How the Wests Tigers' $9 million Cleary-Fowler bid came together

New details have emerged about how the Wests Tigers put together their failed bid for Nathan Cleary and his partner, Matildas star Mary Fowler. Tigers CEO Shaun Mielekamp, who previously lured Usain Bolt to the Central Coast Mariners, began planning the move around two months ago, knowing the club couldn't land Cleary on his own. The tipping point was Fowler returning to Australia to help Cleary recover from his injury. One hurdle was Fowler's $10 million Adidas deal, which includes conditions about playing in a top-tier competition, as a move to the A-League Women could affect its value. Holman Barnes Group signed off on making Fowler the highest-paid player in the A-League, and Cleary's camp invited the Tigers to submit a formal offer this week. They did, but Cleary's management rejected it about an hour after the story became public. Cleary will now re-sign with Penrith.

By Michael Carayannis, CODE Sports — read the full story