Head Coach Tony Gustavsson spoke to media after announcing the 18-player squad, plus travelling reserves, for the Paris 2024™ Olympic Games in Sydney on Tuesday morning.
He gave some insights into the process of selection for the squad.
“You need to let players know 48 hours before the announcement. Those are the rules,” he explained. “We knew Saturday night was the deadline… so I knew that Friday was going to be a deadline in terms of a last chance [for the players] to show what they could do.
“I think at that point I had decided on 13 or 14 players that would be selected no matter what, but there were some last spots that yes, that last game had an impact. Not that it was the decider, but I added it to the whole year of preparing.
“I’m telling you some players that I’ve had to leave out, deserved to be selected. They do. I didn’t have enough spots.”
Gustavsson was asked about fitness concerns surrounding Katrina Gorry’s selection. The midfielder has not yet returned to full training after picking up an injury in April.
“Mini’s obviously selected on where we hope and think she could be, come the 25th of July,” he began.
“The rehab process is going positively – she’s on track. There’s always a question mark, she’s not playing football fully yet. But based on the conversation with her, and the SSSM team, we think she’s going to be in a good place come July.
“Everyone saw what she can bring at the World Cup. Even if she’s not fit for backing up 90 plus 90 plus 90, her profile as a player, I need her at the Olympics.”
Gustavsson went on to explain that in the event of any fitness setbacks before Paris, she would be able to be replaced in the 18-player squad before the beginning of the tournament.
He also quashed any major injury concerns surrounding Caitlin Foord after she was unable to participate in Monday night’s game due to hamstring awareness.
“We’ve played it very safe,” he stressed. “If this was a World Cup, maybe we would have pushed through and see what minutes we could get out of her, but we can’t afford to have a massive strain in her hamstring.”
Foord, like many other players in the squad, will now have a break from football before commencing pre-camp.
“You need to be mentally and physically fresh coming into the tournament,” Gustavsson continued.
“We will do individual gap plans, as we call it, from now to the beginning of July. Then we have a pre-camp where we’re going to have a boot camp – really work hard, double sessions, triple sessions, work really, really hard – and be ready come the 25th of July.”
There is one more FIFA window before the tournament begins. Gustavsson revealed that the team would be playing in that window, but the details of when and where were yet to be finalised.
Finally, he addressed speculation about his future coaching career with the CommBank Matildas.
“What’s important for me and the team is that we focus on what we have in front of us,” he stated.
“What I can answer though, I think all of you here know how much I love working with this team.”