CommBank Matildas Head Coach Joe Montemurro said that he was satisfied with the lessons learned from the October window after the team’s 7-1 victory over Haiti on Wednesday morning (AEDT).
Leticia McKenna scored a brace while Caitlin Foord, Clare Wheeler, Holly McNamara and Daniela Galic were all on the scoresheet for the CommBank Matildas.
“It was a good window for us,” he summarised.
“We played against Germany who are a super team, and we felt that we were not far off, and we know the areas we need to fix. Then you play against a team that you don't know much about, like Haiti. We approached it in a very professional way because it was very important to respect the team and the players that they have, and for us, sometimes these games can be very difficult.”
He explained that he saw little moments of growth between the two games.
“There's an obvious difference in the type of teams that we're playing, and it's really important that in these friendly windows that we look at all options for our players, and all options in terms of the way we want to play,” he said.
“The approach [against Haiti] was obviously different to Germany. They're a different team. But it's about these little steps of growth in terms of the way we want to play, in terms of having the depth of squad, and understanding the moments.
“Haiti put us under a little bit of pressure in the first 10 minutes. They were very good, and we had to put away the emotion and play and be professional. In the end we got the result we wanted.”
McKenna agreed, saying that staying calm helped the side battle through the tough periods.
“It was obviously awesome for us to get on the score sheet early, and Haiti came back very quickly,” she said.
“It was just about being composed on the ball, getting on the ball, and being creative. It’s great to score many goals. It's very important for us and gives us lots of confidence going ahead.”
The midfielder scored both the team’s goals in the first half. She explained that it was all about just keeping it simple.
“At the end of the day, it was just about getting in the box, and being a threat going forward,” she said.
“Goals equal wins. We need to be scoring. It’s great to be on the score sheet, but it's obviously a massive team effort. Someone has to put the ball in, and then it's my role to just be in those positions to score.”
McKenna was one of four changes from the starting XI that took on Germany. Montemurro said that the chance to get minutes into the legs of different players was important ahead of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027™.
“Each individual has their own situation - playing, not playing, getting the minutes, playing a lot, playing less – so each player has to be managed and has to be carefully looked at leading into the World Cup,” he said.
“We were able to rest a few tonight, which was fantastic because they've come off very big loads or very big amounts of football in their club, and they're going to go into a lot. So it was important that we were able to modify and manage their situation.
“I’m really happy with the 30 or 40 odd players that we've got now available fighting for positions because that's what we want. We want competition. There's no givens in this team anymore. You need to be playing regularly. You need to be playing well at your club, and you need to be able to come into international camp ready to be at the top level, and that's what we want.”
In the lead up to the World Cup, Montemurro said the team would be prepared for anything.
“At the World Cup every team is difficult to play, but we just have to worry about us being prepared,” he said.
“We’ve looked to play all different styles, and Haiti was another style we haven't come across before. We need to play all these different styles, so we get all the information, and that'll give us the preparation for whoever we play.”
McKenna, who is hoping to be in that final squad for the tournament, agreed.
“We control what we can control and be prepared for anything,” she said.
“We’ll back ourselves, and that's all you can do.”
Next up, the team will take on Colombia at home in late November.
COMMBANK MATILDAS | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2026 | MATCH SCHEDULE
CommBank Matildas v Colombia
Date: Saturday 28 November 2026
Kick-off: 7:35pm AEDT
Venue: GIO Stadium Canberra
Broadcast: Network 10 and Paramount+
Tickets: Get Tickets
CommBank Matildas v Colombia
Date: Wednesday 2 December 2026
Kick-off: 7:35pm AEDT
Venue: GMHBA Stadium
Broadcast: Network 10 and Paramount+
Tickets: Get Tickets
