New coach to give lifeline to forgotten Matilda

Perth Now

3 days ago

Finally on the clock, new Matildas boss Joe Montemurro wants to bring back Vine Time.
Two years ago, winger Cortnee Vine catapulted to stardom when she scored the winning spot-kick in the Matildas' epic penalty shootout win over France at the Women's World Cup.
Back then, Vine, 27, was also lighting up A-League Women with Sydney FC.
But between taking a mental health break, injuries and a difficult start to life in the NWSL with North Carolina Courage, she hasn't played for the Matildas since the Paris Olympics.
Montemurro plans to reach out to Vine, along with other players in the wider Matildas selection frame.
"Cortnee's definitely on the radar," he told AAP.
"And we'll get to the heart of getting her back in the fray and hopefully we can build her into the Asian Cup also."
Montemurro watched on in Canberra on Monday night as an array of other attackers made their own cases ahead of the Asian Cup.
Comeback kid Amy Sayer scored a well-taken brace against Argentina and can play attacking midfield and both centrally and on the wing.
Kahli Johnson notched a goal and an assist across her first two games while ALW golden boot Holly McNamara is also highly rated.
"It's interesting that everyone's talking about the next cycle and the ageing squad, but to me it doesn't look too bad with the four names you've just mentioned (Johnson, Sayer, McNamara and Vine)," he said.
"It's exciting times and they're all playing at good levels and I still think the A-League has a really important place to play in the sustainability and development.
"So for me, the timing's really, really good.
"We just have to now solidify the individual development of players and to make sure that they're making right decisions, to make sure that we have enough players for the future."
Montemurro has been helped by Tom Sermanni testing and developing more players during his stint as interim coach.
"It's actually made my job a little bit easier in terms of profiling players and understanding what level some of the players are at and then thinking about how we can marry the two," he said.
Players have long been encouraged to test themselves overseas.
While the likes of Caitlin Foord and Kyra Cooney-Cross have gone to new levels by playing in England, others have struggled.
Vine has notched just 58 minutes across three appearances this NWSL season.
"Playing is the baseline and obviously the more scenarios, the more situations you're exposed to at club football, the better you're going to be equipped for it," Montemurro said.
"All players have to think about where they can find a good environment, whether it's a good training environment or a good environment that gives them the opportunity to be exposed to many football scenarios as possible."