Waltzing Matildas

[BillShankly]

THEY all get by with part-time jobs and don't even have a domestic competition to hone their skills. Yet the Matildas have the chance to cement their place as Australia's newest national heroes as they bid to stake a place in the second round of the Women's World Cup.

The Matildas need just a draw to finish in the top two of their group and qualify, while a win would send them through as group winners - a staggering possibility for a team that had not won a game at three previous World Cups.

Since the last women's league ended in 2004 the team has played just internationals, preparing with intensive camps under the venerable guidance of Tom Sermanni.

Lack of competition has even driven one, goalkeeper Melissa Barbieri, to play for Richmond in the Victorian Premier League - against men.

They all have part-time contracts with Football Australia, which is an advance in itself but still not enough to live on. So the girls fit their camps around accommodating employers.

Football Australia's head of high performance, John Boultbee, says the FFA is actively working on the best model for producing a women's competition.

"We're pretty keen on introducing it if it's viable," he concedes. "But with the Olympic qualifiers the team has had lots of international competition - 18 games in this calendar year and only lost two of them."

For the Matildas, though, the focus is purely on Cananda, world No.9 and a physical, direct team who will try to hustle the Matildas out of their stride.

Semanni will preach to his team the importance of going out to win, refusing to consider the distractive lure of seeking the point they need.

"I won't be thinking that way and the players won't," he insisted. "We've been continually working with this team about winning games rather than not losing them. For us to change that philosophy and strategy would be a poor decision. We'll just go out as normal to try to win the game."

It looms, Sermanni concedes, as the biggest challenge in the history of the women's game here, a crucial match for a team that has achieved much but wants the place in history the Socceroos achieved when they made the World Cup's knock-out stages.

"This is the most important (game)," he said. "Winning that first game was, and then getting the result against Norway meant our destiny is in our own hands.

"But to really make an impact we've got to carry that good work on. I don't want us to become a nearly team, falling at the last hurdle.

"This is now the most important game we've played. We don't feel we've overachieved - before the tournament we felt we could match it with these teams in the group.

"The team is confident against anyone and that came through against Norway. We're a team that can cope with big games so we'll try to be in as relaxed a frame of mind as possible."

Remarkably Sermanni is likely to keep super-subs Sarah Walsh and Lisa De Vanna on the bench, ready to deploy their strength and, above all, pace in the second half.

"Both of them are so good at making an impact and changing a game with their pace and skills so it's a good asset for us," he said.

As for the players, if they are all as relaxed as Barbieri then the team will be in good stead.

Unfazed by the likely aerial bombardment from Canada, the only woman to play semi-professional with men declared: "That's part of my game I like. It's one of my strengths, coming off my line and holding crosses."

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The Matildas need just a draw to finish in the top two of their group and qualify, while a win would send them through as group winners - a staggering possibility for a team that had not won a game at three previous World Cups.

I think this should be 'could'.