Mary Fowler goes public with big admission amid Sam Kerr's Olympics absence for Matildas

Matildas forward Mary Fowler says she's ready to step up in the absence of injured captain Sam Kerr and shoulder the goal-scoring responsibility for Australia at the Olympic Games in Paris. The 21-year-old has emerged as arguably the most important player for the Matildas in the absence of inspirational captain Kerr, who will miss the entire Olympic Games campaign after tearing her ACL in January.

Kerr's goals have been central to the success of Tony Gustavsson's side and the Matildas have understandably looked like a much different team in her absence. That was obvious during last year's World Cup where the Matildas looked a little short of ideas and inspiration in attack until Kerr returned in the final group stage game and helped the Aussies go on a historic run to the semi-finals.

But with the Matildas unable to call upon Kerr at all during their Paris Games campaign, Fowler knows the bulk of the goal-scoring responsibility will rest on her shoulders. And it's a challenge the 21-year-old is keen to embrace, having broken onto the scene as an 18-year-old at the Tokyo Olympic Games three years ago. Fowler shot to stardom as somewhat of a super-sub for Australia in Tokyo, but has since emerged as a nailed-on starter in Gustavsson's best XI.

"The first one (Olympic Games) was a bit different because I wasn't expecting it and it was a childhood dream of mine to go to the Olympics, so I was in tears that I had achieved that," Fowler told AAP. "This time around, I'm just more tournament-based, football-based."

Matildas gunning for gold at Olympic Games in Paris

Fowler and the Matildas narrowly missed out on winning the nation's first Olympic Games medal in football after losing 4-3 to the mighty United States Women's National Team (USWNT) in the bronze medal game at the Tokyo Games. However, it helped kickstart a tremendous period of success for the Matildas that culminated in their unforgettable run to the World Cup semi-finals. But Fowler says the Aussies are laser-focused on bringing the gold medal back from Paris and knows her own form will be crucial to the team's success.

"I want to go there and I want to win, and I want to help the team as much as I can," the 21-year-old added. "I feel like I'm able to help out more compared to the last time when I was more of a bench player." Gustavsson has made it clear that Fowler is his lynchpin in attack and wants his Matildas side to get the ball to the Manchester City star as much ball as possible - whether she's operating on the wing, as an attacking midfielder or as a striker.

Mary Fowler ready to take on attacking burden for Matildas

"That's part of the growth that I've had," Fowler said. "Before, I maybe shied away a bit from having that responsibility. Because if you don't perform, then it's like, 'okay, well, you've got to take responsibility for not doing what the team needed.'

"Now I see it a bit differently, where if someone is putting that pressure on you or giving you a bit more responsibility in the team, it's because they believe in you and they think you're actually capable of doing that. So I take it as a bit of a pat on the back. I want to keep that standard and be consistent and do what I can to actually help the team win and not shy away from that."

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Fowler's growing importance for the national side has coincided with the meteoric rise of the Matildas in Australia and catapulted her into superstardom around the country. While the weight of a nation's expectation is an enormous burden for someone so young, Fowler says playing for English giant Manchester City - where she's fought her way into a star-studded starting line-up - has filled her with enormous belief.

"It was probably stemming from playing at City and just wanting to be a lot more consistent and being like, 'I can be a player who can change a game in one moment' and just believing that for myself - and then going out there and having consistent performances to back that up," she said. "That's helped me a lot." The Matildas will need Fowler at her influential best during a tricky group stage in Paris that includes matches against Germany, Zambia and the USA, before they can really start dreaming of a historic Olympic Games medal.

with AAP