Fury take on Adelaide United in Darwin this week and while Matheson understands that fans in the Northern Territory will be disappointed not to see Fowler, it is not about one man.

Matheson told the Northern Territory News: "It's unfair on the lad (Fowler) and the team when every appearance is treated as the Fowler show, forgetting that it is in fact the Fury show.

''It has been great for branding and media coverage, but it's not ideal for building team culture. Robbie wants only to be treated as one of the lads and that means treating him like any other player, which means that if he is injured he is to stay at home."

Matheson said it was vital that the player be given the time needed to recover if he was going to go out and produce his best.

Meanwhile the club has admitted that it may have tried to squeeze a little too much into its pre-season program. Six games in less than a month in numerous locations have asked a lot of an injury-depleted squad.

CEO Dean Hassell told the Townsville Bulletin: "Looking back, would we still play some away games? Yes, we would. Would we play as many? We would probably rethink that in all honesty."