Mary Fowler knows it’s her time to step up. And more importantly, the 21-year-old sensation believes she can.
After breaking into national prominence with flashes of brilliance at her debut Olympics in Tokyo, Fowler has developed into the Matildas’ attacking fulcrum.
With Sam Kerr on the sidelines, Paris looms as Fowler’s stage to conquer with the creative attacker arguably the face of Australia’s most recognisable team.
“The first one was a bit different because I wasn’t expecting it and it was a childhood dream of mine to go to the Olympics, so I was in tears that I had achieved that,” Fowler told AAP.
“This time around, I’m just more tournament-based, football-based.
Mary Fowler of the Matildas poses for selfies with fans after the AFC Women’s Asian Olympic Qualifier match between Australia and Chinese Taipei at HBF Park on November 1, 2023 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Will Russell/Getty Images)
“I want to go there and I want to win, and I want to help the team as much as I can.
“I feel like I’m able to help out more compared to the last time when I was more of a bench player.”
Coach Tony Gustavsson has made it clear: he wants the ball at Fowler’s feet, whether that’s on the wing, as an attacking midfielder or as a striker.
“That’s part of the growth that I’ve had,” Fowler said.
“Before, I maybe shied away a bit from having that responsibility.
“Because if you don’t perform, then it’s like, ‘okay, well, you’ve got to take responsibility for not doing what the team needed.’
“Now I see it a bit differently, where if someone is putting that pressure on you or giving you a bit more responsibility in the team, it’s because they believe in you and they think you’re actually capable of doing that.
“So I take it as a bit of a pat on the back.
“I want to keep that standard and be consistent and do what I can to actually help the team win and not shy away from that.”
Fowler has come a long way from the kid who grew up playing football with her four siblings on Far North Queensland beaches and spoke about wanting to be the best player in the world.
Stints in Montpellier and Manchester are helping her achieve her goal.
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“With the amount of travelling I’ve done, growing up and even in my football career, I’m maybe a much more worldly person,” she said.
“Long term, I probably wouldn’t live in Cairns – it’s too small for me now – but it is nice to go back and reminisce, and see the field that we used to play on, and then think about where I am now.
“I know what my success would look like to me and I’m not really bothered too much anymore by what other people think about how good I should be, or my potential, or that I should be hitting high marks at this time.”
Fowler’s rise has aligned with the Matildas catapulting into the national spotlight.
But her belief has come from finding her feet at Manchester City, where she had to bide her time before forcing her way into a star-studded starting line-up – and shining.
Mary Fowler of Australia runs with the ball during the AFC Women’s Paris 2024 Olympic Qualifier Round 3 match between Uzbekistan and Australia Matildas. (Photo by Tolib Kosimov/Getty Images)
“It was probably stemming from playing at City and just wanting to be a lot more consistent and being like, ‘I can be a player who can change a game in one moment’ and just believing that for myself – and then going out there and having consistent performances to back that up,” she said.
“That’s helped me a lot.”
Fowler hopes that drive can push Australia through group matches against Germany, Zambia and the US and towards a medal in Paris, after the “horrible feeling” of coming fourth in Tokyo and at last year’s World Cup.
“Honestly – probably getting knocked out in the group stage feels better than coming fourth,” she said.
“Because fourth, you’re so close, but then you just didn’t make it from one game.
“It’s definitely fresh in people’s minds and it’s actually helped fuel us a lot to want to do better this time around.”