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Overshadowing the Matildas’ return home is the dire state of the domestic league.
As Sam Lewis explains, the A-League Women has stagnated and its players are the lowest-paid professional athletes in the country, according to a report from earlier this month.
Add to that the recent discussions around fixtures in international windows and things look rather bleak. The ALW is the only professional league to continue playing during this international window, mostly due to its upcoming extended pause during the Asian Cup.
Weather report!
It’s a lovely 24C on the New South Wales Central Coast this evening. Looks delightful in Gosford.
New Zealand XI
Looks like Kerr is not willing to risk anything in the warmup!
Steph Catley will move to the centre of defence with Courtney Nevin coming into the starting XI at left back. A big test for Nevin before Asian Cup selection.
Australia XI
The Kerr question…?
Matildas captain Sam Kerr has been on a lighter training load since landing in camp and also missed her last two club games for Chelsea. It appears that her knee is still giving her trouble even after that very long recovery period.
Kerr and coach Joe Montemurro have indicated that she will decide how many minutes she plays against the Football Ferns. Obviously fans will be eager to see the striker given it would be the first time she has played at home in two years.
With these two friendlies the last hitout before the Asian Cup in March much focus is on whether the Matildas can pull together a strong tilt at the title. But in other sectors of the Australian football landscape some are paying closer attention to waning levels of interest in the Matildas since the 2023 World Cup phenomenon.
My colleague Jack Snape has taken a look at how things have shifted since the Matildas became Australia’s favourite sporting team.
Preamble
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the international friendly between Australia and New Zealand in Gosford. I’m Jo Khan and I’ll be taking you through the pre-game news, minute-by-minute play report and into some reactions.
Kick-off at Polytec Stadium is 7.30pm AEDT, or 9.30pm if you are over the ditch.
Please send your comments or questions through to me at [email protected].
Let’s get into it!
