Lollies, laughs and the Matildas: CommBank Mini Mate meets Mary Fowler

CommBank Mini Mate Brielle is counting down the days until she walks out with the players at one of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup quarter-finals in Perth.

Before that unforgettable moment, eight-year-old Brielle had the special opportunity to sit down with one of her favourite footballers, CommBank Matilda Mary Fowler, to ask her the questions she’s always wanted to know.

Brielle: What do you eat before a big game? And do you ever eat lollies?

Mary: Usually I like spaghetti bolognese, the night before a game. That's my main meal. And then on game day, probably just something light, like maybe Vegemite on toast and then some fruit and maybe yogurt. And do I ever eat lollies? Sometimes that's my favourite treat. I'm more into chocolate.

Brielle: Do you get nervous before a match. And what do you do to feel brave?

Mary: That's a good question. I do definitely get nervous before some matches. It depends. Some of them I get more nervous for, but it's not always the bigger games.

For me to feel brave, I think it helps when I have good friends around me. They usually help me just having, like, a hug or a little pep talk. They usually make me laugh, and then I feel better. But I also really like training hard and preparing really well so that when I have a game, I can just, think about my training and be like, you did good in training, so you'll be fine in the game.

Brielle: Who is the funniest Matilda?

Mary: Oh, the funniest Matilda. There's quite a few funny people in the team. I am one of them. Nah, I’m joking. I'm going to say my friends, my friend Jada, she makes me laugh a lot. She's very silly, very good at dancing. But she just loves having a good time, so she always makes me smile when I'm around her.

"For me to feel brave, I think it helps when I have good friends around me. "

Brielle: Do you get nervous before a match. And what do you do to feel brave?

Mary: That's a good question. I do definitely get nervous before some matches. It depends. Some of them I get more nervous for, but it's not always the bigger games.

For me to feel brave, I think it helps when I have good friends around me. They usually help me just having, like, a hug or a little pep talk. They usually make me laugh, and then I feel better. But I also really like training hard and preparing really well so that when I have a game, I can just, like, think about my training and be like, you did good in training, so you'll be fine in the game.

Brielle: Who is the funniest Matilda?

Mary: Oh, the funniest Matilda. There's quite a few funny people in the team. I am one of them. Nah, I’m joking. I'm going to say my friends, my friend Jada, she makes me laugh a lot. She's very silly, very good at dancing. But she just. She loves having a good time, so she always makes me smile when I'm around her.

Brielle: Did you ever face any challenges playing soccer, because you're a girl?

Mary: When I first started playing, I was playing with boys' teams when I was younger, and I really enjoyed that. I think it actually improved me a lot as a player.

I think when I started playing girls football, I think I felt more comfortable in it because I had played with the boys and it was difficult playing with the boys. So I don't think I've had a lot of like challenges in, like coming into the women's game. I think I came at a very lucky time. I think a lot of players before me, they haven't had as many opportunities or, resources. So for me, I've been really blessed. I play at a really good club, really good national team. So I'm really lucky in that way. But some other players don't have as many things as I do, so probably for them it's a bit harder.

Brielle: Do you still have family in Cairns? and do you ever get to go back and visit them?

Mary: Yeah. So all my family still lives in Cairns. So I try to go back there at least once a year when I get time off because I live in England, so, it's on the other side of the world. But yeah, I still call Cairns home. It's very hot there, so I look forward to the sun.

And yeah, my family, we travelled a lot, but then they came back to Cairns and they're still living there now,

Brielle: What is the best thing about being a CommBank Matilda?

Mary: The best thing. There's quite a few good things about it, but if I had to pick one, I would say probably the friends that I've made. There’s a few of my best friends now that I've met through playing in the national team. And I feel really grateful that I have them in my life.

Because even when we're not in camp, they’re really like supportive for me outside. And I'm someone that loves to be around people that have good energy. They’re some of the best people that I have in my life now. So very blessed.

But I also just say, like, getting to travel a lot and visit new countries. That's been really cool. So, yeah, there's a lot of, like, new experiences that you get through playing on a national team.

Brielle: Okay. That's it.

Mary: Good job. You did brilliant. I love that.

Together, CommBank and the AFC are uniting fans across Australia and the region for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026TM. For more information visit commbank.com.au/football and womensasiancup2026.com.au

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