CommBank Matildas defender Alanna Kennedy said that it was a “huge honour” to be selected in the 18-player squad for Paris 2024™, and play in her third Olympic Games.
She spoke to the media about her hopes for the tournament after the squad was announced in Sydney.
“Just trying to soak it all in,” she began. “I think the older you get, the more you want to be in the moment. I just want to really get going now.”
Kennedy has been a core part of the team for the better part of a decade. That continuity, she said, will hold them in good stead as they hope to leave the French capital with a medal.
“We’ve had a lot of continuity and time together with this core group of people,” she explained. “We’re looking to continue that. It’s always a strong team. We just want to be able to leave with something tangible. Because, you know, we talk about how strong our team is, but we want to win something now.”
The team finished fourth at both Tokyo 2020™ and the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™, something that is weighing heavily on the players’ minds.
“It’s heartbreaking to be in those medal games twice, and come away with nothing,” Kennedy expressed.
“Even to be a part of the Matildas for so long – we’ve won small tournaments here and there, but for us, it’s those major tournaments, and coming out of those with something. I think this team deserves it. We’ve got the quality, so we definitely want that in Paris.”
This year’s Olympic Games also has the potential to be the final major tournament for a number of players that have formed the spine of the team for so long.
“You never know what’s going to be your last tournament,” she reflected, “so I think we always want to be in the moment and present in all of them.”
“Of course, there is a core group of us who have been together for a long time and not really won anything, or don’t have anything to show for it. So that’s definitely a huge motivation behind it. We have the team to do it.”
Finally, the centre-back was asked about the times in games when she is thrown into the front line, to use her height and strength to make things happen in attack.
“I don’t necessarily look forward to it, because that means we’re desperate,” she laughed.
“You know, it’s a tactic that’s adopted across the game for different things. My presence in the air is why we do that. If that’s a tactic that it comes down to, of course I’ll do what the team needs.
“Hopefully it doesn’t come down to that! But if it does, I just want to be out there causing chaos and doing what I can for us to get a goal.”