Why Matildas striker Mary Fowler plays in gloves

Following each of Australia's Women's World Cup matches, people have been asking why Mary Fowler dons her black gloves on the pitch.

It happened against France in their pre-tournament battle, it happened after the Republic of Ireland opener and again in their do-or-die against Canada.

It's easy to see why all eyes were on the 20-year-old given she scored the matchwinner against the French and bagged another against Bev Priestman's team.

Many wondered if her glove choice was as simple as the temperature, given it is the middle of winter in Australia right now.

The 20-year-old admitted that was part of it, especially during her cold training sessions over in the UK with Manchester City, but there was more to it.

"I haven't told anyone yet what it was, but it's a bit silly," Fowler told Optus Sport.

"I honestly just like gloves because I get really fidgety. So usually I train with a ring on but if it's cold I wear gloves and I can't wear a ring in a match so I usually wear gloves.

"I just move them around a lot."

Given her role in the Matildas, following Sam Kerr's calf injury, it's easy to forget Fowler is the youngest member of the Australian squad.

Yet this is her second World Cup. Her first was in France four years ago, but she did not play a minute in the green and gold.

Now, the forward is a vital part of Tony Gustavsson's starting XI in the absence of Kerr. She scored her first World Cup goal against Canada in their do-or-die, but she admits it wasn't her ultimate dream - that belongs to her goal in Tokyo at the Olympic Games.

It's been a busy four to five years for her leading into this tournament Down Under, a move to Montpellier, then City in the WSL and more regular minutes for the Matildas in between.

"I feel like the only time I really reflect on it all is when I'm writing it down, which I did do before the World Cup began," Fowler told Optus Sport.

"I just wrote down the last five years pretty much what I've done just to give myself a bit of perspective on where I'm at.

"So I definitely try not to take it for granted but also just show myself that I've had small wins along the way and I'm on the right track. It has all gone quite quickly."

Fowler missed Australia's 3-2 loss to Nigeria in game two, due to a concussion she picked up in training two days prior.

And while she is known for her cool, calm collected self on the field, off it she is like Kerr - a nervous benchmate.

"I get really nervous. I actually feel like I'm quite loud on the bench and I just can't control my reactions," Fowler said.

"When I got told the news, I was gutted but I'm the type of person that I believe everything happens at its right time.

"So I think in some strange way I was supposed to get concussed, I was supposed to miss that game and my role for that match was being there for my teammates in a supportive sense and cheering them."

Gustavsson's side's next test comes in the round of 16 against Denmark.

The two faced off pre-tournament in October 2022, with the Matildas taking a 3-1 victory. If they win in Sydney on Monday, the side will progress through to the quarter-finals.

If not, it's tournament over.

But Fowler said her focus was solely on the next game, as results at the World Cup had shown anything can happen.

"All the teams that are left in the tournament, they've earned their spot there and I think we can't underestimate any team," she said.

"We just have to focus on getting ourselves right, which is what I think we've done well so far.

"I actually don't look at the route of who we could be versing like I literally just wait till someone says, 'Okay we're versing this team next'.

"I don't know if I'm just chill about that, but that's how I prefer to do it."

Coverage of Australia's next game against the Danish squad begins at 7.30pm (AEST) on Monday.

Originally published for Optus Sport on August 5, 2023