Matildas young gun Mary Fowler posts cryptic poem about life's 'awful moments' as she's separated from NRL star boyfriend Nathan Cleary by 17,000km

Matildas golden girl Mary Fowler has raised eyebrows after posting on social media about life's 'awful moments' - as she is separated from NRL star boyfriend Nathan Cleary by 17,000km.

Fowler, 20, took to Instagram on Wednesday and shared a poem from renowned author LR Knost, which focused on the complexities humans face each day.

Readers are encouraged by Knost to 'breathe in the amazing' and 'exhale during the ordinary' moments.

Fans of the couple have been looking for signs of how they've been keeping in touch despite the huge distance between them.

They have been liking each other's Instagram entries on a regular basis, but at the time of writing, Cleary hadn't liked Fowler's post featuring the poem, as well as a shot of her playing football in England.

Strangely, she also hasn't liked his most recent post - featuring an album of photos from his holiday in America - despite it going up on Sunday. 

Fowler's update on her life comes as the Manchester City forward prepares for two upcoming international matches against Canada with the Australian squad, which has been decimated by injuries.

Fowler looms as a key figure for coach Tony Gustavsson, with captain Sam Kerr (foot) joining goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold (arm), and defender Charlotte Grant (hamstring) on the sidelines.

After months of innuendo, Cleary and Fowler went public after Daily Mail Australia exclusively captured photos of the couple sharing some tender moments in a Perth park on October 31 ahead of a Matildas game against Chinese Taipei.

Social media quickly erupted with memes about them dating before the couple said their goodbyes at Perth airport before Fowler flew back to England to play in the Women's Super League with the Citizens.

Both athletes are said to be very private when it comes to their relationships, with sparks between the pair reportedly starting in August after they shared an ice cream together after a promotional event in Sydney.

The pair are both brand ambassadors for Adidas and were seen enjoying each other's company once filming concluded with the sports giant.

Following reports of the ice cream date, the first photos of Cleary and Fowler together came to light, with the duo enjoying a walk together along the Nepean River during Australia's World Cup campaign.

The photo of the couple is understood to have been taken on August 8 - two weeks prior to the Adidas meeting.

'We were going for a walk along the Nepean River when we saw them,' a Penrith resident who saw the couple said at the time.

'They were taking photos and talking with other locals, and walking up and down the Nepean River together for quite some time.'

Cleary and Fowler were seen smiling together while wearing Adidas clothing. The footy star reportedly stopped to talk to some fans during the walk.

The Panthers premiership-winning NRL star then headed to Perth in late October, where he witnessed Fowler play a starring role in three Olympic qualifying wins.

The 26-year-old has since travelled to Bali and the US for holidays, and will soon return to Penrith for pre-season training.

Fowler and Cleary could reunite when she flies to Australia for a fan event featuring Matildas teammates Alanna Kennedy and Mackenzie Arnold on December 21 at Sydney's CommBank Stadium in Parramatta, just a half-hour drive from Cleary's home in the NSW Blue Mountains.

Cleary's teammate Brian To'o poked fun at his relationship status this week, responding to a photo on Instagram with the words: 'My guy', before adding a soccer ball emoji - and an emoji of a diamond engagement ring.