Leah Blayney has finalised her 23-strong Young Matildas squad for the upcoming AFC U/23 Championships, featuring a solid mix of Australia's best young talent.
Blayney's squad will look to do one better than the Junior Matildas, who made a decade-long best finish by reaching the semi-finals of the U/17 AFC Championships, only to narrowly miss out on a spot at the U/17 World Cup.
Blayney's squad have an immediate advantage: the Juniors had to finish in the top-two to qualify for their World Cup due to one less spot for non-automatically qualifying Asian nations after India secured hosting-rights for the event.
The Young Matildas, conversely, only have to finish in the top-three. An easier job on paper, perhaps, but given the quality of our neighbouring Asian nations, nothing to be sniffed at nonetheless.
In response, Blayney has named a talent-packed squad, featuring a diverse array of Matildas experience, and is hoping to go one better than Rae Dower's side.
“We have spent the past three weeks holding a series of short but highly beneficial camps in Sydney,” Blayney explained.
“These camps have helped the coaching staff finalise our squad for the Asian Championship, which is the most prestigious tournament for females of this age group across our confederation.
“We believe that with the squad we have going to this tournament we are a strong chance of earning Australia qualification for the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup for the first time since 2006.
“Many of the players in the squad have had significant Westfield W-League exposure across the nation, while players such as Karly Roestbakken, Mary Fowler, Kyra Cooney-Cross, Princess Ibini, Rachel Lowe, and Courtney Nevin have had varying levels of exposure to the senior Matildas’ set-up, too."
THE SQUAD
Name |
Morgan AQUINO (Gk) |
Chelsea BLISSETT |
Kyra COONEY-CROSS |
Deborah DE LA HARPE |
Shadeene EVANS |
Ciara FOWLER |
Mary FOWLER |
Charlotte GRANT |
Abbey GREEN |
Annie GROVE (Gk) |
Emily HODGSON |
Angelique HRISTODOULOU |
Princess IBINI |
Aideen KEANE |
Rachel LOWE |
Claudia MIHOCIC |
Teressa MORRISSEY (Gk) |
Courtney NEVIN |
Hollie PALMER |
Susan PHONSONGKHAM |
Indiah-Paige RILEY |
Karly ROESTBAKKEN |
Tessa TAMPLIN |
OUR MATCHES
DPR Korea v Australia
Date: Sunday, 27 October 2019
Location: IPE Stadium, Chonburi, Thailand
Kick-off: 4.00pm (local); 8.00pm (AEDT)
Australia v Thailand
Date: Wednesday, 30 October 2019
Location: Chonburi Stadium, Chonburi, Thailand
Kick-off: 7.00pm (local); 11.00pm (AEDT)
Australia v Vietnam
Date: Saturday, 2 November 2019
Location: IPE Chonburi Stadium, Chonburi, Thailand
Kick-off: 4.00pm (local); 8.00pm (AEDT)
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