Injured rugby league player Nathan Cleary has expressed his deep gratitude to his partner, Matildas forward Mary Fowler, who flew to Australia to spend time with him as he recovers from major surgery.
Fowler retired from international duty with Australia’s 4-2 friendly loss to Germany on Saturday and spent time with Cleary in Sydney.
He posted a series of photos of them together in recent days on Instagram on Sunday evening.
“I just don’t have enough space in this title for the wonderful adjectives to use to describe Mary Fowler, but this woman is absolutely the best!” he wrote.
“I can’t thank you enough for flying to the other side of the world to see me and be with me this past week of recovery. I’m a very lucky person and I’m so grateful.”
Fowler said he was “very lucky” and “it’s easy to look at someone when they have a big sweet patootie.”
The Manchester City forward announced himself alongside Cleary and dog Prince as he supported Cleary’s team-mate Liam Henry, who was raising money for Parkinson’s disease on Saturday.
He confirmed the reason for Fowler’s withdrawal from the Matildas squad, previously described as “personal circumstances”.
Matildas coach Joe Montemurro spoke about his absence ahead of the match in Karlsruhe.
“It’s really important that we create an environment that matters to the player, and since the circumstances are private, I won’t go into detail,” Montemurro said.
“But yes, absolutely, there have been discussions with Mary, the club and the people involved and we believe we have made the right decision and I think everyone supports the situation.”
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Without Fowler in their lineup, the Matildas conceded two quick goals to Germany in Friday’s match and, despite showing promise, were unable to complete the comeback, even though they made it 3-2 in the closing stages.
Midfielder Kyra Cooney-Cross was left out of the Matildas squad for the match as she continues her return to senior football following the death of her mother in July.
Fowler will also miss the Matildas’ friendly with Haiti in France this week.
Cleary broke his left leg in Penrith’s NRL preliminary final loss to Newcastle and he also underwent surgery on his right leg to repair a stress fracture.
The 28-year-old requires a wheelchair for mobility, and Fowler took to Instagram to help re-tie his medical boot and massage his thigh.
Manchester City’s next WSL match is against Brighton in seven days.