Casey Dumont was left out of the Matildas squad for April Internationals despite her exceptional form in the Liberty A-League this season. Dumont joined Dub Zone to open up about her exclusion and where she stands in the Matildas conversation.
Melbourne Victory goalkeeper Casey Dumont gave a raw and honest assessment on her exclusion from the 24-player Matildas squad for the upcoming friendlies against Scotland and England in an interview on Dub Zone over the weekend.
Matildas boss Tony Gustavsson has included four shot-stoppers in the squad, with West Ham’s Mackenzie Arnold, FC Rosengard’s Teegan Micah, Brighton’s Lydia Williams and Sydney FC’s Jada Whyman all selected ahead of the 31-year-old who has been in stellar form in the Liberty A-League this season.
Despite the disappointment, Dumont vowed to continue to fight for a spot by embodying all the resilience she has demonstrated throughout her career.
WATCH: The full interview with Casey Dumont on Dub Zone.
“I can confirm I’m shortlisted… I’m just going to keep playing,” she said.
“If I get called up, I’ll grab it with two hands and if I don’t – I love playing so I do have those up and down moments. When the squad came out – to be honest I was hurt, but I have had Matildas experience.
“I do know it’s a cutthroat environment and industry so the coach sees what he sees in those players and I’ve just got to take it on the chin and work on what I need to work on and keep playing and keep loving it to help Victory get to the finals series.”
Dumont has been a stalwart for the Victory this term and played an instrumental role in their Grand Final win last season – a performance that saw her named Player of the Match, to go with 2022 A-League Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year honours.
She also has three Australia caps under her belt since making her international debut in 2015 and has had to overcome a fair share of adversity to insert herself back into the Matildas conversation having suffered a string of injuries, including a lacerated liver, an anterior cruciate ligament tear and more recently a torn Achilles tendon.
Despite facing numerous setbacks, Dumont insists she’ll continue to focus on her development and growth to help guide Victory into the finals ahead of the last week of Liberty A-League action.
“I think a lot of players forget that this is a career and this is my job. The positives that come from that and the people I’ve met along the way have helped those negative moments, but also it’s made me a much more confident person in my personal life,” Dumont continued.
“I know how to switch my mind from that and take a hit to be like: ‘I’m going to prove you wrong’, but also ‘ok, you might not like what you see but I’m helping my team and that’s what happens in the end because that’s what you sign up for.’
“My contract indicates I’m playing for Melbourne Victory so I’m going to live and breathe for Melbourne Victory.
“Yes, it hurts not getting some of the reward you think you should get, but unfortunately the decision is not in your hands, but I think it comes back to thinking ‘well what can I make good and what can I grab and show I deserve that.’
“That’s why I make sure I play good for my team and feel happy and (am) smiling when walking off the pitch – happy that I’ve had a good game and helped the team get the performance that they need.
“But also I could play for any team, I could play for a national team or I could not play at all. If I’m not happy within myself, what’s the point?
“I’ve had so many knock-backs – the negatives come and go, you just have to make sure you keep building on those positives and keep grabbing hold of what you can.”
She added: “… You (have) to really reflect on how you respond and don’t get me wrong I have had days… where you explode or you cry – you show every emotion you can, but it’s how you pick yourself up from that and it’s the next response. It’s what you do next – am I going to get better from the response or am I going to keep digging a hole?
“I’ve been in that hole before and it’s very hard to get yourself out of it and I guess I never want to be there, but also there’s so much more to life and soccer… negatives come and go – it’s how you respond to it and the path after that.”
Dumont has continued her fine form this season, boasting the highest save percentage in the Liberty A-League (86.3%), along with the most saves made per 90 minutes (4.7).
Only time will tell if we’ll get to see Dumont don the green and gold jersey at the Women’s World Cup, but she’ll undoubtedly be eager to impress in Victory’s final regular season game against Wellington Phoenix in their charge to the finals.
Speaking on the official Liberty A-League Podcast, Sydney FC legend Teresa Polias suggested people should be asking questions about Matildas selection decisions, directly referencing Dumont’s interview on Dub Zone.
“I’m happy for Jada (Whyman) that she’s there, but I’m really big on durability and players that are available week in week out,” Polias said.
“It is questionable when players are being called in that have missed chunks of the season, are in and out, and also you mentioned (Larissa) Crummer’s form. Those are legitimate questions we should be asking. That is why we are here.
“There was a really interesting interview with Casey Dumont on Dub Zone regarding criteria, she couldn’t tell us too much, but there are legitimate questions to be asked. We should be asking them. There is a bit of the unknown in regards to selection criteria.
“We can’t use the excuse of age with Michelle Heyman. She’s in form. Tony has brought in Aivi Luik to help out in recent times, she came back into the squad, so age is not a thing. If you’re in form, you’re young enough. What can I say? These are big questions we need to ask, we don’t have the answers unfortunately.”
