CommBank Matildas defender Winonah Heatley said that she is “super excited” to play her first competitive games for Australia during the SheBelieves Cup.
Heatley has been in and around the CommBank Matildas squad since 2022. She donned Australian colours for the first time in a ‘B’ International against Canada in the lead up to the Olympics, before officially debuting in Australia’s 2-1 win against Germany in September 2024.
“The tournament is the first competitive games that I’ll have the opportunity to play for the Matildas, so super excited for that,” she said.
“I’ve been in the squad for some pretty big games so far already. But USA, Japan and Colombia are all incredible teams, so I’m really looking forward to the challenge.”
USA and Japan are both top-ten ranked teams, with the United States No.1 in the world after their Olympic Games gold medal in Paris.
Colombia is ranked below Australia in 21st but showed their class during the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ and feature incredibly exciting players such as Chelsea’s Mayra Ramirez and Real Madrid’s Linda Caicedo.
The tournament will serve as preparation for the kind of quality opposition that Australia will face at the AFC Women's Asian Cup 2026™.
“One of the things that Tom [Sermanni] said when he came in as the interim coach was that he was going to start preparing us for the Asian Cup, no matter whether he was the interim coach or not,” Heatley explained.
“Just having the quality games in the lead-up is so important for us, and especially having Japan in the group that we will possibly face in the Asian Cup, is so valuable.”
Heatley believes that the talent coming through the ranks of Australian football such as potential debutants Laini Freier and Alana Murphy are well prepared for the challenges ahead.
“We can look at all the girls that have come through the A-League can made their debuts for the Matildas in the last couple of years, and how they’ve risen to the occasion,” she said.
“We can see that when given the opportunity, we have so much talent coming through the ranks, and it is talent that’s meeting the level of international football.
“I’m always going to be an advocate for: ‘the more you invest, the more you’ll get out of it’. We as a country should continue to push the women’s game forward, just like other countries are doing.”
In terms of her own development, Heatley said she was focused on continuing to improve her game and establish herself in the squad long-term.
“I’m not going to put any pressure on myself for any sort of outcome personally within this window,” she said.
“But, as always, I’m going to be trying to perform the best I can, and be the best player I can be going forward.”
COMMBANK MATILDAS | SHEBELIEVES CUP | 17 – 27 FEBRUARY 2025
Japan v CommBank Matildas
Date: Thursday, 20 February 2025 (local) / Friday, 21 February (AEDT)
Kick-off: 4.03pm CT (local) / 9.03am (AEDT)
Venue: Shell Energy Stadium, Houston (TX)
Broadcast: Paramount+
Tickets: ussoccer.com/shebelieves/cup
United States v CommBank Matildas
Date: Sunday, 23 February 2025 (local) / Monday, 24 February (AEDT)
Kick-off: 3.05pm MST (local) / 9.05am (AEDT)
Venue: State Farm Stadium, Glendale (AZ)
Broadcast: Paramount+
Tickets: ussoccer.com/shebelieves/cup
CommBank Matildas v Colombia
Date: Wednesday, 26 February 2025 (local) / Thursday, 27 February (AEDT)
Kick-off: 4.37pm PST (local) / 11.37am (AEDT)
Venue: Snapdragon Stadium, San Diego (CA)
Broadcast: Paramount+
Tickets: ussoccer.com/shebelieves/cup
