The Aussie fullback has been known for some time to be the next biggest thing in Australian football, at a time when Sam Kerr has only relatively recently become a household name across the nation.

The defender's relentless speed, work ethic and general enthusiasm for the game, a trait that shows in every tackle, one-two and drag-back, has long separated her from an extremely talented Matildas elite.

Now at the world's biggest and best women's club, Carpenter is ready to fulfill that potential. It won't be easy though, with the Aussie left out of her first final with the French giants.

“I think when the opportunity came about, I thought it was the right time for me to make my move to Europe,” Carpenter told the Matildas website.

“I wanted to be out of my comfort zone as well, and I have definitely felt uncomfortable here a lot of times already.  

When you are out of your comfort zone, that's when you are pushed so that’s what I wanted to be. I just want to be the best player I can be.” 

Carpenter said the training has already revealed why Lyon are the game's pre-eminent powerhouses, a title that they will have to continuously work to keep given the sudden surge in competition from England.

“I  feel like every training is so intense to what I am used to,” she says.

"It’s another level up, and so exciting getting to know that you are going to go to training, you are going to push yourself.  You want to win, every game, every small sided game with your team."

“Everyone's just so competitive and you can feel that on the pitch and, playing with some of the players, it's just so easy and fluid.  It's just so fun and enjoyable.

“I definitely feel like just in the month that I've been here, I’ve definitely learned new things and improved as a player already. I'm really excited for the next couple years here.”