Matildas star Mary Fowler details when she fell out of love with football and gives an injury update

Adored by Aussie football fans, Mary Fowler has a football confession of her own as she also gives an update on her injury that’s taken her off the field. SEE THE VIDEO

EXCLUSIVE

Aussie football prodigy Mary Fowler very nearly hung up her boots, after falling out of love with the sport, it can be revealed.

The 22-year-old said if her Australian national team debut hadn’t come so early – at age 15 – “maybe I would have done something else”.

“Football at times wasn’t the most enjoyable experience to me because I was just so immersed in it,” she told a newly-released interview series with the Commonwealth Bank.

“If a game didn’t go well or if I missed a shot on goal that I should have scored, it was the biggest deal. Like, oh, you don’t deserve your opportunities or you’re a bad person.

I think if I hadn’t gone to the national team that soon, maybe I would have done something else.”

Australian sporting sensation Mary Fowler signs autographs for fans after winning the International Friendly match between Australia Matildas and Korea Republic. Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

The Manchester City winger also opened up about her ACL injury that is expected to sideline her for more than a year.

“I have recently made a conscious effort to think that I don’t have like a bad knee that needs to be fixed, but I’m getting an upgrade and I’m getting an even better knee,” she said.

“I have heard that a lot of girls when they come back … it can be up to a year to feel like probably normal again.

Mary Fowler of Manchester City is injured during the FA Cup Semi Final match between Manchester City and Manchester United. Picture: Visionhaus/Getty Images

“I feel like 90 per cent of that is going to be a mental block and so it’s something that I’ve thought about and been like, why don’t I just start changing how I think about it now already?”

Her year-long stint on the sidelines is a huge blow for the Matildas hopes of taking out the Women’s Asian world cup next March, a feat not last achieved in 2010.

Matildas player Mary Fowler has posted to Instagram pictures of herself using crutches after having surgery on her knee. Picture Instagram

Mary Fowler of Australia kicks the ball during the international friendly match between Australia Matildas and China PR at Accor Stadium in Sydney, Australia. Picture: Getty

Fowler, who is dating Penrith Panthers half back Nathan Cleary, spends most of her time in England, a country she has grown to love.

“I think I’ve definitely grown with each season that I’ve played here … I think at the start

I was really in my shell and I was really doubting at the beginning whether I belonged there or not,” she said.

Mary Fowler with her partner Nathan Cleary. Picture: Instagram

“But I think as time went on I started to feel a lot more comfortable … yeah, now it’s at the point where I really enjoy just going out and playing games because I can’t wait to put into action what we’ve been doing in training.”

CommBank’s national campaign branded ‘Doubt, never did’ interviewed a number of Aussies from sport and entertainment who have faced doubt, setbacks and uncertainty.

It followed a $60m deal with Football Australia, which gives the bank naming rights from the Matildas to almost every national football team, including the Socceroos.

Fowler’s advice?

“Everyone experiences doubt. I think it’s a normal part of our journey. The thing to try to change is not doubt itself, but the way you react to it and how quickly you can counter it,” she said.

“So I would say don’t let doubt hold you back and keep believing in yourself.”

Originally published as Matildas star Mary Fowler details when she fell out of love with football and gives an injury update