Polkinghorne on preparing for "really special" night in Brisbane
Clare Polkinghorne said that it was “really special” to be able to play her final game for the CommBank Matildas in front of hometown fans in Brisbane.
She was speaking at the official pre-match press conference, alongside Interim Head Coach Tom Sermanni, as the team prepares to face Brazil in the first game of the international window.
“It’s really special for me to be able to come back to Brisbane and play one last game, and in the city that I grew up in, in a stadium that means so much to me, and in front of my family and friends and all the people that have sort of helped me along my journey,” she began.
“[It’s] an opportunity for me to thank them for everything that they did in my career. It’s just really special to be able to play one last game here at home.”
In classic Polkinghorne fashion, she was cagey about what the celebration of her career might look like on the pitch tomorrow.
“For me, the main thing is the team comes first, so whatever he [Sermanni] decides, that’s up to him,” she said.
“It’s just about being part of the night, enjoying it, and celebrating my career. But as I said, for me, it’s about the team and making sure that we do the job.”
Sermanni agreed that it was a special night for the most-capped CommBank Matilda.
“It’s a very, very special night,” he said.
“It’s not often that a player and an athlete gets to go out on their own terms and in such special circumstances. But if there’s anybody that deserves it, it’s Polks.
“We use the word legend very loosely these days, but I think it describes her. She’s been just a stalwart within the team, on the field, but off the field – people talk about a team player, she’s been an absolute team player.
“From my time in charge, you could play her anywhere and everywhere, and she just did it with aplomb. It’s going to be a fantastic night and a great way to finish a fantastic career.”
The Interim Head Coach addressed some questions regarding the rest of the team for the window.
Michelle Heyman is one of the players who has been training separately with a minor niggle.
“It’s a minor thing, just precautionary with Michelle,” he explained.
“Her ankle had a bit of swelling after the weekend. She didn’t actually have any pain in it or any infringement, but we just wanted to be careful.
“With the group we’ve got in here, everybody we are in touch with at this stage is fit and healthy. Unfortunately leading into this camp we’ve had seven players for a variety of reasons that have been unavailable, so that’s been a little bit challenging.
“Other than that, everyone’s fit and firing.”
He said that he would field the strongest possible team in Brisbane.
“This is where I come from, old school,” he said.
“You want to turn up. You want to play. You ask the players – do they want to play? I can guarantee 100% they want to be out there, and they want to be out there for 90 minutes. So we will be putting on our strongest team possible.”
Finally, Polkinghorne spoke about the fierce rivalry the team has had with Brazil over the course of her career, and how fitting it is to end it taking on a team of their stature.
“Particularly early on in my career, we would always seem to meet Brazil in a major tournament,” she recalled.
“They’ve knocked us out, and we’ve knocked them out. So we’ve definitely got a really strong rivalry there.
“Every time you play Brazil, you’re going to get a tough, physical, challenging game. I know that all of the team is excited to get out there and play Brazil.
“On top of that, they have got amazing fans as well, who really bring a great atmosphere to the stadium. So hopefully there’s a few of them tomorrow night as well to help bring the energy.”
COMMBANK MATILDAS | NOV / DEC 2024 INTERNATIONALS
CommBank Matildas v Brazil
Date: Thursday, 28 November 2024
Kick-off: 8:00pm local / 9:00pm AEDT
Venue: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Broadcast: 10, 10 Bold, 10 Play and Paramount+
Tickets: matildas.com.au/tickets
CommBank Matildas v Brazil
Date: Sunday, 1 December 2024
Kick-off: 6:35pm local / 7:35pm AEDT
Venue: Cbus Super Stadium, Gold Coast
Broadcast: 10, 10 Bold, 10 Play and Paramount+
Tickets: matildas.com.au/tickets
CommBank Matildas v Chinese Taipei
Date: Wednesday, 4 December 2024
Kick-off: 8.00pm AEDT
Venue: AAMI Park, Melbourne
Broadcast: 10, 10 Bold, 10 Play and Paramount+
Tickets: matildas.com.au/tickets
CommBank Matildas v Chinese Taipei
Date: Saturday, 7 December 2024
Kick-off: 7.30pm AEDT
Venue: GMHBA Stadium, Geelong
Broadcast: 10, 10 Bold, 10 Play and Paramount+
Tickets: matildas.com.au/tickets