McNamara: You want to try and win against the best

CommBank Matildas forward Holly McNamara said that the team’s upcoming fixture against Germany was a vital opportunity to play against one of the best teams in the world as they begin preparations for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027™.

She was speaking to the media in Karlsruhe, Germany, ahead of the match on Saturday morning (AEDT).

“You always want to play against the best and try and win against the best,” she explained.

“Germany are one of the best. We really need to focus on the game. It’s a good test for us. Moving into a World Cup year, this [kind of game] is going to happen at the World Cup if we want to win. So I think it's good for us.”

The 23-year-old completed her first overseas club move in the offseason and now plies her trade at Everton in the WSL, where she has been a key part of the early stages of the season.

“The biggest factor is that you're moving to the other side of the world,” she said of the move.

“There are similar cultures and things like that, but the league is definitely a step up from what I'm used to in the A-League. The physicality, the speed, everything is definitely a step up, which has taken me a bit to adapt, and I'm still definitely learning a lot. 

“But it's such a good and fun challenge for me week in, week out, playing some of the best players in the world. That’s so exciting and something that I really wanted. Hopefully we can keep moving forward.

“It's been only a few games now that I've played for Everton. So hopefully, I can keep improving. This first season is quite important to me - I don't want to just write it off as an adaptation season, but I want to put my best foot forward and really do my best.”

Improvement for McNamara comes not only at club level, but also at the elite environment that international football brings.

“It's a competitive sport even within your team, but you've got to find the right balance - we're all actually working towards the same goal here,” she explained.

“Obviously you're competing for spots within the squad, but I think it's important to realise, like Hayley [Raso] said, that we're all working towards the same goal. We're all competing to win the World Cup at the end of the day. So we've got to push ourselves and push each other, and we are good at that at the Matildas.”

There are three potential debutants in the 26-player squad for this window – Hana Lowry, Courtney Newbon and Tori Tumeth. McNamara is also familiar with the likes of Leticia McKenna and Leah Davidson, who have two and four caps respectively, from their days at Melbourne City.

“It's important to remember you need depth in a squad for a major tournament,” she said.

“It's not just eleven players that play on the pitch - it's the whole squad. So it's super important to get fresh faces in, to see how they go. It’s important for the fresh faces coming in to show what they can do, and they'll do that just fine.”