A raft of key players will return to the Matildas in October with positive signs after another win under new coach Joe Montemurro
Montemurro was particularly full of praise for the 'character' of veteran striker Michelle Heyman who scored twice in a 3-2 win over Panama in Perth on Tuesday night to close out the international window.
It took a late goal from Charli Grant to seal the win, a turnaround from an opening 1-0 loss to Panama on Saturday as Montemurro continued to experiment with the next generation of Matildas.
Hayley Raso and Michelle Heyman combine once again with the latter heading her 33rd goal in green and gold 🙌
🎥: @ParamountPlusAU #Matildas #AUSvPAN #WAtheDreamState pic.twitter.com/SZJGDOyhlU
— CommBank Matildas (@TheMatildas) July 8, 2025
Montemurro was missing most of his preferred line-up with the likes of Sam Kerr, Mary Fowler, Steph Catley, Caitlin Foord, Katrina Gorry, Cortnee Vine and Clare Wheeler among those who didn't play at all in the four games in Perth.
Ellie Carpenter was among some of the stars who left the series after two matches against Panama.
But all should be available for the next international window in October - Kerr trained with the Matildas in Perth as she steps closer to a playing return - before the final tune-ups for next year's Asian Cup, being held in Australia, begins in November 24-December.
Having indoctrinated his players with a new playing style over the course of the last two weeks, Montemurro is confident he will have his side humming for the tournament.
'I've had less time to prepare teams for big tournaments,' Montemurro said.
'The good thing about it, we're going to have a lot of players who are in season (for the next window), so they're going to be at least physically - and from a rhythm perspective - in tune.
'That was the biggest thing over the last 20 days - you saw the players, the rhythms were up, down, everywhere.
'All of them had to be managed physically.
'We won't have that problem (next time). So at least we can go forward with players that are ready to go.'
The only disappointment for Montemurro was a return to some old habits in the final game.
'Obviously we've got some more work to do,' he said.
'We fell into the trap of wanting to rush the play when we needed to slow it down, and we fell into the trap of slowing it down when we needed to go quick.
'That caused a lot of technical errors, because people weren't in position at the right time.'
But Heyman was in the right spot twice, capitalising on crosses from Hayley Raso to score and earning high praise form the coach
'It's an honour to work with an athlete, with a character of this nature,' Montemurro said of Heyman.
'I've been honoured enough to have worked with some of the best strikers in the world — Ada Hegerberg, Vivianne Miedema — but this character that is Michelle Heyman, we should all be proud of.
'We should all be proud of who she is and what she's contributed to football, and to sport in general.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Herald Sun
15 minutes ago
- Herald Sun
Proteas spinner Subrayen reported for suspect action in Cairns ODI
Don't miss out on the headlines from Cricket. Followed categories will be added to My News. South African spinner Prenelan Subrayen has been reported for a suspect in his team's opening ODI win against Australia in Cairns putting his place in the remaining two matches in jeopardy. It's the third time the off-spinner has been reported after his action was first deemed suspect more than a decade ago in 2012. The 31-year-old, who was making his ODI debut for South Africa on Tuesday, took the key wicket of Australian opener Travis Head and finished with 1-46 in his 10 overs. But post-match, officials were concerned about the legality of his bowling action. Subrayen will now have to face an independent assessment of his action at an ICC-accredited testing facility within 14 days. But under ICC rules, he is allowed to continue to bowl until the results of the tests are confirmed. The South Africans have already lost star paceman Kagiso Rabada to injury with two more games to be played in Mackay on Friday and Sunday. Prenelan Subrayen celebrates taking Travis Head's wicket. Picture: Saeed Khan / AFP Subrayen made his Test debut against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo this year despite long-time scrutiny over his action. Tests showed his action was illegal as far back as 2012, but he was cleared to bowl again in January 2013 after retesting. He was them reported twice the following two years during matches before he was eventually cleared to resume bowling in March 2016. Australian spinner Adam Zampa also featured in the umpires' report after the match in Cairns. He was reprimanded for swearing over a stump microphone. Zampa loses a demerit point on his record and if he loses three more he would face a suspension. Originally published as South African spinner Prenelan Subrayen has been reported for a suspect action in the ODI series against Australia.
News.com.au
36 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Western United lodges appeal in fight against its A-League licence being stripped
Western United has lodged its appeal against Football Australia's decision to strip the club of its A-League licence. Having asked for an extension, United had until 10am on Thursday to submit the appeal. The club announced on Wednesday night that the appeal had been lodged. 'As this is a regulatory process, the club will be making no further comment at this time,' a United statement said. FA, which stripped the financially embattled United of its A-League licence on August 8 for failing to meet the criteria required to compete in the national men's and women's competitions, is expected to give its verdict on the appeal next week. The club's financial woes include a multimillion-dollar tax bill reportedly owed by United chairman Jason Sourasis. Building ðŸ'°ðŸ'š — Western United FC (@wufcofficial) August 20, 2025 Players and staff received their monthly wages late in April, May and June and were only paid overdue superannuation payments earlier this month. In May, United announced that KAM Melbourne, a subsidiary of American company KAM Sports, would become the club's new majority investor. However, the Australian Professional Leagues is yet to receive KAM Melbourne's full ownership proposal – understood to be worth $100m when including the purchase of the club's parent company Western Melbourne Group – and therefore cannot approve it. United was also banned by FIFA from registering players due to a six-figure sum that was owed to the club's former striker and 2022 A-League title-winner Aleksandar Prijovic. The ban led to United this week releasing former Sydney FC striker Jaiden Kucharski, who had only joined the club last month.
News.com.au
43 minutes ago
- News.com.au
AFL's monumental Izak Rankine blunder laid bare as the league fails everyone
COMMENT The AFL has dug itself into a massive hole with its comical handling of the Izak Rankine case. Adelaide forward Rankine is facing a season-ending ban for a homophobic slur aimed at a Collingwood player last Saturday night. The 25-year-old allegedly called his opponent a f****t, with the incident coming just weeks after West Coast's Jack Graham was banned for four matches for calling a GWS player a 'f***ing f****t'. FOX FOOTY, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every match of every round in the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership Season LIVE in 4K, with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1. Last month Sydney defender Riak Andrew was also slapped with a five-match suspension after being found guilty of using an anti-gay slur. In the aftermath of the Rankine incident, the AFL launched an investigation into the on-field comment, and as of Thursday morning, they are still deliberating on what ban should be handed down. has contacted the AFL for comment over the incident and the major delay in the suspension being handed down. It marks the game's biggest stress test, seeing if the AFL stay firm in their stance against homophobia, even when the repercussions for Rankine could not be larger - ruling out one of the game's biggest stars for the AFL finals series. A four-game ban would rub Rankine out for the rest of the season if the ladder-leading Crows win both a qualifying and preliminary final to reach the decider, while a five-match ban would definitively end his season. However, the fact that seems to be overlooked by many is that it is a black and white situation, he has either done it or he hasn't. There is a precedent already set by the AFL that if you say a slur, you cop a ban and a hefty one at that, no ifs or buts. Apparently, that is the case until there are potential finals implications. The reality is Rankine is only the latest of a growing number of AFL players and coaches sanctioned for anti-gay language. When an almost certain ban is handed down, he will be the sixth AFL player suspended for a homophobic remark aimed at an opponent in the past 16 months alone, underlining a major problem in the sport. And in the wake of such an incident, the AFL, which needs to portray strength, unity and a zero tolerance for such language, has let the saga dominate the headlines for almost a week and looked increasingly weak. If a five-game ban had been handed down on Monday, to which the Crows could appeal, would have created some uproar but ultimately would have swiftly dealt with the situation and in doing so shown the game's strength and zero tolerance towards such behaviour. Instead, they have twiddled their thumbs, ummed and ahhed, and now it is a full-blown drawn out saga, with more twists and turns than an AFL game itself. Now five days on from when the incident came to light, instead of the news cycle focusing on the final week of the regular season, it is still on Rankine, and now whatever the ban is handed down won't appease anyone and will damage the AFL's reputation. And if he is given a ban of less than five games, well, that will show the league is weak when faced with actually imposing a meaningful sanction. But the underlying truth of the whole ordeal is that the AFL's failings in dealing with the Rankine saga extend far beyond the arbitrary ban. It has far more to do with the hidden message it is sending by letting it drag on. Homophobia is a real problem in our game, and it is something that needs to be rubbed out for good. Long gone are the years of claiming you 'didn't realise' the impact such slurs can have on people, especially in sports that for decades have been accused of marginalising gay players. The weakness of the AFL has been on full display all week, with their decision reeking of uncertainty and an underlying sense that a Grand Final could well outweigh a punishment for homophobia. And now, as the Rankine saga continues on Thursday, the AFL world is totally fed up and rightly so. 'It's mind-boggling the Izak Rankine Adelaid investigation is headed to a 5th day,' sports presenter Stephen Quartermain wrote on X. 'It's now taken longer for the AFL to sanction Rankine than it took The Conclave to elect a new Pope. How is that possible?' broadcaster Matthew Campbell added. While ex-premiership player Will Schofield said: 'Rankine's situation a complete joke. AFL have precedent here - if he's done it, it's a clear-cut penalty (not that I agree with it, but that's how it is.) Adelaide wants their best player to play finals - no s***… but bad luck?!' AFL's previous bans for slurs Jeremy Finlayson (April, 2024) – three game suspension Wil Powell (May, 2024) – five game suspension Lance Collard (July, 2024) – six game suspension Jack Graham (July, 2025) – four game suspension Riak Andrew (July, 2025) – five-game suspension The AFL has made a point of compounding the penalty each time an offence occurs. However, the AFL has since gone back on its word, stating that at the end of last season, they will consider 'specific circumstances in each incident in determining appropriate responses and does not consider that it is bound by the level of sanctions that it has previously imposed for similar incidents.' But in saying that, the most recent ban this year for a slur was five matches, so any less than five for Rankine is simply unacceptable.
