Liberty A-League legend Catherine Cannuli believes the Matildas may be missing a trick if they don’t include Melbourne Victory goalkeeper Casey Dumont in their squad for this year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup, with the 31-year-old backed to fulfil a very specific role Aussie football fans will be familiar with.
Dumont has not received an international call-up since the 2018 AFC Asian Cup, but her recent heroics in the Liberty A-League have created a compelling case for a renewed selection conversation.
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Tony Gustavsson appears to have his goalkeeping options locked in with Mackenzie Arnold, Lydia Williams, Teagan Micah and Jada Whyman all among the squad for recent clashes with Scotland and England, but its fair to wonder whether the Victory star’s form warrants a potential rethink.
Dumont was the standout performer in an epic Semi Final victory over Melbourne City on Saturday, making a series of big saves before an ice-cold showing in the penalty shoot-out triumph, successfully taking the first spot-kick herself before coolly walking onto the goal line and making a clutch save.
Having witnessed those heroics, Cannuli suggested the A-Leagues star should be looked at to play a similar role to the one Andrew Redmayne did for the Socceroos at the FIFA Men’s World Cup in Qatar.
“I love Casey. If anyone knows her personally, she is an absolute crack-up, does not give a flying anything about anyone,” Cannuli explained on the Official Liberty A-League Podcast.
“She just worries about herself and gets on with her business. She has shown that. She said in previous interviews that she is disappointed she hasn’t been part of the Matildas fold, but we haven’t seen that as part of her performances in the Liberty A-League.
“It just goes to show what type of footballer and person she is. The confidence she has is just fantastic for her and its fantastic for Melbourne Victory. There aren’t many goalkeepers who will step up to take a penalty, let alone step up and take the first one.
“Unbelievable for Casey, I’m super stoked for her.
“The main thing there is Tony Gustavsson could be missing out on something there. Similar to the way Andrew Redmayne played a role in the Socceroos, they could be using Casey Dumont in a similar role. At the end of the day, its Tony’s decision and as a coach, we’ve got to live or die by it.”
Redmayne became an instant Australian football icon last year when his viral shoot-out heroics saw the Socceroos secure their spot in football’s showpiece. He was subsequently dubbed the Grey Wiggle and went on to deputise behind Maty Ryan in Qatar.
Having faced Dumont from the penalty spot numerous times, Sydney FC great Teresa Polias explained the mind games at play when coming up against her in a shootout scenario.
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“Casey is definitely in that beast mode and not giving a hoot about absolutely anything,” she said.
“She’s a deadest legend on and off the pitch. She was huge for Victory; she kept them in the game in the regular 90 (minutes), in extra time, aside from the shoot-out, she made game-saving stops. She was immense. These were great shots as well by Melbourne City, they weren’t straight at her.
“She put in a massive shift that set her up mentally for a great shootout. In her mind, she wanted a shootout because she knows that is her niche, that is her thing, it always has been.
“I’ve come up against her in shootouts, it’s the worst thing.
“You look at her, she has that stature in goals, you know her history of reading the way players shoot. It’s just such a mind game as a player to come up against her in a shootout.
“I was never successful against her. The way she took that kick; she used to blast it, this time she took a more measured, mature approach. Scored it, struts up to that line and saves that first kick; it was so immense, so entertaining from Casey Dumont.”
Moreover, Dumont’s remarkable composure came in a situation that pitted her against Liberty A-League icon Melissa Barbieri, who played a major role in her personal journey as a goalkeeper.
“We also have to talk about coming up against someone like Melissa Barbieri, who has been a mentor to Casey Dumont,” Cannuli added.
“They were big shoes to fill back in the Matildas days when Casey was coming through. For her to step up against Melissa Barbieri who has so many caps for Australia and one of her former mentors, that just shows her mentality and her mindset before that penalty kick, she was ready to score that.”
Polias concluded: “For the Matildas, heading into a tournament, that is another massive one-percenter, or even more. That mentality.
“Not just her niche of being able to step up in shootouts, but her mentality is really there at the moment.
“To go up against her idol, the person who was her role model and contributed a lot to her journey. Huge. It’s got to be considered.”
