Two months ago I was quietly confident about the Westfield Matildas' World Cup campaign, having been surprised by just how well their preparation was going. They were coming off the back of an absolute blinder of a W-League season, where enough players to fill more two teams shone technically and through their body-on-the-line passion.
Of these players, some young, gutsy, and hitherto-unknown stars were emerging, making me think they could be some World-Cup-upset bolters. That's in stark contrast to the Socceroos, where there aren't too many players who can fill the shoes of the ageing, increasingly injury-prone Europe-based players, where Harry Kewell's and Tim Cahill's injuries warrant pages and pages of speculation, where the team is largely toothless when those two aren't on the pitch, and where the Starting XI is fairly guessable.
Then came Kate Gill's ACL.
In each interview I've had in recent months, national coach Tom Sermanni and the players have qualified their statements about their preparation with the fact that the squad has so far been injury free or that they're hoping to remain so.
I find it kind of ironic and unfortunate, though, that one of the players strongly in the mix for World Cup selection fell victim to the frustrating ACL injury that plagues many footballers, both male and especially female, just a month shy of the event of events. Named Asian female footballer of the year in 2010 after her dominate performance during the Asian Cup, Gill was in outstanding form and must, on some level, be wondering why me and why now?
The Westfield Matildas have more strikers competing than there are spots available, but injuries aren't the way you want to see players ruled out. While they'll all perform well and slot in to the team set-up should they be selected, the team will undeniably miss (and be forced to rethink strategies to account for the absence of) Gill's height, her goal-scoring aerial prowess, and her strong, header-winning defensive skills.
My immediate reaction to hearing about Gill's injury mirrored most others'-horror and a sense of profound disappointment for both her and for us/myself. But a few weeks on I'm feeling a little more optimistic. I reckon losing Harry Kewell or Tim Cahill effectively renders the Socceroos blunt, but I can't help but think that the Westfield Matildas rely less on one or two stars and more on teamwork and good build-up play.
Which is why I wasn't overly upset when Lisa De Vanna was sent packing for—allegedly, according to this Sydney Morning Herald article —bad behaviour.
Speedy, fearless, and adept at scoring goals though she is, De Vanna, who's now been invited back into the fold, isn't the only talented striker vying for a World Cup berth. She's undoubtedly wondering whether she's ruled herself out of the World Cup squad, which will be announced on Wednesday. Do we need her? Or will other strikers shorter than Gill and better behaved than De Vanna be the ones Sermanni ends up putting on the plane?
Say, for example, Catherine Cannuli, who's waited a long time for a national team call-up, and who scored her first international caps and goal against New Zealand in the recent friendlies. Or Leena Khamis, who has proved herself adept at scoring from headers, including a match- and progression-determining one at the crunch during the 2010 Asian Cup.
Blasphemous as it is to say, I help thinking that a little bit of injury or player ruling out is a bad thing.
The Socceroos' 2006 World Cup campaign was a success because the team played out of their skin, but also because we were pleasantly surprised that they were doing so. The bitter pill of the 2010 campaign was that we expected them to do so and they didn't-that Germany game was a travesty not because of the eventual score, but because in an entirely un-Australian way, we capitulated before we even set foot on the pitch.
The challenge facing the Westfield Matildas now, though, is that off the back of solid domestic-league performances and the Asian Cup victory-something not even the Socceroos have achieved-we're expecting big things from them. It's an enormous pressure, and also an unfair one—we're a sporty nation, but we're new, inexperienced, and minnow-sized when it comes to the world game.
One day we'll seriously challenge the USA and Germany, world numbers one and two, respectively. But I'd say not until we have fully paid, professional leagues, where players get to concentrate on their football development full time (like they already do).
Until then, though, I think these latest developments may not be the worst things in the world. They'll have slightly tempered our expectations of the Westfield Matildas' success, and heightened our appreciation of just how hard the World Cup (and indeed a career as an athlete) can be. Without Gill and with or without De Vanna, I think we'll be pleasantly surprised at how well the Westfield Matildas go. But the point is that it'll be a pleasant surprise.
