Cleary's first state representative selection came in 2012 in the Victorian youth eight who contested the Bicentennial Cup at the Interstate Regatta within the Australian Rowing Championships.
[2] On four occasions from 2013 to 2017 Cleary was selected in Victoria's senior women's eights competing for the Queen's Cup at the Interstate Regatta.
[3] In 2014 she was Victoria's representative contesting and winning the interstate single-sculls championship for the Nell Slatter Trophy.
That year she competed at both the World Rowing U23 Championships in Linz in the Australian U23 eight and also at the 2013 World Rowing Championships in Chungju Korea where she was called into the Australian senior quad scull to race the B final when Madeleine Edmunds fell ill.[4] In 2014 Cleary and Kerry Hore joined Edmunds and Jessica Hall in the Australian quad scull.
With Poland and the Netherlands taking the lead it was a battle between the rest for the remaining two spots in A Final.