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Mary Fowler a hit in Perth homecoming - but no sign of Nathan Cleary

Manchester City could not claim the title but Mary Fowler won plenty of hearts in her Australian homecoming as part of the Perth International Football Cup.

She even teased Aussie football supporters by pulling on a Perth Glory A-League Women jersey at a local clinic. 

But there was no sign of her injured NRL star boyfriend Nathan Cleary, who spent the week rubbing shoulders with Olympic superstars Jess and Noemie Fox instead.

Matildas duo Fowler and Alanna Kennedy were on the losing side as Paris Saint-Germain snared the Perth International Football Cup with a 1-0 triumph over Manchester City on Sunday night.

Plenty of locals turned out to watch the former Perth Glory star and to get autographs at an official meet and greet.

'I can't believe I met Mary Fowler tonight I'm so shook,' one fan posted.

Cleary has been regularly seen in the stands for Matildas matches to watch his superstar girlfriend but was nowhere to be seen this time around.

The Panthers halfback has remained in Penrith to rehab his injured shoulder in a bid to return for the NRL finals, getting to meet Olympic gold medal winners and Penrith locals Jess and Naomie Fox in the process. 

Fowler spent plenty of time during the week meeting fans and taking selfies 

While Cleary could not be in Perth, he got to meet Olympic gold medal winners the Fox sisters

Fowler teased Perth A-League Women supporters by pulling on a Perth Glory jersey

'They're proud Penrith girls and they were so good to give up their time to come along and speak to our boys and share their experiences – not just through the most recent Olympics but also before that,' Panthers coach Ivan Cleary said.

The duo did manage to spend time together in Penrith before the Perth International Cup, though, spotted wandering local markets in the Blue Mountains.

Fowler was given more free reign in the final match of the Cup in Perth, along with Kennedy. 

But they were unable to engineer a win before they were substituted in the second half.

Fowler received a huge cheer every time she touched the ball, and her creativeness had the PSG defenders on edge.

But she wasn't able to find a way through PSG's tight defence, with the French outfit doing enough to secure victory.

Fowler and fellow Matilda Allana Kennedy took time to sign autographs for supporters along with Manchester City teammates

Fowler was given a starting role in the final match but could not find the winner for City

Earlier, Matildas star Katrina Gorry was a notable absentee, but Courtney Nevin made it out for a 30-minute cameo as Leicester City thumped West Ham 5-2 in the third versus fourth play-off.

Leicester scored three goals in the first half and led 5-0 late before West Ham substitute Viviane Asseyi struck in the 90th and 96th minutes.

Gorry wasn't on West Ham's team sheet at all after injuring an ankle in Thursday night's 1-0 loss to PSG.

But Nevin, who missed Leicester's penalty-shootout loss to Manchester City on Wednesday night, was introduced in the 60th minute on Sunday with her team already leading West Ham 4-0.

"It was amazing bringing my teammates to Australia and for them to witness my culture," Nevin said after the match.

Source: dailymail.co.uk

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10 hours ago - Fowler, 21, is back in the United Kingdom after enjoying a well-earned break back home in Australia following the Olympic Games, where she spent time with NRL star Nathan Cleary.
3 weeks ago - The 21-year-old returned home after the Matildas' disappointing Paris Olympics campaign , which saw them fail to progress past the pool stage.
3 weeks ago - Fowler and her teammate Courtney Nevin stayed in top shape with a workout this week ahead of her club Manchester City's preseason tournament down under.
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