Above: Clare Hunt on signing day with Tottenham. Image: Tottenham Hotspur.
by Genevieve Henry (15/11/24).
Ahead of tomorrow’s huge North London derby in the Women’s Super League with Tottenham Hotspur Australian defender Clare Hunt answered Genevieve Henry’s questions about her transition to England, rapid ascent with the Matildas, and ultimate goals with Spurs.
Hunt has been on a meteoric trajectory since her first national team call up in 2023. After an impressive run of seasons with Western Sydney Wanderers and Canberra United in the A-League Women, the defender was immediately entrusted with a starting spot for the Matildas and she hasn’t given it up yet.
Not having set a single foot wrong throughout the Women’s World Cup, Hunt gained international attention and earned a move to Paris Saint Germain. This European summer, Hunt was once again on the move and Tottenham Hotspur were lucky enough to sign the stalwart centre back.
There were many factors that drew Hunt into Tottenham, but at the top of her list was playing time. “For me, it’s important to continuously get minutes under my belt. I’m excited to continue to develop these next few seasons with Tottenham and enjoy my time here in London.”
“It’s been really good, really easy to settle in. I’m enjoying my time here. The club is really welcoming, the facilities are great, and I think the people here are great. I feel like it’s an opportunity for me to develop and get to play against quality opposition, week in and week out.”
“Just getting game time is really important because it allows me to develop, it allows me to make mistakes and learn, it allows me to have successes and recognize those as successes in the way that I play.”
“Getting minutes here at Spurs has really helped me and given me confidence moving forward in playing against top teams. Having relatively consistent performances is something I want to do and continue to do throughout the season, so I think being alongside some other Aussies makes it more familiar and helps me with that.”
The Australian contingent not only at Tottenham, but all over London and England has been a major positive for Hunt, alongside other similarities.
“I feel like the culture here is not too different from home, so it makes it quite easy to settle in. I’d say it’s easier to settle in than Paris with that language and cultural barrier. It’s been a really smooth transition for me and it’s allowed me to progress quickly in transitioning into the football here.”
Tottenham has been continuously improving over the past few years and Hunt sees that potential and hopes to help take the club to greater heights.
“I want to get to a point where Tottenham is a club that’s undeniably competitive in the Women’s Super League and we’re sitting up at the top of the ladder, year in, year out; and we’re competing for Champions League positions, and in the Champions League. That is a mark I want to leave at Tottenham and be a part of something bigger here.”
“I think it’s a great competition (the WSL), I think each weekend you go into, you’re not one hundred percent sure that you’re gonna take points away from it; whether you play a top team or a bottom team, it’s tough competition. I also feel like the pace of the game is to a decent standard and it’s allowing me to grow, to lead in this team, and to be a player that wants to develop and help develop others. I’m really enjoying it.”
Hunt recently scored her first goals for both club and country. She attributes it to the freedom she has been given to prove herself on set pieces. “It’s quite nice to have that flexibility and show what I can do up the other end of the pitch.”
Hunt’s career has been full of quick adjustments and big steps up, all of which she has handled with remarkable grace and poise.
“I think my attitude helps me a lot, just to continually try and progress. It’s quite important to start and to play, and that’s something I want to do. That’s a big contributing factor in how I can be a leader or a figure on a team who can drive others to want to win and want to improve. That drives me to be the best player and best person that I can.”
“Every little process requires an adjustment period, and I think for me, I didn’t necessarily get granted that when I cracked into the national team…It was almost like ‘hey, you’re a regular starter now, so make the most of it and stay there.’ Now that I have that confidence in myself and also that feeling that I can do it, I know I can be a regular starter in decent teams and the national team, so for me it’s just being consistent in my effort throughout the week, whether that’s in gym or training.”
One of the factors that has helped Hunt to gain such incredible opportunities in her career is her levelheaded-ness and composure. She puts it all down to her ability to read the game.
“Sometimes I might look calm but I don’t necessarily feel as calm inside. It’s just understanding how the opposition plays. I think once you understand the way they press, or the way they move, it’s gonna be relatively predictable for you.”
“I play against some really amazing players, but I also feel like defending is easier than attacking, so I have the upper hand anyway.”
In her still surprisingly young career in the spotlight, Hunt has played in front of some incredible audiences, which she may become accustomed to with bigger crowd sizes at some WSL clubs’ grounds.
“To play in front of big crowds, it’s a privilege, it’s an amazing opportunity to show people what you can do, but it’s also just an opportunity to enjoy it. I think it’s amazing that on a Sunday I can go to work and have 50,000 people want to watch what I do for a living. That’s really, really cool. There’s so much exposure around women’s football now, I think it’s great. It’s quite exciting to be a part of that.”
Hunt also spoke about her excitement at the promise of a big crowd at the North London Derby. With Aussies Hayley Raso and Charli Grant at Spurs with Hunt, as well as Caitlin Foord, Kyra Cooney-Cross, and Steph Catley at Arsenal, tomorrow’s match will be highly attractive to audiences in Australia.
It’s safe to say no matter who emerges victorious, North London will be green and gold. Hunt’s first game against Arsenal should be one to remember, especially as Tottenham have made huge strides to catch up in the rivalry. Hunt will surely put her best foot forward and once again show the world what she can do in this monumental match-up.
(c) Impetus 2024.
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