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ANGE:

From Schwartz Media, I’m Ange McCormack. This is 7am.

For the first time ever, Australia has reached the final four of a World Cup.

Tonight, the Matildas face some familiar foes when they go up against England in Sydney.

Many in the Matildas squad play club football in England, and in some cases, they’ll be going toe-to-toe with their club teammates.

So, will close knowledge and home advantage give Australia the edge to defeat the European champions?

Today, Fox Sports News presenter and women's sports advocate Sam Squiers, on the battle ahead for the Matildas.

It’s semi-final day… Wednesday, August 16.

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ANGE:

Sam, you've been reporting on the Matildas for years, following them closely, interviewing them, and you were even in the popular Matildas doco that was released recently. Could you ever imagine this day, a World Cup on home soil, games literally stopping the nation, and Australia, for the first time ever, in a semi-final?

SAM:

You know what? Everyone keeps saying, this is unbelievable, could you ever imagine this? And I have to say, yes, there are some people out there, me included, who always thought that this was possible, that this is the golden dream for women in sport. And what we're seeing now is the product of when you properly support, finance, and market a women's team. You know, the Matildas… this is the golden generation of the Matildas. But this isn't a new team, you know, and their success isn't new as well. When you look at the team, nine of the Matildas have over 100 caps for Australia. You've got these great photos in 2011 of Sam Kerr, Caitlin Foord and Emily van Egmond playing in their first World Cup in 2011, and now they've played four World Cups together. So this success… is it unbelievable? No. Is it about time? Well, yeah. And I just think, it's incredible to see these girls… and these girls have said, they've been in this set up for so long and they deserve this success.

ANGE:

I feel like I'm getting tingles already, just like thinking about it. But Sam, how have you personally seen the team evolve up close?

SAM:

Yeah, I've been following this team and these girls and their personal stories. I remember when I was working in Brisbane, back in, I think it was, 2014, and you know, we got word that the Matildas were in town on a training camp, and I was so shocked that I was working for Channel nine at the time and no one told us. So I called Football Australia and I was like, well, the Matildas are in town and the response I got back, they were like, oh, we didn't think you'd be interested. And so there was this assumption that we wouldn't do stories on, on the Matildas. I was like, well, I am and I want to do a story. I then found out that they were playing Brazil in an international, but it was a closed off game. It was behind closed doors. So no fans, no family or anyone, were allowed in the stadium. And I thought, this is ridiculous. So again, I phoned, you know, Football Australia, and I'm like, why is it that you're playing… and this is a long time ago, and Football Australia have changed, as we've seen. But I was like, why are you playing these games behind closed doors? They're like, oh, the cost, you know, to get lights...

Archival tape – Commentator 1:

“Australian women’s football is taking centre stage. And our 2023 world cup journey begins for our Matildas, as they host the Republic of Ireland.”

SAM:

You know, I've been out for the round of 16 games, and I was there for the Matildas first game against Ireland at Stadium Australia, and I just took a moment to watch 76,000 people, of all walks of life, all in their green and gold, filing into one of the biggest stadiums in Australia, and filling it.

Archival tape – Commentator 2:

“Well there is a fantastic buzz around Stadium Australia. Make no mistake, the weight of expectation on the shoulders of the Matildas is great.”

SAM:

It feels not that long ago that we were told this could never happen, but we knew this could happen. So it was such a beautiful moment, and I'm going to get teary again Ange, just thinking about it, because there's so many people that have supported this team for so long, and they deserve everything that they're getting. And this is a totally game changing moment that we're seeing in Australian sport.

ANGE:

And Sam, I want to talk about tonight's game, because this group of players have to face England in the semi-final tonight, and so many of the Matildas play their club football in England. They're actually team mates of some of these English players that they're going to be facing off with. Can you tell me about some of the contests we're going to see in the match tonight?

SAM:

Yeah, it's pretty cool, isn't it? And we've seen that throughout this tournament. You know, players playing their team mates at club level in these internationals. And one of the big match ups we’ll see is between our captain Sam Kerr, against the England captain Millie Bright. You know, they play at Chelsea together quite closely. They've won four English championships together with Chelsea.

Archival tape – Commentator 3:

“Chelsea are champions for the fourth time in a row. For the fifth time in six glorious years.”

Archival tape – Sam Kerr:

“I don’t really care what people say about me, honestly. I'm in the greatest team in England and I mean, I'm happy. The team’s happy. So it's not about me, it's about the team and I'm happy, so what can I say?”

SAM:

And I think both of them have this mutual respect for each other, that they are teammates, but it’ll be really interesting to see how they go up against each other. Millie Bright is one of the toughest players, if not the toughest player, in the world. She's a defender as well.

Archival tape – Millie Bright:

“To me, Sam is the ultimate pro, when it comes to on and off the pitch team behaviours, you know energy, being ruthless, putting the team first and just that eagerness to win, but at the same time doing it with a smile. And I don't think there's ever a dull moment with Sam Kerr around.”

SAM:

So these girls know each other very, very well, this Chelsea combination. But you've got to say, Sam Kerr up against Millie Bright will be, yeah, one to behold tonight.

ANGE:

So Chelsea has given us that teammates turned rivalry between Sam Kerr and Millie Bright. But a lot of other Matildas now play in England as well, right?

SAM:

Yeah, Manchester City is one of the big ones, obviously. One of the biggest clubs in the world and recognisable football clubs. But, yeah and we have three of our players in that team. Hayley Raso is another one, Alanna Kennedy and also Mary Fowler, our young gun who's just been incredible this season. And they're up against, about, I think there’s about six Manchester City players in the Lionesses as well. So this will be very, very interesting. But yeah, these girls… I love their stories. Alanna Kennedy, she grew up in Campbelltown in Sydney's west, and she's another one of those nine players who is 100-gamer in this team, and such a force to be reckoned with, combining as well with our goalkeeper McKenzie Arnold. The whole of Australia has fallen in love with McKenzie Arnold, after what she was able to do in that quarterfinal clash against France. I mean, she is the new Minister of Defence for Australia. Move over, Richard Marles!

Archival tape – Commentator 3:

“And saved by Arnold! Advantage Matildas again!”

SAM:

Hayley Raso is another one. She's one of my favourite ever players, I think.

Archival tape – Commentator 4:

“Oh here’s an opportunity for Raso, she’s got Blackstowe in support… Raso alone! Hayley Raso, doubling Manchester City’s advantage.”

SAM:

She's this contrast, you know, she walks onto the field, she just looks like the girl next door. She's got her hair in a ponytail. She always wears a yellow ribbon, which is a tradition for her. Her nana actually started that. Her nana used to give her a ribbon to match her football kit, for every single team that she played. But she is so in-your-face and I absolutely love it. I think when she was a teenager, she even knocked out her front teeth playing touch football. She's just…

ANGE:

A demon.

SAM:

A different person. You know, she gets that white line fever and I love it and she's been fantastic. Three goals so far. And I should add that, right before the World Cup, Haley announced that she signed with Real Madrid. It's a big moment because no Australian male or female has signed with the Spanish Giants before. So yeah, they're taking on their team-mates in Man City, and one of the biggest of which is Chloe Kelly.

Archival tape – Interviewer 1:

“What qualities make Australia particularly dangerous?”

Archival tape – Chloe Kelly:

“I think they have plenty of qualities. They've shown that throughout this tournament. I think it's not just one player that sums up Australia. They have a great team, and of course, team mates that I have at Manchester City that I play with a lot.”

SAM:

She actually scored and kicked the fastest goal of the tournament and it was at the penalties that they took against Nigeria. That was actually the fastest strike that we've seen all tournament, 110 kilometres an hour. And it was actually faster than any other male during the Premier League season as well, just to give you a sense of how dynamic she is. She also scored the match winner in extra time that saw the Lionesses beat Germany in last year's Euros, and that was England's big moment.

Archival tape – Commentator 5:

“No more years of hurt. No more need for dreaming. Because dreams have become reality at Wembley. After 56 long years.”

Archival tape – Interviewer 2:

“You have just become, overnight, probably the most famous woman in England. Or Britain.”

Archival tape – Chloe Kelly:

“It hasn't settled in yet. I think I'm just living in the moment.”

SAM:

The whole country paused for these women, much like we're seeing in Australia, and it really galvanised England behind their Lionesses. It made the Lionesses a household names. It really boosted the interest of women's football in the UK. And also, off the back of that, they just saw an incredible increase in the number of little girls, at grassroots level, taking up the sport. So, that was their moment. Hopefully Australia can have our moment in this World Cup, and I feel we're getting a sense of that. That this is our time.

ANGE:

After the break, who has the advantage on the ground tonight?

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ANGE:

So Sam, England will be a familiar team for the Matildas, especially for some players who, you know, as we've been talking about, literally play together in Europe. How do you think that's going to impact the match? Will that close knowledge of the other side be used tactically?

SAM:

I think so. I mean, I think the biggest thing it does, it takes away that fear factor for the girls. You know, a lot of our women have been playing in England since after the last World Cup in 2020. So they know all these players so well, who they are. That fear factor’s gone. Also, this has all been part of Football Australia and Tony Gustavsson’s plan for this World Cup. They wanted the Matildas to have the best chance of achieving success on home soil. In order to beat the best teams in the world, you need to play them in the lead up to this. And over the last three years, and especially over the last 12 months, we have played every single one of these teams. And the last three teams left, other than Australia, in the competition, we've played them in the last nine months and we've beaten all these teams. You know, we've beaten Sweden in November, we've beaten Spain as well, and also England in April, as well. So that takes away that fear factor and it gives Australia confidence. We know that we can beat the best teams in the world. You know, we beat Canada as well, who were the Olympic champions. So I don't think they're feeling that pressure at all. I think they felt that pressure at the start of the tournament.

ANGE:

And Sam, can you talk me through the state of both teams, who's out who's in tonight, and what are the players to watch out for?

SAM:

Well, Tony has been keeping his team and his cards very close to his chest this whole tournament. And the big talking point has always been, will Sam Kerr play? Before the last game, Tony said, you know, if she is fit, she will play 90 minutes. So there's a good chance we'll see Sam Kerr start. And she played really well, and didn't seem as though that backflip was… oh, sorry, that backflip… Didn't seem as though that calf was really bothering her at all. I say the backflip because my six year old daughter just wants Sam Kerr to do a backflip, that's all she keeps going on about.

ANGE:

Same.

SAM:

She was so disappointed when she scored that penalty and didn’t do a backflip. I’m like, she has a sore calf. I don't think anyone in Australia wants her to do a backflip until the 90th minute of the final, if we get that far. But I don't think it really matters now. I think we know she will play some kind of role, and we know now that everyone in that team can do an incredible job. You know, if we're looking, we've talked about Chloe Kelly and Millie Bright as well, for England. You know, they're obviously down Lauren James as well. She was their player who stomped on an opposition player. She was banned for two games. So that extends to this game as well. So they'll be missing her in this one. And also in the lead up to this, I actually felt sorry for England, they lost a couple of players to ACLs, which is the dreaded injury, which takes, you know, 12 months to recover on. And they lost their captain, Leah Williamson, just before the tournament, and forward Beth Mead, as well, to that. So you know, they're missing some key players there. And so, you know, I think there's a lot going for the Matildas. But the thing is, I'm not even going to go there, Ange, because anything can happen at the pointy end of the tournament. They're all good teams from here on in. But you know, I think we're riding this wave, for the Matildas, and we're just loving every moment and you know, in a sense they've, they've already done an incredible job for Australian sport already.

ANGE:

Yeah. And you know, we’re obviously hoping the Tillies get it done and win tonight. But as someone who's followed this team closely, can you explain what this achievement of making it to the semi finals means? Like, how big of an impact has this moment already made, regardless of whether they win or lose?

SAM:

I have never seen any… I'm going to get teary again. I've literally never seen anything like this in Australian sport. No one has seen anything like this in Australian sport. This is another one of those moments. This is, where were you when moments, and we're going to create those moments that this World Cup and we certainly have. You know, not since Cathy Freeman won gold at the Sydney Olympics, has a nation united and backed and supported and stopped for a team or a player or a moment like this, like we saw in the quarter finals. I just… Seven pushed their news back, in the stadiums before the AFL games, you know, having the Matildas up on the big screens, even the AFL pushing their games back, just so the Matildas could have clean air and everyone could watch that. We keep talking about those sporting moments, but a friend of mine works in a theatre and she said they even pushed back the production of one of the shows that they were airing, so everyone in the crowd could watch the Matildas on their iPhones, and then they started the production afterwards. So I've never seen the nation pause, support and back a team, like we're seeing at this moment. Like, we'll remember, I'll be telling my grandkids about this moment.

I went to school pick up the other day and, you know, there's a group of men just outside, the dads all talking about the Matildas. You know, there's a corner store opposite, and the kids are just scrambling to the corner store and stocking up on the FIFA Women's World Cup footy cards, you know. And there was a big shout and screams from all these little boys, because someone managed to get Sam Kerr last week, in their footy cards. You know, this is an incredible moment, like we've never seen before and it's only going to get better. That was the quarterfinal, we're into the semi finals. You know, no one has ever gone this far in a World Cup. This is game changing, but it's… it's social change and its culture change, as well. The way we see women in society, the way we see women in sport, has completely changed after this event. And that's what sport can do and that's what these Matildas have done.

ANGE:

Sam we're crossing our fingers for tonight and thank you for speaking to me, but also thank you for believing in the Tillies for so long and for covering them for so long. So thank you so much for your time today.

SAM:

Thanks for having me, Ange.

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ANGE:

Also in the news today…

Four Australians missing in waters off the coast of Indonesia have been found alive, after a desperate search for their lost vessel.

They were found floating in the water, two days after their boat failed to return from a surf trip to Pinang Island.

The group were travelling with three Indonesian crew members, who were also found alive.

And,

Welfare advocacy bodies are calling for immediate action to limit rent increases, as the Prime Minister meets with state and territory leaders at national cabinet today.

The Councils of Social Service network, which represents thousands of social services, has written a letter to the cabinet leaders warning it’s seeing "distressing levels of housing need".

From Schwartz Media, I’m Ange McCormack. We’ll be back tomorrow.

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