Danika Matos has just re-signed with the Western Sydney Wanderers for another two seasons, meaning she will have spent seven seasons wearing Red & Black by the time her contract expires.
It’s an amazing achievement for the speedy wing back, but Matos herself admits it isn’t something she saw as possible at the start of the season, where she says she found it difficult to manage her on-field performances with matters off the pitch.
It’s an amazing achievement for the speedy wing back, but Matos herself admits it isn’t something she saw as possible at the start of the season, where she says she found it difficult to manage her on-field performances with matters off the pitch.
“I did fall out of love with the sport a little bit at the start of the season”, Matos said.
“I think I was just going through a tough patch in my own personal life, relationships, family, a lot, I was moving out of home. I became overwhelmed and I thought that football was the problem.”
However, she says this period was a blessing in disguise, as it helped her realise the importance of football in her life, whilst also expressing her close bond with her teammates.
“We’re closer than ever, it’s incredible. It (the club) is my home away from home, it’s a second family. We’re like a bunch of big sisters, aren’t we? There’s younger ones, and there’s the middle aged kids, and then there’s older ones.
“We fight but you know, sisters always come back and we all love each other… I love them all, and I love playing with them, we thrive each other to be better.”
The consistent improvement was evident in a Wanderers side this season, where they recorded their most wins and highest points total in history, and were desperately unlucky not to make the finals.
Matos played every minute of every game this season at both wing back and also as a wide midfielder at times, recording one assist in the process.
With coach Robbie Hooker on board for an entire pre-season alongside more players sticking around with Matos, she believes the Wanderers will be in a far better place to challenge at the top end of the table next season.
“I want to (be) making finals, I want to make a grand final, we want to win the Premiership, we want to do it all here, and I know all the girls do as well.
“With Robbie behind us – he believes in us as well as all the other coaching staff – so I think that coming back and majority of the girls coming back next season will be a lot easier. We know each other pretty well now, so we’ll get our groove a lot quicker than we did this season.”
As well as a supportive football family, Matos can count on the support of her mum and siblings for the next two years; they often make the trip from Wollongong to watch home games and even sometimes travel interstate to watch the Wander Women.
“She comes out with my sisters – my sisters live back in Wollongong – so they carpool together and they come out, and she comes to the Melbourne games because my brother lives in Melbourne.
“My mum is my biggest supporter, she’s been there since day one”, Matos says, recalling how her mother encouraged her to stick with football after also being a talented runner, “if it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t be where I am.”
Matos relishes and enjoys playing in front of her family, but she also enjoys spending quality time with them off the pitch, saying it helps keep her driven and focused on her football career.
“My siblings support me through anything, but the last thing we do is ever speak about football, which is really nice, because you do have your life outside of football.
“Then when you come here, it just feels like you can breathe and finally just focus on that.”
