Mary Fowler beams after she abandoned the Matildas to rush back to Australia for her injured NRL star partner Nathan Cleary

By ASHLEY NICKEL, NEWS REPORTER, AUSTRALIA

Matildas star Mary Fowler has appeared to confirm speculation that she left the national squad to fly home to support her partner, NRL star Nathan Cleary, following a career-threatening injury.

Just days after she pulled out of the Matildas' squad for upcoming friendly matches due to 'personal reasons', Fowler posted a series of heartwarming photos with the Penrith Panthers star on Saturday night.

The couple posed with Cleary's dog, Prince, as they cheered on his former Panthers teammate Liam Henry at a Parkinson's Australia fundraiser.

Cleary sat in a wheelchair with his bandaged legs elevated while Prince sported a similar cast on one of his legs.

Next to him, a smiling Fowler held a sign reading: 'Lap it up for Parkinson's - Let's go horse.'

Henry, who recently finished up at the Panthers after signing a four-year deal with the Perth Bears, ran 10 laps around Penrith's Nepean River in a fundraiser for Parkinson's Australia on Saturday.

Mary Fowler (right) shared a series of photos with boyfriend Nathan Cleary (left) on Saturday

The couple supported Cleary's former Panthers teammate Liam Henry (right) at a fundraiser for Parkinson's Australia

Henry took part in the fundraiser in honour of his father-in-law Gavin, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's 13 years ago at age 38.

His MyCause page had raised more than $48,000 by Sunday night.

Fowler's post appeared to confirm what many Matildas fans had suspected, that she left the team to support Cleary in his recovery from serious injury.

Cleary faces a lengthy stint on the sidelines after he underwent operations on both legs following the Panthers' preliminary final defeat to Newcastle on September 27.

The four-time premiership halfback came off the bench and played just 10 minutes before he suffered a fractured left fibula and dislocated ankle in a tackle by Phoenix Crossland, which required emergency surgery.

Cleary later underwent a second operation on a stress fracture in his right foot that he carried into the match.

The injuries stopped Cleary from attending the Dally M ceremony three days later, where he won NRL's highest honour - the Dally M Medal.

Dozens of fans applauded Fowler for prioritising her personal life.

Fowler triggered speculation she'd left Europe to help Cleary recover after dropping out of upcoming friendly matches for the Matildas

'This has put a massive smile on my face. I love that you two are together - two legends choosing to be humans,' one fan commented on her post.

Another added: 'Love this so much. Together again, you and Nath supporting Liam. Love you guys!'

A third wrote: 'There are some things in life that are far more important than sports and making money and Mary understands that. She left her team to be close to the man she loves because he needs it right now.'

Fowler withdrew from the Matildas' friendly match against Germany on Friday, which the Australian team lost 4–2.

She will also miss Wednesday's match against Haiti.

Fowler's withdrawal reportedly caught Matildas teammates by surprise and left some senior figures within Football Australia unhappy about how they learned of the decision.

The federation said the decision followed 'discussions between Fowler, Manchester City and Matildas staff'.

However, some senior Football Australia officials only became aware of the situation when they woke on Tuesday and read the statement released at 6.30am AEDT.

Fowler's fans applauded her for prioritising her personal life

Sources told Nine that some officials were 'unimpressed'.

Matildas coach Joe Montemurro did not confirm why Fowler had left the friendly matches but said she made 'the right decision and everyone's in support of the situation'.

'It's really important that we create an environment that is important for the player, and as the circumstances are private I'm not going to elaborate,' Montemurro said.

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