Matildas forward Mary Fowler has opened up about the difficult rehabilitation journey she faces following surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament, while also sharing a touching tribute to her NRL star boyfriend, Nathan Cleary.

The 22-year-old suffered the injury during Manchester City’s Women’s FA Cup clash against rivals Manchester United two weeks ago. 

The club confirmed on April 16 that Fowler had ruptured a knee ligament and is expected to be sidelined for up to a year.

Fowler shared a candid look into her rehabilitation process via Instagram, posting a video captioned, ‘A lil snippet of my rehab so far.’ 

The footage showed her carefully performing painful strengthening exercises on her injured knee.

In the video, fans noticed a heartfelt gesture – a photo of Nathan Cleary attached to her headphones. The subtle tribute quickly captured attention online.

‘Nat on the headphones. Swoon,’ one fan commented. 

‘It’s Nathan stuck to the headphones for me,’ another added with a heart emoji.

Her post was flooded with messages of encouragement and support from fans and teammates alike. 

‘It’s such a long road but you have begun so bravely. Well done Mary,’ one follower wrote. 

‘Comeback will be the greatest there is. Immensely proud of you, you got this,’ added another.

Fowler is one of several top Australian players hit by serious knee injuries in recent months. 

Teammate Sam Kerr remains out of action with her own ACL tear sustained in January 2024.

Despite the severity of her injury, Fowler is staying focused and determined.

‘I’m really disappointed to be facing some time out of the game,’ she said. 

‘It’s never easy when something like this happens especially when you’ve been working so hard and feeling good. The road ahead will be challenging, but I’m ready to take it on.’

‘There’s still so much I want to achieve, and I’ll be using this time to grow in every way I can,’ she added. ‘I’m committed to doing the work, staying positive and coming back better than ever.’

Cleary responded to one of Fowler’s earlier posts with affection. 

After she posted a photo of herself walking on crutches with a compression bandage on her leg, jokingly captioned ‘Making my way downtown walking like a tortoise,’ Cleary replied, ‘What a beautiful tortoise.’

The sporting couple have maintained a strong relationship despite the 17,000km that often separates them. 

They were recently spotted enjoying a romantic day out at Redleaf Pool in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, while Fowler was back in Australia for friendlies against South Korea.

In March, Cleary managed a brief visit to see Fowler in San Diego while she was playing in the She Believes Cup, making the detour while Penrith were in Las Vegas for the NRL season opener.

Last week, Fowler underwent surgery and later posted photos in a hospital gown, walking on crutches after the procedure. 

‘Trusting this path,’ she wrote in a caption after the operation.

She also thanked fans and loved ones for their unwavering support. 

‘The support from my teammates, family, friends and fans has been a real lift and reminded me how lucky I am to be surrounded by such a strong network,’ she said.

Manchester City, who have battled a string of injuries this season, will miss Fowler’s presence. 

The team has also been without Alex Greenwood, Lauren Hemp, and Risa Shimizu due to similar injuries, while Vivianne Miedema and Khadija Shaw have been out with hamstring issues.

Fowler’s absence adds to the growing list of key Matildas players recovering from long-term injuries, with the national team already waiting on news of Kerr’s return.

Chelsea coach Sonia Bompastor recently said Kerr’s return timeline remains ‘unclear,’ despite her resuming training earlier this year. 

‘All the performance staff are doing everything for her to play this season,’ Bompastor told reporters. ‘We’ll see how it goes.’

Kerr, who has scored 99 goals in 128 games for Chelsea, is yet to play in a match since her injury and may miss the remainder of the season, which ends on May 10.

The Matildas are next scheduled to play Argentina in a two-match series on May 30 and June 2 as they prepare for the 2026 Women’s Asian Cup, which Australia will host in March.