Montemurro: It’s about putting on a show
CommBank Matildas Head Coach Joe Montemurro said that his team would set out to put on a show when they take on Panama in Bunbury on Saturday afternoon.
He was speaking at the pre-match press conference before the team departed for the West Australian regional centre.
“It's about putting on a show,” he said.
“It’s great that the game has been spread to some regional areas. It’s a new one for me, too. Spreading the game to other areas is really, really positive.
“I'm looking forward to it, because we will start to see a couple of young players being given opportunities in international football.”
Goalkeeper Teagan Micah was also at the press conference alongside Montemurro. She echoed her coach’s thoughts.
“The more people and communities we can go out and see, the better - that's what we want to do,” she said.
“So hopefully they come out in numbers and support us.”
The squad has seen some significant turnover from the series against Slovenia. Some of the more experienced players returned to their clubs, while other less experienced players joined.
Montemurro said that the message is that everyone has the same opportunity to stake a claim for future squads.
“First of all, there's no fringe players,” he stated.
“Everyone's up for an opportunity, and it's really important to send that message. That’s why this camp has been important.
“The more players we can have a look at, the better it has been. It’s a matter of now giving them the base and the understanding of - okay, well, to be a Matilda, these are the three or four key things that we need, and giving them opportunities [to demonstrate those] in real scenarios. It’s been the perfect camp for that.”
Micah said that the players who were newer to the environment – including her two goalkeeping partners for this series in Chloe Lincoln and Sally James – were adapting well.
“They're quality - I think we have good upcoming talent,” she said.
“It's good for them to work at this speed as well. Hopefully, when they go back to their clubs, they're able to keep that level of intensity in their training and in their games.”
Montemurro was expecting Panama to provide a different sort of challenge to Slovenia.
“They will not be pressing us all over the pitch like Slovenia, so I expect we'll probably have more opportunities to prepare situations,” he said.
“There’s going to be a lot of changes, so probably [for us] a little bit of a hiccup in continuity. I don't think it's going to be as continuous from Game One to Game Two, [where we] kept the same sort of scenario.
“In game three, there will be a lot of changes, but I hope to see the same sort of patterns and the same sort of game approach.”
The biggest ingredient that he hoped the squad took from the series was belief.
“It’s a belief that we can be a top team, and that we will be,” he said.
“We're in the right direction leading into a major tournament. I hope that they walk away waiting for the next camp, because it's been a good camp. They've learned a lot, and they've had a lot of fun.
“I want it to be the best place in the world when they do come back to camp. I want it to be a place where they feel that they can be the best they can be, and obviously [have the] honour of representing their country.”
Series Two
CommBank Matildas v Panama
Date: Saturday, 5 July 2025
Kick-off: 2.30pm WST / 4.30pm AEST
Venue: Hands Oval, Bunbury
TV Broadcast: Paramount+ exclusive
Radio Broadcast: ABC Listen App
Tickets: Buy Tickets
CommBank Matildas v Panama
Date: Tuesday, 8 July 2025
Kick-off: 6.00pm WST / 8.00pm AEST
Venue: HBF Park, Perth
TV Broadcast: Paramount+ exclusive
Radio Broadcast: ABC Listen App
Tickets: Buy Tickets