When the Matildas doctor pulled out the stethoscope to briefly examine Steph Catley during Wednesday’s 1-0 friendly defeat against Canada, she could have shared it around.
After all, the Matildas have tested the hearts of football fans in 2023. They were bursting in the middle of the year, off the back of Australia’s epic run in the World Cup. The path there was full of palpitations. And now, a touch of heartburn, in these last two defeats against Canada.
As the international calendar draws to a close, the players have had a chance to reflect. “I think we did something really significant and left a legacy in our country,” Catley said after the game. “So it’s been a massive year for us and it kind of sucks to end on a bit of a low.”
Despite the blips, this year has elevated the Matildas into the highest echelons of Australia’s sports-loving society. They have been fully adopted by the country: tough, charismatic, talented athletes who have beaten some of the best teams in the world. No TV show in recent history has ever attracted an audience as big as their semi-final against England.
They were even given an award named after Don Bradman. Tradition has it that November / December is the time of year to pore over Sheffield Shield batting averages and discuss who has claims to what position on the Australian men’s Test team’s batting order.
But this year, late spring has been marked by glee at the emergence of Kyra Cooney-Cross at Arsenal. Celebration at Hayley Raso bagging her first goals for Real Madrid. Concern for Sam Kerr amid more injury problems, this time her foot. And loudest of all, near rebellion by local football observers over the actions of coach Tony Gustavsson.
The players’ success, the thousands of replica shirts, the children signing up to play football, the full houses and the burgeoning commercial opportunities have lifted public expectations. The Matildas are no longer just a good-news story, novelty at the end of news bulletins, the subjects of nude calendars. Them and their performances matter to millions.
after newsletter promotion
The players – and indeed Gustavsson – may have achieved plenty in 2023, but unusual selections and ineffectual play in the past two matches have left the Swede exposed to these elevated expectations. Speculation that he is in the frame for the Swedish men’s national team job has not helped the narrative. (Gustavsson said on Wednesday he will still be in charge of the Matildas for the Olympic qualifiers against Uzbekistan in February, “if I’m allowed to”.)
The stakes were high for the Matildas going into the World Cup. But the knife-edge on which the side danced through to the third-place playoff heightened the unforgiving nature of football. In fevered analysis of selection and tactics in recent days, there is an undercurrent of desperation: the Matildas may never boast the talent they currently have again. The pressure forecast for 2024 is in hectopascals.
Sam Kerr and co will not be around forever. Yes, Mary Fowler, Clare Hunt and Cooney-Cross look like foundational players for the next decade, but there is a sense of urgency to get the most out of this champion team. That means something at the Paris Olympics, barely six months away.
The side finished fourth in Tokyo. That fourth-place finish in the World Cup only had the effect of solidifying the goal. To pen from pencil, the objective is clear. Merely winning hearts and minds is passé, so 2023. Winning a medal? That’s for Paris.
In that context, these matches against Canada were precious. A rare opportunity to be tested away from home against a top team. To see a second-string side obliterated 5-0 caused consternation from the newest Matildas fan to the top of Football Australia.
Gustavsson defended his approach on Wednesday: “When you win, people can look at [the approach], and that might be the right thing. And when you lose, you can be criticised for doing the wrong thing. But what I can promise is that I will do what I think is best for the team at that moment.”
There’s little the commentariat can do. He has earned the chance to do it his way after the success of 2023. But team selection is just one of the unanswered questions going into 2024.
Kerr’s body, and its ability to handle Chelsea’s full season packed with WSL and Champions League – with Matildas matches thrown in – is crucial for the potential of the side. Her injury in the World Cup showed that the remaining squad can do amazing things. But Kerr makes a habit of them.
Then there’s the question of where to find the Matildas. Later this month Football Australia will decide which channel or streaming provider gets to show their matches. 2023 was a monumental year. But for this surging Matildas phenomenon, there is no rewind function.