worst possible couple nickname they could’ve come up with. Simply unacceptable in my opinion."

Another fan commented: "It doesn’t even have her name in it. She’s arguably the bigger name. Unbelievable." Others suggested their nickname should be 'Clear-Fowl' as it's a perfect reference to their sporting careers (more so Fowler's).

Nathan Cleary questions shut down at Mary Fowler event

Fowler was the guest of honour at the Rise & Shine Kindergarten in Carlton on Wednesday, where she answered questions from reporters after being announced as the business' new ambassador. But questions about Cleary were swiftly shut down by her media managers.

Fowler did speak to her meteoric rise in 2023 as she became a household name with her starring role in the Matildas' historic run to the semi-finals of the Women's World Cup. “When you start out, you don’t really think too much about these things,” she said.

“I never would have thought that I’d get the opportunities that I do now, but as I’ve got more opportunities being out in the spotlight a bit more, it’s made me realise the kind of responsibilities that you have to all these people that are watching you. I’ve always thought that the biggest way for me to inspire someone is for me being myself, so that’s what I do when I’m out there. I try to be genuine, and if that makes someone want to go after a dream or smile, then that would make me happy.”

The 20-year-old admitted she's been blown away by the level interest shown by the Australian public in women's football this year. “It’s been an incredible year. It’s hard to put into words how big it’s been,” she said.

“I didn’t expect that (how much Australia embraced the Matildas). I think the majority of us went into the World Cup not expecting that, but that was amazing. I think that was the best part of the World Cup, to see how many people got behind us and how together Australia came.”

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