CommBank Matildas vice-captain Steph Catley said that there was a lot of confidence in the squad after the team's two victories over New Zealand in the November/December international window.
She was speaking after taking part in the team's 2-0 win on Tuesday evening, the final game scheduled before the AFC Women's Asian Cup 2026™ kicks off on home soil in March.
"We have had limited time, and at times we've had players in and out of the squad," she said.
"But the way Joe coaches and his philosophy is quite easy to understand. It's easy to grow into, and it allows people to show their strengths as individuals. The foundations of what we're doing are very clear.
"I think everyone's settled really nicely, and there's a lot of confidence in the squad. Sometimes that's the most important thing. As long as we believe in what we're doing and believe in each other, then we can go a long way."
She explained that the positive performances were a result of things coming together that they have been working on over the latter half of this year.
"It was a result of a lot of things coming together," she assessed.
"It was nice after the England game, where we didn't get to implement any time on the ball or anything that we had been working on in possession, because we went down to 10 quite quickly. So it's been nice to put that all together, especially leading into the Asian Cup.
"We've been working really, really hard on and off the pitch to make sure we're ready. So to score some goals, play some good football, and just have time together was really, really important."
The role that Catley might play at the Asian Cup has been much discussed, with the versatile defender able to slot in at left-back or centre-back.
"I enjoy both," she said.
"I've obviously played most of my career as a left back, but right now I'm playing most of my football as a centre-back. I think it's nice to have versatility when you're going into a major tournament, there are so many games, so many different players with different strengths. Wherever Joe wants to employ me, I'll be ready to do whatever my role is."
She expanded on that versatility within the squad, explaining how important that will be come March next year.
"We've got a lot of versatility in the squad, and a lot of players playing at their club, in different systems, in different positions," she said.
"So I think it's been a great opportunity to see people in different spots on the field with different partnerships, and I think we've seen that we've grown as a squad.
"We've got a lot of depth now. We've had a lot of young players who have gone overseas. They're playing in Europe, and they're playing at great clubs, and you can see they're coming to camp and they're hungry, they're fighting for positions, and that's exactly what we've always needed. That's what we want going into this tournament."
"You'll probably see lots of people playing in different positions, and lots of people hungry to get into the starting 11, which is the best thing for us."