Sermanni: It feels great when you see a young player do well
CommBank Matildas Interim Head Coach Tom Sermanni said that giving debuts to players like Kahli Johnson was one of the best parts of his job.
He was speaking to the media after Australia’s 2-0 victory over Argentina at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne.
Sermanni had particular praise for the 21-year-old debutant after she scored the opening goal of the game.
“It feels great when you see a young player coming into the team and you can get them on the field and start them, and it makes it even better when you see how well Kahli [Johnson] played tonight,” he said.
“She went in there, she fulfilled what I saw of her as a player prior to coming in, and she took that out onto the field tonight.”
He has become known for giving young players debuts across three stints as Head Coach of the CommBank Matildas.
“My favourite part of it [the job] is not so much giving players a debut, but seeing where they've been and where they end up going to,” he explained.
“When you see the Steph Catley and Caitlin Foord coming back with a European Championship medal and things like that, that's the kind of stuff that makes it very special.”
The game was Sermanni’s 150th in charge of the CommBank Matildas. He was asked to reflect on what has been a historic tenure.
“It's been a real privilege for me to be able to come back and do this spell with the Matildas,” he said.
“I've been extraordinarily lucky. I've had three spells with the team. And if you could pick three spells to have, I would have picked the three that I had.
“The program started basically from scratch [the first time], then the second time, we went into Asia from Oceania. And then this third time, the team has just gone to a different level of support and recognition. It’s a wee bit extraordinary.”
He said that the three Arsenal players who were left out of the squad for game one – Steph Catley, Caitlin Foord and Kyra Cooney-Cross – will be available on Monday.
“They should be fit and ready to go, and I anticipate them starting on Monday,” he said.
He also clarified that Isabel Gomez had a minor back injury that influenced his decision to not give her game time on Friday evening, but that she should be available for game two if called upon.
Finally, he said that the blending of experience and youth has been the factor that allowed the more inexperienced players to shine.
“One of the challenges in the national team is to play for the present, but plan for the future,” he said.
“It’s getting that balance right. It's becoming more and more difficult to do that because you're limited by the amount of time you get your team together, as opposed to what it was in the past. So it's always a challenge to do that.
“But if there's anything that I've noticed over the last nine or ten months, it is that some of those fringe players have started to become more comfortable in the environment, and that has given them more confidence. Their ability to mix in and not be overawed by our bigger players is now more evident.
“That helps them perform, like we saw tonight with Kahli [Johnson].”
Match Two
CommBank Matildas v Argentina
Date: Monday, 2 June 2025
Kick-off: 7.30pm AEST
Venue: GIO Stadium, Canberra
TV Broadcast: Paramount+ exclusive
Radio Broadcast: ABC Listen App
Tickets: matildas.com.au/tickets