Youngest Matilda Fowler has the world at her feet

FROM BACK PAGE

Fowler’s ability and desire to succeed has not gone unnoticed from Matildas coach Ante Milicic and his predecessor Alen Stajcic, who identified her early.

Fowler’s father Kevin left Dublin in his 20s on a backpacking trip that took him to Papua New Guinea. He settled in the city of Mount Hagen, where he got a job as an aid worker and was introduced to Nido. The pair married before returning to Ireland.

After tiring of the Irish weather, they packed up and landed in Sydney in late 2002. By then Nido was expecting with Mary as the pair bought a LandCruiser and set off north, ending up in Cairns.

Every evening after Mary was born, the family took dinner down to Trinity Beach, where they would complete in their own “Olympics”, complete with homemade podiums, medals and prizes.

“We’d just come up with our own random games,” the young Fowler said. “We climbed a lot of trees.” Football came off the back of those evenings.

“She’s pretty gifted,” said Stacey Fittock, who coached both Mary and Quivi at Leichhardt FC.

“I don’t know what sort of work they did on the beach out there to get both feet so strong and technically right.”

In the Matildas’ last session for Sunday’s World Cup opener against Italy, Fowler was given treatment for a hamstring issue on the pitch, reappearing on the bench but playing no further part in the session.

It remains to be seen whether her withdrawal from training was a safety-first measure or another blow for Australia’s hopes of a deep run in the tournament.

Coach Milicic, who missed Fowler taken off, said he turned around and “saw her on the side with an ice pack”.

“Apparently it’s just precaution. She felt something on the hamstring. I’m not going to risk a 16-year-old kid,” he said.