In front of a sell-out crowd in Penrith last weekend, De Vanna scored a spectacular opening goal against Brazil. Her volleyed effort from outside the box brought the 17,000 crowd to their feet and helped the Matildas to hard-fought 2-1 win.

Her sweetly timed effort mimicked a similar goal she scored for South Melbourne’s NPL Women’s team only a week earlier.

Ahead of upcoming major tournaments such as the Asian Cup, Olympics and World Cup, De Vanna feels the Aussies - who are up to sixth in the FIFA rankings - can get even better.

“We’re always growing and there are things we can learn and be better at,” she said speaking to FourFourTwo.

“Our biggest challenge was mentally and we achieved that in the Tournament of Nations win last month. You can also tell in the Brazil game how confident and scary we were moving forward in the attacking zone.

“We have a lot of potential and it’s very scary with the players that are coming through and what they can do and what they can bring to the team. We just want to keep going forward and we’re starting to get that.”

Results such as beating the USA for the first in their history is a sign of the team’s growing confidence and ability and it’s due to the number of Matildas forging careers abroad, said De Vanna.

“If we had to talk six or seven years ago there was only three or four that were playing overseas,” the 32-year-old explained.

“Now we have potentially 16 starting players that are playing overseas. They are getting that professionalism from their club teams so they know what standard is needed to be a top player.

“Then they come here and they have to compete. Five or six years ago players were complacent because they didn’t have any challenges because the depth wasn’t there, so that has helped a lot.

“Now the young players are coming up and they are getting an opportunity which is putting a lot of pressure on the starting players.”

With the Australian women’s domestic competition beginning its 10th season this year, De Vanna also lauded the new payment deal that has been brokered by the FFA, PFA and clubs.

“The W-League is a pathway for the Matildas,” she said.

“It gives everyone the opportunity to be seen and be selected and show what they’re worth weekly. With the bargaining agreement coming in there’s no excuses for players for now. They’re getting paid well, they’re in a good environment.

“They don’t have to work another job to make training. So, it’s all coming together. The biggest part for me is now people have to take accountability in their performance and in how they look after themselves.”