Mary Fowler ruled out of Matildas October friendlies

Mary Fowler will not join the Matildas for their October friendlies against Germany and Haiti.

Football Australia confirmed the 23-year-old will miss the window due to personal circumstances, The Guardian reported on 6 October. The decision was made after discussions between Fowler, her club Manchester City and Matildas staff.

The timing is tight. Fowler withdrew from camp one day after turning out for her club, according to the Herald Sun. She had just made her 100th appearance for City, playing the full match as centre forward, Matildas.com.au noted in late September.

Leah Davidson has been called up to replace her. The 25-year-old midfielder moved from Melbourne City to Charlton in the off-season. She has four caps, meaning four senior international appearances, and one goal for Australia.

Davidson is no stranger to this group. She earned her third cap in Australia's 2-0 win over Korea Republic in Newcastle in April, a game in which Fowler scored in the first half to help complete a perfect two-game window, Matildas.com.au reported at the time.

Kyra Cooney-Cross will also miss the October window. No further detail on her absence was given in the latest squad update.

Australia face a testing trip. They play Germany in Karlsruhe on Saturday AEDT, then meet Haiti in Chambly the following Wednesday. Friendlies are non-competitive matches, but this pair matters. An international window is a fixed period when clubs must release players, so it is a rare chance to test combinations.

For fans, this means waiting a little longer to see Fowler in green and gold again. She has become one of the team's most recognisable attackers. Davidson now gets another chance to show she belongs at this level.