The 23-players that will represent Australia at the AFC Women’s Asian Cup India 2022™ have been finalised by Commonwealth Bank Matildas head coach Tony Gustavsson at the conclusion of a pre-tournament training camp in Dubai.
Following the announcement of the initial player selections, forwards Cortnee Vine and Holly McNamara will round out the representatives at Asia’s continental championships.
In confirming the inclusion of Sydney FC’s Vine and Melbourne City’s McNamara, Gustavsson praised the forwards for forcing their way into their first senior international squad.
“It has been a week of high quality from everyone in this pre-tournament training camp,” Gustavssson said. “The quality of performances from the players already selected, and from the four pushing for the final two positions, has made this decision an extremely difficult one.”
“I want to be clear, this wasn’t a case of Karly Roestbakken and Wini Heatley playing themselves out of contention but a case of Cortnee Vine and Holly McNamara playing themselves into the Asian Cup squad.”
“I think a lot of people out there probably thought we were going to go with one defender, one attacker out of the four players however, we felt that with the experience and the multifunctional players that we already had selected for this tournament, we have the cover in the defensive positions. “
“We decided instead that we will select the best players for this tournament that are in the best form. Holly and Cortnee have shown us that that’s the case right now and they deserve to be selected.”
With Australia’s opening match only five days away, attention has turned to Indonesia with the Commonwealth Bank Matildas opening their AFC Women’s Asian Cup India 2022™ campaign on Friday, 21 January 2022 at Mumbai Football Arena.
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Having now finalised the squad, Gustavsson believes the team is in great shape to once again be a strong contender for the Asian Cup trophy.
“I think when it comes to that team chemistry, I have a really good feeling of the group,” Gustavsson continued. “You can see that there are a lot of players that are starting to find their vibe and that tournament vibe.”
“Right now, the only focus is the opening game. We want to start on the front foot. We want to have a good performance to open the tournament in the best way possible and that’s where all the focus is.”
Australia will arrive in India on Monday as they complete their ground work in Mumbai.
All matches will be broadcast live on Network 10 and streamed via 10 Play in Australia.
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Name | Position | Club | Caps (goals) | Junior Club / Member Fed |
Mackenzie ARNOLD | Goalkeeper | West Ham United | 27 (0) | Burleigh / Football QLD |
Ellie CARPENTER | Back | Lyon | 54 (1) | Cowra and District / Football NSW |
Steph CATLEY | Back | Arsenal WFC | 96 (3) | East Bentleigh, SE Cougars / Football Victoria |
Kyra COONEY-CROSS | Midfielder | Melbourne Victory | 14 (0) | Ballarat City / Football Victoria |
Caitlin FOORD | Forward | Arsenal WFC | 95 (21) | Warilla Wanderers / Football NSW |
Mary FOWLER | Forward | Montpellier | 20 (5) | Leichhardt / Football QLD |
Emily GIELNIK | Forward | Aston Villa | 50 (11) | Redlands United / Football QLD |
Charlotte GRANT | Back | FC Rosengård | 3 (0) | Cumberland United Women’s FC / Football South Australia |
Alanna KENNEDY | Back | Manchester City | 102 (8) | Campbelltown Cobras / Football NSW |
Sam KERR | Forward | Chelsea | 104 (49) | Western Knights / Football West |
Aivi LUIK | Back | Pomigliano | 33 (0) | Palm Beach SC / Football QLD |
Holly McNAMARA | Forward | Melbourne City | 0 (0) | Ermington United Sports and Recreation Club / Football NSW |
Teagan MICAH | Goalkeeper | FC Rosengård | 8 (0) | Brisbane Blue, Brisbane Central / Football QLD |
Courtney NEVIN | Back | Melbourne Victory | 7 (0) | Oakville Ravens / Football NSW |
Clare POLKINGHORNE | Back | Vittsjö GIK | 138 (12) | Wynnum Wolves, Capalaba / Football QLD |
Hayley RASO | Forward | Manchester City | 58 (6) | Banora Point / Football QLD |
Remy SIEMSEN | Forward | Sydney FC | 2 (0) | Manly United / Football NSW |
Kyah SIMON | Forward | Tottenham Hotspur | 105 (27) | Quakers Hill, Hills Brumbies / Football NSW |
Emily VAN EGMOND | Midfielder | Newcastle Jets (on loan) | 112 (23) | Dudley-Redhead / Northern NSW Football |
Cortnee VINE | Forward | Sydney FC | 0 (0) | Peninsula Power FC / Football QLD |
Clare WHEELER | Midfielder | Fortuna Hjørring | 5 (0) | Adamstown Rosebud / Northern NSW Football |
Lydia WILLIAMS | Goalkeeper | Arsenal WFC | 95 (0) | Tuggeranong, Woden Valley / Capital Football |
Tameka YALLOP | Midfielder | West Ham United | 101 (11) | Mudgeeraba / Football QLD |
Commonwealth Bank Matildas Matches | AFC Women’s Asian Cup India 2022™ | Group Stage
Commonwealth Bank Matildas v Indonesia
Date: Friday, 21 January 2022
Venue: Mumbai Football Arena, Mumbai
Kick-off: 3.30pm (local), 9pm (AEDT)
Broadcast: Live and Exclusive on 10 Bold and 10 Play
Philippines v Commonwealth Bank Matildas
Date: Monday, 24 January 2022
Venue: Mumbai Football Arena, Mumbai
Kick-off: 3.30pm (local), 9pm (AEDT)
Broadcast: Live and Exclusive on 10 Bold and 10 Play
Commonwealth Bank Matildas v Thailand
Date: Thursday, 27 January 2022 / Friday, 28 January 2022
Venue: Mumbai Football Arena, Mumbai
Kick-off: 7.30pm (local), 01:00am (AEDT)
Broadcast: Live and Exclusive on 10 and 10 Play
