‘Thanks for dropping me’: Why Mary Fowler remains indebted to Matildas’ coach Tony Gustavsson

Benching an emerging superstar is a huge call, but Mary Fowler is convinced it was the making of her as an elite footballer and a person.

No matter what lies ahead for Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson after the Olympics, Mary Fowler remains indebted to him for the most unusual reason.

He took her out of the starting line-up. And a bit of tough medicine helped her grow.

“Looking back now the thing I appreciate the most from him was when I was not performing too well he benched me,’’ Fowler said.

“It seems silly to say it but I do appreciate if a coach can be honest and say you are not at the top of your game. He’s been good.

“You can be benched and you will have to work for it again to get that starting spot. I am able to look back at that time and see I changed as a player and as a person. It made me better. It was quite pivotal to me becoming more in form today. He has been good for me from a growth stand point.’’

The hard call is what Fowler values most about Matildas’ head coach Tony Gustavsson. Picture: Alex Grimm – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images

Fowler is referring to the 2023 Cup of Nations.

After the 2020 Tokyo Olympics Fowler had been a regular starter for Gustavsson – it was hard not to pick her after a 103rd-minute match-saving goal against Great Britain in the Olympic quarter-final.

But at the 2023 Cup of Nations Gustavsson moved his rising star to the bench.

She played in the opening match against Czechia, was unused against Spain and given limited minutes against Jamaica.

At the time Fowler was also playing at Manchester City in the WSL.

It was her first season and she played just 167 minutes across 11 matches.

Fowler threw everything she had into training at club and international level – working her way back into Gustavsson’s starting side for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup – where she excelled.

Fowler has become one of the most popular sportspeople in Australia with a remarkable array of big name sponsors including the recent honour of having a Barbie doll made in her likeness, an honour which left her “speechless’’.

Mary Fowler with Barbie Doll made in her honour. Picture: Instagram

“Barbie was probably the biggest pinch myself moment because I never dreamt that Barbie would even be looking at me as someone they would want to have.

“The hair was exactly the same as my hair at the World Cup, even down to the colour of it. I also like the boots. When you look up close it is exactly the same as the adidas boots that I wore. That was quite cool. And they were also my gloves that I wore in the World Cup.’’

Fowler agreed the Matildas don’t have far to search for their Olympic inspiration after Cathy Freeman made a surprise appearance to them in camp before last year’s World Cup. It left them star struck and reinforced the grandeur of an Olympic legacy like no other.

Fowler with Cathy Freeman, early 2024. Picture: Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

“It was amazing. Everyone was just shocked when they saw her. The staff that organised it did a really good job (to keep it secret),” Fowler said.

“What stood out to me was just how genuine she was. She was just a lovely lady. She made everyone laugh but she was so real about her story.

“I like the fact that everything she did she did it because that was what she wanted to do. She wasn’t swayed by what other people wanted her to be. She just believed in herself.’’

“I always get inspired by people who are such amazing athletes but are also such genuine people outside their sport. Cathy is all of that. It was such an amazing moment and something all of us will remember for the rest of our lives.

Fowler, who grew up as one of five siblings who played soccer together on the beach in Cairns, says her early days shaped her competitive mindset.

“I would say growing up with heaps of siblings on the beach it made me so competitive. When I am in games and things are not going our way I just don’t want to give up.’’

Fowler’s father Kevin hails from Ireland so she will have relatives from that nation watching her from a not too distant port when she competes in Paris.

“I definitely feel connected to Ireland just as I feel a connection to mum’s side – Papua New Guinea. That’s the nice thing about our family is being able to feel part of both countries at a time growing up. I have been over to Ireland a couple of times. My grandad’s there.’’