CommBank Matildas forward Holly McNamara, said that it was “unreal” lining up for the national anthem in front of over 37,000 fans in Sydney.
The 1-0 victory over Korea Republic was McNamara’s first ever home match for the national team. While she has lived in Melbourne since joining Melbourne City in 2021, she is originally from Sydney, and counted family and friends among the Allianz Stadium crowd.
“Lining up for that anthem was unreal,” she said.
“I spotted my family in the crowd, and that was a bit emotional for me. I’m just so happy to be out there, and I’m very lucky.
“This is my first game for the Matildas at home, and to be in front of 37,000 people and they’re all screaming the whole game – it was unreal.”
The game was the first victory McNamara has been a part of since returning to the team for the SheBelieves Cup in February.
“It was a good game,” she said.
“We could have put more away, but we’re so happy to get the win. We were really looking to turn around our recent games. We did that today, and hopefully we can build on it.”
The 22-year-old has suffered three ACL injuries in her career that have seen her miss substantial amounts of football. After returning to club football late last year, she indicated that her approach would be to seek out the contact – to not be concerned with the physical battle that competitive football can bring.
Friday night’s match certainly brought that battle but it was something that McNamara has learned to embrace.
“I’m good! I’m a bit sore, but I’ll recover well,” she smiled.
“It brings out the competitive side of the game, always being physical, and it was physical tonight. It makes it a bit more feisty, and you want it a little bit more every time it gets like that.”
Every minute that McNamara plays at international level is an opportunity for her to continue to build and grow her game.
The youngster said that she just aimed to make the people in her corner proud.
“I’m happy to be out there, and I can learn from a lot tonight,” she said.
“I’m trying to build a little bit more confidence. Getting more minutes has definitely helped. I’m very lucky to get the opportunity to come into camp and play each game, and I want to do everyone proud that’s helped me get here.
“I just want to build on everything.”
Commbank Matildas v Korea Republic
Date: Monday, 7 April 2025
Kick-off: 7:30 pm AEST
Venue: McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle
TV Broadcast: Paramount+ exclusive
Radio Broadcast: ABC Listen App
Tickets: matildas.com.au/tickets
