Wanderer Bryleey Henry has been named in Commonwealth Bank Matildas Head Coach Tony Gustavsson’s 23-player squad to take on world number seven Brazil next week in Sydney.
Australia will play host to Brazil on Saturday, 23 October and on Tuesday, 26 October at CommBank Stadium as they return to action on Australian soil. The matches mark the first time an Australian senior national team has played at home in almost 600 days, with their last match against Vietnam in the Tokyo 2020 Women’s Football Tournament Qualifiers.
With the AFC Women’s Asian Cup in India less than 100 days from kick off, the two-match series is invaluable preparation as Gustavsson and the team continue to build towards the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023™.
“Preparation is number one,” Gustavsson said. “I said that going into the September camp when we played against Ireland, we changed from ‘performance mode’ from the Olympics to ‘preparation mode’ [ahead of India 2022 and Australia/New Zealand 2023].”
“That doesn’t mean that we are going to step on the field not trying to win – we are always going to try and win when we play every game – but we are not going to try and win at the expense of our preparations
“We can’t shy away from tough challenges and tough games. We need to look at this as a long run towards the World Cup in ‘23.”
The October window will feature the return of fan favourites including full back Ellie Carpenter, midfielder Emily van Egmond, and forwards Kyah Simon and Caitlin Foord, to the Commonwealth Bank Matildas’ squad.
Midfielder Chloe Logarzo has been sidelined due to a long-term knee injury, while injury has also ruled Elise Kellond-Knight (knee), Hayley Raso (shoulder) and Emily Gielnik (toe) out of selection contention.
Several new national team players have retained their place in the squad including September’s debutantes Angie Beard, Charli Grant, and Clare Wheeler. Meanwhile Western Sydney product and Commonwealth Bank Young Matildas forward Bryleeh Henry has received her first call up to the senior national team.
“We need to be patient,” Gustavsson added. “We can’t expect a debutant coming into the camp to be ready the first time they come in, but we need to expose them to the Matildas’ environment to get them ready for ‘23 and to scout them in our environment, to see who bounds and thrives under that high international tempo that we have in the Matildas.”
“We are going to keep looking for new players, and either invite them to the training environment to see them there, or for some players that make a good impression in the training environment, also make sure that they get some game time.”
“It is all about now who can reach their full potential come ‘23. It’s not just about who is the best, it is about who can become the best, so we are looking at ‘23 in all the decisions that we are making right now,” he said.
Gustavsson and the Commonwealth Bank Matildas players and staff are currently in transit ahead of arrival in Australia early next week.
Network 10 will broadcast the two-match series live and free, with coverage simulcast on 10 Play.
Commonwealth Bank Matildas 23-player Squad | October 2021
| Name | Position | Club | Caps (goals) | Junior Club / Member Fed |
| Mackenzie Arnold | Goalkeeper | West Ham United | 27 (0) | Burleigh / Football QLD |
| Angela Beard | Back | Fortuna Hjørring | 1 (0) | Bethania Rams / Football QLD |
| Ellie Carpenter | Back | Lyon | 50 (1) | Cowra and District / Football NSW |
| Steph Catley | Back | Arsenal WFC | 92 (3) | East Bentleigh, SE Cougars / Football Victoria |
| Emma Checker | Back | Melbourne City | 8 (0) | Cumberland United Women’s / Football SA |
| Kyra Cooney-Cross | Midfielder | Melbourne Victory | 10 (0) | Ballarat City / Football Victoria |
| Caitlin Foord | Forward | Arsenal WFC | 92 (21) | Warilla Wanderers / Football NSW |
| Mary Fowler | Forward | Montpellier | 16 (4) | Leichhardt / Football QLD |
| Charlotte Grant | Back | FC Rosengård | 1 (0) | Cumberland United Women’s FC / Football SA |
| Bryleeh Henry | Forward | Western Sydney Wanderers | 0 (0) | Penrith FC / Football NSW |
| Alanna Kennedy | Back | Manchester City | 99 (8) | Campbelltown Cobras / Football NSW |
| Sam Kerr | Forward | Chelsea | 100 (48) | Western Knights / Football West |
| Teagan Micah | Goalkeeper | FC Rosengård | 7 (0) | Brisbane Blue, Brisbane Central / Football QLD |
| Courtney Nevin | Back | Melbourne Victory | 4 (0) | Oakville Ravens / Football NSW |
| Clare Polkinghorne | Back | Vittsjö GIK | 136 (11) | Wynnum Wolves, Capalaba / Football QLD |
| Jamilla Rankin | Back | Brisbane Roar | 0 (0) | Eureka FC / Northern NSW |
| Karly Roestbakken | Back | LSK Kvinner | 7 (0) | Monaro Panthers / Capital Football |
| Remy Siemsen | Forward | Sydney FC | 0 (0) | Manly United / Football NSW |
| Kyah Simon | Forward | Tottenham Hotspur | 101 (26) | Quakers Hill, Hills Brumbies / Football NSW |
| Emily van Egmond | Midfielder | Orlando Pride | 108 (23) | Dudley-Redhead / Northern NSW Football |
| Clare Wheeler | Midfielder | Fortuna Hjørring | 1 (0) | Adamstown Rosebud / Northern NSW Football |
| Lydia Williams | Goalkeeper | Arsenal WFC | 92 (0) | Tuggeranong, Woden Valley / Capital Football |
| Tameka Yallop | Midfielder | West Ham United | 97 (11) | Mudgeeraba / Football Queensland |
