Mary Fowler photo sparks footy fan frenzy after Matildas' brutal exit from Paris Olympics

Mary Fowler is fully on-board the Nathan Cleary train, and she's posted photo evidence to prove it. The Aussie football star is back in Sydney after the Matildas' disastrous campaign at the Paris Olympics, which saw the women's side fail to reach the quarter-finals for the first time since 2000.

But Fowler has put the heartbreak behind her and is turning her attention to boyfriend Cleary, whose Penrith Panthers side are favourites to win a fourth-straight premiership. The Panthers are currently second behind the Melbourne Storm, but Ivan Cleary's side appear to be rounding into top form at just the right time.

They suffered a huge scare against Parramatta on Friday night before scoring three tries in the final seven minutes for an absurd 36-34 victory. And their No.1 fan has nailed her colours to the mast.

Despite being born in Cairns (North Queensland Cowboys territory), Fowler took to social media this week sporting a Panthers shirt. If there was any lingering doubts about how serious her relationship with Cleary is, they've now been put firmly to bed.

And Panthers fans can't get enough. Penrith supporter Nat Hanrahan re-posted the photo and wrote: "Iconic! perfect! beautiful! stunning!" Some have also reported seeing the Matildas superstar at the last two Panthers game decked out in Penrith gear.

Next Matildas coach given directive to build around Mary Fowler

Fowler and the Matildas are dealing with the heartache of their brutal exit from the Olympics, and the Aussie women's team are on the hunt for a new coach. Tony Gustavsson parted ways with Football Australia by mutual consent after he failed to take them past the pool stage in France.

It marked a stunning fall from grace after the Matildas captivated the nation on their way to the semi-finals of the Women's World Cup in Australia last year. But they lacked leadership and attacking strike power at the Olympics with inspirational skipper Sam Kerr out injured.

Gustavsson copped plenty of backlash for the way he used Fowler up front on her own when her best position is midfield. And according to former coach Tom Sermanni, whoever takes over the job must build a new team around Fowler.

Sermanni managed the Matildas in two stints and took them to an Asian Cup title, and feels the 21-year-old Fowler struggled to make an impact in France. Football Australia will start the hunt for Gustavsson's long-term replacement over the coming weeks, but has yet to identify a No. 1 target.

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But whoever takes the job will have to oversee a big changing of the guard, with many of the Matildas' golden generation set to be into their mid-30s by the time the LA Olympics roll around in 2028. According to Sermanni, the time is now for Fowler to become the team's attacking fulcrum.

"She is the player you've got to build the team around for me," Sermanni told AAP. "I thought she was on the periphery too much at this tournament. I think going forward she's got to be in the key area of the field to dictate how the team plays.

"You've got to have her somewhere in that central area where she can really hurt teams. She's effective out wide but she has the vision, hits great passes and is the player you need to build the team around."

with AAP