Experienced midfielder Elise Kellond-Knight will look to end a near-500 day absence from Matildas duty after being called up for the upcoming camp ahead of two November friendlies.
Kellond-Knight, who has 113 Matildas caps, was last included in a Matildas squad for a warm-up match for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games against Japan on July 14, 2021.
The 32-year-old will have spent 487 days out of action for the green and gold when the first of two Matildas friendlies kicks off against Sweden at AAMI Park on November 12. Tony Gustavsson’s 24-player squad will then travel to Gosford to take on Thailand at Central Coast Stadium on Tuesday, November 15.
Of the 24 players selected, six are currently preparing to take part in the 2022-23 Liberty A-League season: Brisbane Roar’s Larissa Crummer and Katrina Gorry, Western United’s Chloe Logarzo, Sydney FC pair Cortnee Vine and Jada Whyman and Melbourne Victory midfielder Alex Chidiac.
The uncapped Whyman comes into her second Matildas camp of 2022 in place of the injured Mackenzie Arnold. Ellie Carpenter (knee), Kyah Simon (knee), Emily Gielnik (calf), Tameka Yallop (ankle) join Arnold on the sidelines.
The November camp promises to be a significant one for defender Clare Polkinghorne, who is set to earn her 150th Matildas cap with her next appearance in green and gold – a feat only achieved by two past players: Cheryl Salisbury (151) and Lisa De Vanna (150).
“Coming together for the first time since we learned of our FIFA Women’s World Cup opponents brings a different and sharper focus to the next set of games,” said Matildas head coach Gustavsson. “As always, in selecting the squad we’ve kept a close eye on their performances in club land. There’s a few more players available which is great news as they come back from injury having recorded some good game time.”
“We said all the way back ahead of our September camp that we wanted to keep our squad a little more consistent these last camps going into the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023TM. For this camp you see a core group of players returning for a third camp in a row since September, and a few players coming back in and its well-deserved for those who have come back.
“We saw in October that some things are starting to come together, and this is a chance to continue measuring ourselves against the second-best team in the world who beat France in October. They’re in good form as well so it’s a huge opportunity for us to see what we need to keep improving.
“The second game against Thailand, we get a great opportunity to compare where are we now versus when we played Thailand at the 2022 AFC Women’s Asian Cup. These are two good games, played in two fantastic venues and cities, to evaluate where we are in our journey.”
COMMBANK MATILDAS SQUAD | NOVEMBER FIFA INTERNATIONAL WINDOW
NAME | POSITION | CLUB | CAPS (GOALS) | JUNIOR CLUB / MEMBER FEDERATION |
Steph CATLEY | Back | Arsenal WFC | 104 (3) | East Bentleigh, SE Cougars / Football Victoria |
Alex CHIDIAC | Midfielder | Melbourne Victory on loan from Racing Louisville FC | 21 (1) | Croydon Kings/ Football South Australia |
Kyra COONEY-CROSS | Midfielder | Hammarby IF | 20 (0) | Ballarat City / Football Victoria |
Larissa CRUMMER | Forward | Brisbane Roar | 28 (4) | Peninsula Power / Football QLD |
Caitlin FOORD | Forward | Arsenal WFC | 104 (25) | Warilla Wanderers / Football NSW |
Mary FOWLER | Forward | Manchester City | 30 (8) | Leichhardt / Football QLD |
Katrina GORRY | Midfielder | Vittsjö GIK | 86 (16) | Mt Gravatt Hawks / Football QLD |
Charlotte GRANT | Back | Vittsjö GIK on loan from FC Rosengård | 11 (0) | Cumberland United Women’s FC / Football South Australia |
Elise KELLOND-KNIGHT | Midfielder | Hammarby IF | 113 (2) | Runaway Bay / Football QLD |
Alanna KENNEDY | Back | Manchester City | 108 (8) | Campbelltown Cobras / Football NSW |
Sam KERR | Forward | Chelsea WFC | 114 (59) | Western Knights / Football West |
Chloe LOGARZO | Midfielder | Kansas City Current | 55 (8) | Carlingford Redbacks / Football NSW |
Aivi LUIK | Back | BK Hacken | 40 (1) | Palm Beach SC / Football QLD |
Matilda McNAMARA | Back | AGF Fodbold Women | 0 (0) | Adelaide City FC / Football South Australia |
Teagan MICAH | Goalkeeper | FC Rosengård | 12 (0) | Brisbane Blue, Brisbane Central / Football QLD |
Courtney NEVIN | Back | Hammarby IF | 16 (0) | Oakville Ravens / Football NSW |
Clare POLKINGHORNE | Back | Vittsjö GIK | 149 (14) | Wynnum Wolves, Capalaba / Football QLD |
Hayley RASO | Forward | Manchester City | 64 (9) | Banora Point / Football QLD |
Amy SAYER | Midfielder | Stanford University | 6 (0) | Northbridge FC / Football NSW |
Emily VAN EGMOND | Midfielder | San Diego Wave FC | 122 (30) | Dudley-Redhead / Northern NSW Football |
Cortnee VINE | Forward | Sydney FC / Sydney Olympic | 9 (2) | Peninsula Power FC / Football QLD |
Clare WHEELER | Midfielder | Everton WFC | 11 (0) | Adamstown Rosebud / Northern NSW Football |
Jada WHYMAN | Goalkeeper | Sydney FC | 0 (0) | Macarthur Rams / Football NSW |
Lydia WILLIAMS | Goalkeeper | Paris Saint-Germain | 102 (0) | Tuggeranong, Woden Valley / Capital Football |