Nathan Cleary has penned a tribute to his girlfriend, Matildas star Mary Fowler, who announced her withdrawal from two friendly matches against Germany and Haiti due to “personal” reasons.
The Matildas star didn’t offer an explanation when she withdrew from the squad’s friendly matches against Germany and Haiti, citing only “personal circumstances”.
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However, it was later confirmed she flew back to Sydney to care for her boyfriend, NRL star Nathan Cleary, who had recently undergone surgery.
The Dally M Medal required surgery for a compound fracture and dislocation of his left ankle and a procedure for a broken bone in his right foot.
Following his operations, Cleary was in a wheelchair and expected to be out of the game for several months.
In a social media post, Cleary confirmed his girlfriend flew to the “other side of the world” to take care of him as he recovered from leg surgery.
“I simply do not have enough space in this caption for the amount of nice adjectives I would use to describe (Mary Fowler) but this woman is the absolute best!!!” he wrote.
“I can’t thank you enough for flying to the other side of the world to look after me and be by my side during this past week of recovery.
“I’m a very lucky man and so-so grateful.”
Alongside the touching tribute, he shared a series of images and videos of the Matildas star caring for the injured athlete.
Fowler commented on the post, saying it was “easy to look after someone when they’re a BIG cutie patootie”.
“Feeling very blessed we got this time together,” she said.
“I’m a very lucky girl.”
Before the reason for Fowler’s departure was confirmed, fellow player Hayley Raso said the decision to leave was “sad” but understandable.
“Obviously, Mary’s a really valuable player for our team, so it’s sad that she’s not here at this camp, but obviously, she has to take care of some personal circumstances,” she said per The Sydney Morning Herald.
“There’s not that many camps or matches before the World Cup, so every one is so important. Having a game against a top side like Germany is really important.”