Young Matildas star Georgia Cassidy answers Ben Gilby‘s questions from the Australia U20 HQ in Tashkent as they prepare for their U20 Asia Cup semi-final with Japan on Wednesday (11/3/24).
Above: Georgia Cassidy in action for the Young Matildas against Chinese Taipei on Saturday. Photo: Football Australia.
Georgia Cassidy is living the dream. After a sensational last 12 months, A-League Women fans have discovered what those in Perth have known for several years. This teenager is the real deal.
This time last year, the midfielder was preparing for another season in the NPLW WA with Hyundai NTC with the hugely talented team of youngsters looking to build on a Grand Final place in 2022.
Ben Anderton’s NTC side were packed full of skilled footballers. They were playing a style beyond their tender years. Eye-catching passing movements, skilled cross-field switches along with a determined tackling game that saw this team of teenagers physically match it against some of Western Australia’s most seasoned players.
During the 2023 campaign, Cassidy and her NTC teammates would win silverware in the State Cup Final and qualify for the end-of-season Top Four Cup once more. At its conclusion, the midfielder was one of several from her NTC squad to be offered an A-League Women contract. Joining Cassidy at Perth Glory were Grace Johnston, Tanika Lala, and Lilly Bailey, with Ruby Cuthbert being snapped up by Brisbane Roar, and Ischia Brooking going to Western Sydney Wanderers. It was quite a squad that Ben Anderton had put together.
Looking back at the period, Cassidy reflected: “It’s been an amazing past 12 months, and I am beyond grateful for the opportunities I’ve been given. Personally, the most important thing I have learned is to live in the moment and just enjoy the little things.”
The 18-year-old has come a long way since “just kicking the ball outside with my two brothers…to think I’m playing in an Asian Cup is so rewarding.”
That reward, coming on as a substitute in Australia’s last two group games against Uzbekistan and Chinese Taipei, has come for a superb first season in the A-League Women. Cassidy has not just been a regular member of the Perth Glory side all season, she’s been performing like a player who has been a pro for years – as Glory head coach Alex Epakis agreed with when he spoke to me back in late-October about the influence of Cassidy and teammate Grace Johnston.
“They have shown moments where they look like 30 or 40 gamers…it’s credit to them and to the older players who have created an environment to support them. They are doing great things, but there are a lot of people who have contributed to that – the senior players in particular.”
The style of play that marked Cassidy out as a key performer for Hyundai NTC has shone through in the A-League Women. This is a cultured youngster who can play centimetre-perfect through balls, hit a stunning long-range shot or set piece, and put in some crunching tackles.
That defensive side of the game is something that the teenager clearly relishes, and believes her management of those situations all comes from intuition and a deep knowledge of her role.
“I think with defending, it’s not really a skill. It’s really just instinct and willing to put in the effort. In my position, it is my job to nail passes, so it’s just an expectation.”
Having come into the game in Western Australia’s NPLW, a competition just about to enter its fifth season, Cassidy feels has had its drawbacks. With the national coaching system based on the east coast, where the vast majority of the squad play having come through NPLW systems that are perceived to be superior makes it considerably more challenging for Western Australia’s best young female players to get noticed without moving inter-state.
“Personally, I have always believed it is way harder to be seen as a footballer in Western Australia. The competition is very unmatched compared to other states.”
Georgia Cassidy, Young Matilda, and Perth Glory midfielder.
It has to be hoped that the high number of talented teenagers coming through not just the NTC set-up, but at other NPLW WA and State League clubs as the competitions mature, will eventually enable more Georgia Cassidys to flourish in their home state without needing to travel east to catch the eye of national coaches.
The 18-year-old midfielder urges the next generation of Western Australian female players to ensure that they do “not have the fun taken out of the game.”
For now though, having been part of a Young Matildas side qualify for the the U20 World Cup having made the semi-finals of the U20 Asia Cup, Cassidy has just one focus – and one belief:
“We can go all the way!”
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