Mary Fowler shares cryptic ‘heartbreak’ post upon returning to England

Matildas hero Mary Fowler has set tongues wagging with an emotional post weeks after arriving back in England for her club duties.

Matildas hero Mary Fowler has set tongues wagging with an emotional Instagram post weeks after arriving back in England from Australia to continue her club duties with Manchester City.

In a post captioned “journey > destination” the 20-year-old football superstar shared a series of photos featuring her life in recent weeks both on and off the field.

But one slide featuring a poem from author L.R. Knost had some fans wondering if it hinted at struggles in her life away from the field given the poem touches on parts of life that are “awful” and “heartbreaking”.

“Life is amazing. And then it’s awful. And then it’s amazing again. And in between the amazing and awful it’s ordinary and mundane and routine,” the poem reads.

“Breathe in the amazing, hold on through the awful, and relax and exhale during the ordinary. That’s just living heartbreaking, soul-healing, amazing, awful, ordinary life. And it’s breathtakingly beautiful.”

It’s come one month after Fowler’s relationship with 26-year-old Penrith Panthers superstar Nathan Cleary was seemingly confirmed with the publication of a series of loved-up pictures of the pair cuddling in a park in Perth.

However the pair are encountering a tricky time in their budding relationship with Fowler having to return to England to continue her club duties, while Cleary will be focused on his pre-season duties with the Panthers in Sydney for the upcoming months.

The situation, along with the Fowler’s emotional Instagram post, left some of Fowler’s fans fearing the worst for Australia’s newest sporting power couple, however others saw it simply as the Matildas star sharpening her focus on her footballing duties.

Just want someone to look at me the way Nathan Cleary looks at Mary Fowler pic.twitter.com/OPoRNGDOX5

— Aidan Edgecomb (@AidanEdgecomb6) November 1, 2023

“Amazing girl!! Keep moving forward,” one fan wrote on her post.

“Cleary didn’t make the cut,” wrote another.

“Mary god put you on this earth to play football.....so just worry about playing football....very few footballers can move like you while controlling the ball.....Love can wait,” wrote a third.

Fowler’s post, which was liked by Cleary, comes after a Panthers teammate posted a cheeky engagement hint on an Instagram post shared by Cleary about his post-season travels.

Cleary has been living the life in the off-season, posting a series of Instagram photos while he attends events such as a wedding, the races, UFC and a helicopter tour of New York City.

The posts are titled “Offseason part 1” and “Part 2”.

Alongside part one, To’o has the first comment, writing “My guy” with soccer ball and love heart emojis in a cheeky reference to Fowler.

On part two, To’o was again first cab off the rank, this time accompanying “My guy” with a soccer ball and diamond ring emojis.

Among the replies to the second comment are “haha stirring the pot” and “Nathan will get you when he gets home”.

As the rumours initially kicked off online, Cleary expressed his annoyance at the heavy interest into his personal life.

Mary Fowler in action for the Matildas. (Photo by James Worsfold/Getty Images)

Penrith grand final hero Nathan Cleary. NRL Pics

The murmurings about the pair first began when Fowler was spotted out and about enjoying a romantic moment with the NSW State of Origin playmaker in July.

“It is what is, it’s a little bit annoying to not have a private life but I like to not talk about it too much and keep anything I can private,” Cleary said.

“Things take off pretty quick with social media but I’ll try to keep a private life if I can.”

The pair were first linked romantically in August when images emerged of them enjoying an ice-cream together in Penrith.