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Hagley Park In Stadium Live FeedWhy Craig Foster believes public interest in the Matildas will continue
Sam Kosack • December 6th, 2024 1:32 pm
Socceroos great Craig Foster says the Matildas need to blood the next generation, defending the team amidst mixed results since the World Cup.
The Matildas have won three of their eight games since the start of their Olympics campaign, failing to qualify for the quarterfinals at the event and parting with former coach Tony Gustavsson.
Australia’s most capped player Clare Polkinghorne retired after the team’s recent 3-1 defeat to Brazil, emphasising why the Matildas must debut new players to ensure a steady flow of experience once more team stalwarts begin to retire.
Foster says that the Matildas are approaching a transitional period as the next generation of Matildas are introduced to international football.
“We’ve got this incredible generation, the greatest generation we've ever had, but of course they've only got another few years left in them, so we have to plan for that,” Foster told SEN 1170 Breakfast.
“That's why (interim coach) Tom Sermanni in the last week… started to bring through the next generation.
“We don't know what the next five or six years will look like. We’re certainly hopeful they are going to maintain their performance levels.”
Despite this, Foster believes that the next coach has a very important job in elevating the ability of Australian football but thinks that public interest in the team will continue regardless.
“I've seen the talent, I think they're at a very high level, and much of Australia just loves the team… which in that case, for us, they're going to maintain the interest,” Foster said.
“This next coach is so important… it's been our Achilles heel in Australian football across both genders, and that is control of games and winning with the ball rather than with our incredible spirit, speed, and our competitive nature, which the Matildas represent more than any national team in the country.
“They are phenomenal to watch in any respect. Even if they lose, the way they play, the way they approach the game, that's the difference from the male teams.”
The Matildas next game is against Chinese Taipei on December 7 in Geelong.
