CommBank Matildas Head Coach Joe Montemurro said that he was focused on emphasising his ideas of football to the group during this international window, not only to help prepare for the AFC Women's Asian Cup 2026™, but also to extend those ideas down the Australian football pyramid.
He was talking to the media alongside Ellie Carpenter ahead of Australia's second international friendly against New Zealand on Tuesday evening in Adelaide.
"We've been building an idea of football because we believe it's what we need to go ahead, not just to the Asian Cup, but as a nation, and also as an elite national team," he said.
"We saw signs of it [on Friday evening]. Do we need some more continuity? Absolutely. How we're going to find that continuity when they all go away tomorrow night might be difficult, but I think the thing that I've said from day one is to get some key messages on what we believe is the best way to approach games. We saw a good base the other night."
He spoke passionately about the potential of Australian football as a whole.
"I've said this from day one, that I think sometimes we put ourselves down for no reason," he expressed.
"We think that we're so far behind, or we've got this inferiority complex to the rest of the world in football, but we've got coaches all around the world. We've got top players all around the world at top clubs. So we must be doing something right, and we should be celebrating that.
"We should be using that as a platform to say, 'Where can we grow?' The unity of everyone coming together to say, 'Okay, what's our next step as a nation? What's our next step as a league? What's our next step as federations, and where can we take it forward?"
"I came back believing that the game is at a point where it can really grow. There's so much talent in our youth teams. The U20S beat South Korea 4-1 yesterday, so we must be doing something right. I just hope that everyone unites for the game, and wants to do those things to make the game grow, because it's at a very good point."
Ellie Carpenter said that the game on Tuesday evening was "really important" for the team's continued preparations.
"We only have one game left before the Asian Cup," she said.
"I think what we've done in the last couple of months has been important. The recent game was probably our best performance in a long while, really gelling and playing the style of play we want to play.
"Tomorrow is another good opportunity, just before the Asian Cup, because we go all back to our clubs tomorrow night, and we come back together in March. So tomorrow night's really important."
She heaped praise on Coopers Stadium before assessing what the fans could expect from the game tomorrow night.
"It's a great football stadium. The seats are close to the pitch, and that's where you want to play, with the fans close," she said.
"[New Zealand] definitely wouldn't be happy with their performance, and I think they [fans] can expect a totally different New Zealand tomorrow evening. We're prepared for that. We're going to play our own game, our own style of play, and bring it to them again."
Montemurro revealed that there will likely be some changes in the composition of the starting lineup as they look to test different tactical ideas.
"There are a couple of things I still need to tick the boxes tactically," he said.
"I still need to see a couple of things that will then give us all the scenarios and ammunition ready for the Asian Cup. We'll see how some players have pulled up after today, and we'll see tonight. We'll sit down with the coaching staff and have a chat with a few players. There are a few tactical things I want to see, a few tactical combinations I want to see. So there could be some changes."
COMMBANK MATILDAS | NEXT GAME
CommBank Matildas v New Zealand
Date: Tuesday, 2 December 2025
Kick-off: 8pm ACDT
Venue: Coopers Stadium, Adelaide
Broadcast: Network 10, 10 Play and Paramount+
Tickets: Buy Tickets