by Ben Gilby (13/2/23)
Above: Katrina Gorry speaking to the media today in Sydney. Image: Football Australia.
Matildas star Katrina Gorry told the media today that the squad are in a good place ahead of the Cup of Nations, which kicks off on Thursday when Australia play the Czech Republic in Gosford.
The Brisbane Roar midfielder believes that the next 10 days will prove to be a hugely important dress rehearsal for what match day preparations will be like for the World Cup later this year.
“(It’s like being) in tournament mode, getting ready for the World Cup, training schedules based around that, good quality opponents, similar to who we play in the World Cup.
“Playing different opponents is good to adjust our formation, adjust our press, and learn new things, change a few things, and get a better idea of what we might come up against.”
With the World Cup just over five months away, time is running out for players to finalise their spots in the squad. Competition within the camp is hotting up.
“We always want to wear the jersey. When camp selection is coming up, all guns are blazing and we’re fighting for spots. There’s tension around the group, but that’s just everyone fighting for the shirt.”
Australia’s second game in the competition sees a rematch with Spain on Sunday in Parramatta. It is a chance for the Matildas to banish memories of their previous encounter, when a significantly below-strength Australia went down to a 7-0 defeat in Spain just before Euro 2022. Gorry spoke of the determination within the camp to show their true worth.
“Every game you learn a lot, and we took a lot of learning from that. As a team, we’ve grown so much since that game, and we’ve shown that in our last few performances. For us, it will be a great match-up on Sunday and see how far we’ve come as a group. We knew that the performances were coming, and we have a solid group of girls here.
“The players are hitting peak performance at the right time.”
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