'Til It's Done Farewell Series: Squad Talking Points

The 23-player CommBank Matildas squad to take on China in two friendlies in the ‘Til It’s Done Farewell Series has been selected by Head Coach Tony Gustavsson and was announced today, 21 May.

Here are the six biggest talking points from that announcement.

1) Sam Kerr and Amy Sayer (ACL) were ruled out of selection for Paris 2024™.

It was confirmed with this announcement that forward Sam Kerr, and attacker Amy Sayer’s ACL injuries would rule them out of selection in the CommBank Matildas squad for Paris 2024™.

The two players will continue their rehab with their clubs and will not recover in time to be available for selection.

2) Katrina Gorry (ankle) and Aivi Luik (hamstring) are in contention to recover by the Olympics.

Katrina Gorry and Aivi Luik are unavailable for the ‘Til It’s Done Farewell Series due to injury. However, they are both recovering well, and the door is not closed for selection in the Paris 2024™ squad.

“They will definitely be considered for an Olympic spot,” Head Coach Tony Gustavsson said.

“Neither of them are back in full football training as of now, but it’s up for their clubs to communicate where they’re at, as they’re under their clubs' guidance now.”

“We definitely hope that they will be available for selection for an Olympic roster. They’re knocking on the door and fighting for spots for the Olympics.”

3) Clare Hunt, Courtney Nevin and Lydia Williams return to the squad.

In positive news on the injury front, defenders Clare Hunt and Courtney Nevin, and goalkeeper Lydia Williams return to the squad after being unavailable for April’s FIFA International Window.

“We have had a very tough period with injuries… 15 out of these 37 players [that have been involved since the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™] are either injured or just coming back from injury,” Gustavsson explained.

“Some of the players that are selected now are selected to be evaluated where they are with their physical status in the June window, and see whether they will potentially be, come the Olympics.”

4) Final home games for Lydia Williams

Lydia Williams announced her international retirement in the lead-up to this camp, to take effect after Paris 2024™.

This window will be the final opportunity for Australian fans to see Williams donning the CommBank Matildas kit on home soil.

“She is not just a world-class footballer, she is a world-class human being as well. Her impact on this team speaks for itself – the amount of caps, what she’s done for the game and the team,” Gustavsson stated.

“I am really looking forward to having the honour to be a part of that celebration game with her in Sydney. I’m so happy she gets the opportunity to do that in front of family and friends, fans and teammates.”

5) Less than 100 days out from the Games, the focus is narrowing.

The focus of the playing group heading into this camp is refinement of what they have been working on over the past 12 months, and focusing in on what is required at the Olympics.

“We want to use this camp to summarise everything, go back to what we did in the World Cup and the core things we did there, and then add the layers we worked on – and see if we can get a complete summary of where we’re at,” Gustavsson said.

“Also get some answers – where are we, and what do we need to keep working on come the Olympics? Everything from our physical status to our playbook and playing style, and to test ourselves now against the Asian Champions, China.”

6) The final 18 for Paris 2024™ will be based on this squad.

This squad, as well as the injured Katrina Gorry and Aivi Luik, will form the basis of the 18-player squad that Gustavsson will select for the Olympics.

“I think everyone can do the math here and understand that obviously the Olympic roster will be based mostly out of those that are in this upcoming May/June camp,” Gustavsson outlined.

“However, we also have some players in Katrina (Gorry) and Aivi (Luik) unavailable for selection for this window but most likely will be physically available to be part of an Olympic roster. This window will be a tough one for me and my staff in terms of evaluating players, where they are, and then the final selection process for Paris.”

COMMBANK MATILDAS | MATCH SCHEDULE

Match One

CommBank Matildas v China PR
Date: Friday, 31 May 2024
Kick-off: 7.40pm ACST / 8.10pm AEST
Venue: Adelaide Oval, Adelaide, South Australia
Broadcast: 10, 10 Bold (PER), 10 Play and Paramount+ 

Match Two

CommBank Matildas v China PR
Date: Monday, 3 June 2024
Kick-off: 7:40pm AEST
Venue: Accor Stadium, Sydney, New South Wales
Broadcast: 10, 10 Bold (PER), 10 Play and Paramount+

FINAL SQUAD | ‘TIL IT’S DONE FAREWELL SERIES | 27 MAY – 4 JUNE 2024