Mary Fowler will return to the Matildas squad for the SheBelieves Cup after sitting out international friendlies on home soil late last year to refresh mentally and physically.
The star forward has been named in Australia's 23-player squad for the tournament in the United States later this month. She has struck a rich vein of form since her break, scoring five goals and providing three assists in her past five Women's Super League matches for Manchester City.
Interim head coach Tom Sermanni said Fowler was playing very well and looked fit and healthy. “She looks like she’s enjoying her football,” he said. “She is still some ways away from what I would call reaching her prime. She is already a world-class footballer. A football career is a journey, in many ways, and she’s on a really good trajectory on that journey at the moment.”
Captain Sam Kerr has again been left out to continue her rehabilitation from a serious knee injury, with Sermanni saying she might return in March. This is unrelated to her appearance in a London court on Monday, where she was charged with causing racially aggravated intentional harassment, alarm or distress. Kerr has pleaded not guilty. Cortnee Vine is also unavailable, having taken a break from football last year for her mental health, and is not yet ready to return to international duty.
The squad includes recalls for Katrina Gorry, Clare Wheeler, Kaitlyn Torpey and Holly McNamara, while Laini Freier earns her first call-up after scoring seven goals in 10 A-League Women matches for Brisbane Roar, including a hat-trick. Australia begin their campaign against Japan on 21 February, followed by matches against the USA and Colombia.
