Matildas squad Tom Sermanni at Merewether Beach announcing 21-player squad for upcoming international friendly in Newcastle on April 7, 2025
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00:00Brentley's on paper, but what are you hoping to get out of these next two games?
00:04A very important game, you know, if you look back a few years,
00:08Korea knocked us out of the Asian Cup, the quarter-finals in 2021, I think.
00:14So, you know, it shows how high quality a team we are.
00:19So it's going to be a very difficult contest, a very tough game.
00:23But I think also the important thing is with the Asian Cup coming up in March next year,
00:28all these games become very, very crucial.
00:31You've got a squad which is starting to get quite familiar.
00:35Is this a chance, is every game an opportunity also for these players
00:39that earn their spot in this Asian Cup?
00:41Yeah, and it's always that. I think a squad is always a mix.
00:44You know, you have your regulars, you could probably name them now,
00:48for the Asian Cup next year.
00:49And then you have a group of players, which in the material business at the moment,
00:53there's quite a significant number who are really fighting for that spot
00:57in their 20th week of each year.
00:59And there's lots of competition going on in that area.
01:02And over the last few months, you know, we've brought several new players in
01:06and had a look at them, and we continue to expand the squad
01:09and continue to expand the competition within the squad.
01:12The team looking like it's starting to gel under your leadership.
01:15Are you looking forward to having two more games with this unit?
01:18Definitely. You know, we've had some mixed results, particularly away.
01:22But, you know, it's a process.
01:24And the key thing, particularly with the national team,
01:27is to make sure you get the process right when you go into the Major Tournament.
01:31So at the moment, as I say, there's a little bit of mix where we've got, you know,
01:36a settled senior group of players, to be honest.
01:40And then within that group, we've got another group of players
01:45really buying or trying to get a spot in there,
01:48either in the squad or in the starting team.
01:51A big name and a big inclusion, particularly for this match, is Claire Wheeler.
01:54What are you expecting her to bring as she returns to the squad?
01:57Well, it's really great to have her back.
01:59Claire was actually just sort of getting herself really established
02:03and pushing for a starting spot in the team about six months ago.
02:08Unfortunately, in her last two camps, she's picked up injuries
02:11just prior to the camp and actually missed out on those camps because of injury.
02:16So it's really good to actually get her back, you know,
02:19keep her going.
02:34Sol's the top crowd here again.
02:36I was going to say something.
02:37Josh, there's a lot of excitement, clearly, for the Matildas coming here.
02:41How excited are you to bring football back to the regions?
02:43It's fantastic.
02:44Look, Newcastle is a huge centre for football, a lot of our football history
02:48started here at Newcastle.
02:50It's a typical football town, it's a blue-collar town.
02:54It's a town that really has supported football in the past in a fantastic way.
03:00And it's a town that's produced a lot of players for Soccer Roos and Matildas.
03:03So it's really important for us to come and play in these cities
03:08and protect Newcastle with the history that we've got.
03:12One of our favourite Novocastrians is Emily van Egmond,
03:14who's had a change in clubs moving to England.
03:17How vital is she to your squad?
03:19And are you expecting a big game from Emily when she returns to her hometown?
03:23She's one of those important senior players in and around the squad.
03:26I think back to my second time with the Matildas,
03:29she was this young up-and-coming 15-year-old.
03:31She's now this very senior, hardened and extremely good professional.
03:37And I think coming back to her hometown is very special for her.
03:41And obviously she'll be a big part of the game up here.
03:44With Sam Kerr still injured, how important are her leadership qualities?
03:48All the senior players' leadership qualities are important.
03:51But again, that's something that Emily has really matured into very well.
03:55I remember her starting out as a 15-year-old
03:58and now I see her as a really responsible senior player on the field and off the field.
04:04When will training and camp start for Dexter?
04:10Dexter's player name is an awful strong one.
04:13Players will generally start coming in from early next week.
04:19Most of them play at the weekend, Saturdays and Sundays.
04:22By the time they get on flights and come over here,
04:26in general we'll get most of the squad together by Tuesday.
04:29Hopefully on the field by Wednesday.
04:32Another session Thursday and then into the first day.
04:35I know you're used to this, but how do you fit in with all of these incredible athletes' schedules?
04:40They're coming from all over the place and just making sure they're ready to be together and play good Australian time.
04:45It's one of the challenges of a national team job now.
04:48The way that the women's game is going and it's fully professional now,
04:52which is a fantastic thing, but the challenge for that from a national team perspective
04:57is that you don't get much time.
04:59So the time you've got, you've got to utilise very, very wisely
05:03and make the most of those couple of days that you've got to keep things simple
05:08but also get enough information out to make the team effective.
05:12Just to clarify, on Sam Kerr, she's out because of her ankle injury?
05:17Correct. So Sam's still making a comeback from her knee operation a year and a bit ago.
05:23She's not been fully cleared yet by Chelsea.
05:27She's on the mend and she's not too far off.
05:30So her first priority is to get her on the field with Chelsea
05:35and then hopefully she'll be available for selection in the future.
05:39And just last one from me, the ABC is chatting to some Matildas alumni today.
05:44There's a ceremony planned to recognise the first national team,
05:48which was the club team, not necessarily the official Matildas team.
05:51Can you comment a bit about that?
05:53Is this taken away at all from the Games department?
05:57Have you got any comment on that?
05:59No, I don't have any comments. That's something that's outside of my remit, thankfully.
06:04And it's not something that really comes within the actual mechanics of our team and our squad.
06:11In terms of Sam, obviously short-term out,
06:14but would the long-term picture for the Matildas and yourself be the Asian Cup coming up?
06:19Yeah, the Asian Cup is the next physical tournament.
06:22And I think, as I say, the difference between a national team and a club team
06:26is that for the club team you're literally week-to-week, day-to-day in a sense.
06:30With the national team, you're planning generally for major tournaments.
06:35So you're playing for the present, but at the same time you're planning for the future
06:39and trying to balance all of that together
06:42so that you get your selection and your preparation right for major tournaments.
06:46And obviously the next one is the Asian Cup here in Australia, which is very important.
06:51And locally, someone aiming for that just here, Tash, flying the Jets colours.
06:56What have your thoughts been of her within the Matildas squad now a few times?
07:00Well, first thing is that she's obviously a very much more accomplished player than her father was,
07:06despite the fact he played in the Premier League a little bit.
07:09But look, Tash has done exactly what, as a coach, I want players in the A-League room to do.
07:17She's stood out and she's come and got herself picked for the team.
07:21You know, players get themselves picked.
07:23And what Tash has done is that she's really had an outstanding season.
07:28She stood out at centre-back and she's come into the national team,
07:32got a debut against Brazil, which you don't get much tougher,
07:37has handled herself exceptionally well, and she's still in here.
07:41And she's someone that's made her way into the squad
07:44and now has got the ambition to make her way into the starting team.
07:47Yeah. Thanks Tom.