‘We don’t want this feeling again’: Shattered Matildas put on a brave face
Three years ago, the day after losing the third-place play-off at the FIFA Women’s World Cup, the Matildas fronted up to a public reception in Brisbane where they were serenaded by Nikki Webster and lauded for their efforts by thousands of fans who helped them look on the bright side.
On Sunday, it was deja vu all over again. And not in a good way.
There was a party thrown in their honour at Sydney’s Darling Harbour precinct, but in truth, they turned up only because they had to. Optimism was scarce. The crowd was smaller – mostly because it was a steaming hot day in Sydney – and the vibes were undeniably lower, with all in attendance still digesting the heartbreak of their 1-0 defeat to Japan in the Asian Cup final.
Devastation was still written all over the players’ faces, hidden only in a few instances by strategically worn sunglasses. Who could blame them? They know they missed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to end the team’s trophy drought. And while they are rightfully proud of their broader impact on Australia – the people they have inspired and the legacy they will leave behind – they are competitive animals, and are beyond tired of intangible consolation prizes.
Defeat, particularly in a final on home soil, cuts deep – and especially so when everyone involved knows this special group is towards the end of their time together.
Senior players were either unavailable to the media or refused requests for interviews – so it was left to coach Joe Montemurro, and a sprinkling of newer Matildas, to put their complicated feelings into words.
“Last night … it was very hard for me,” Montemurro said of the team’s final meeting of the tournament.
“It was just a big thank you to everyone … because I know the challenges were there. It was very, very important that we use this moment, this situation as a base to go forward. We know the feeling, and we don’t want to have this feeling again.”
Caitlin Foord was one of a handful of players not present, having apparently departed early to return to England for club duties. Foord looked inconsolable in her post-match broadcast interview, in which she took “responsibility” for the three key chances on goal that she missed, and so she required a bit of extra love from her teammates.
“This Matildas group is a family, and they all gathered around her,” said Montemurro, her former coach at Arsenal.
“We all gathered around her. She knows, and we move on. We just have to move on. It’s as simple as that.”
They have little time to waste: the Matildas will be back in action next month, reportedly as part of a ‘FIFA Series’ of friendlies against Malawi, and either Kenya or India, in Kenya. Montemurro flagged that he would likely pick an experimental squad for those matches, as he now shifts his focus to next year’s World Cup in Brazil.
He knew nothing about an overnight report in The Athletic, which claimed that captain Sam Kerr would be leaving Chelsea with the expiration of her contract at the end of this season.
“I’ve heard nothing in regards to Sam’s situation at Chelsea,” he said. “But there’s competitive football everywhere, and there’s a lot of big clubs doing some fantastic things – so whether it’s Chelsea or another club, I’m sure that Sam Kerr will be in demand.”
For defender Wini Heatley, who the Matildas hope will be a cornerstone of the team in its next iteration, there was still joy to be had at the fan day, considering she wasn’t a part of the last one in 2023.
“Being one of the ones that got to witness the World Cup from afar, and see how much the country got around this team, it’s been really special to now be a part of it, and it’s something that’s pretty indescribable, really,” she said. “It’s something that I’m so grateful for.”