Adriana Taranto became CommBank Matilda #239 on Saturday in Bunbury – a moment that the 26-year-old thought had passed her by.
She said it was a “dream come true” to debut for her country only months after making her return to the A-League Women after an ACL reconstruction.
“Debuting was an honour and a privilege,” she said.
“It was a dream come true for me. It was super special, something that, after the injury that I had early last year, I didn't think would happen - being a little bit older now too.
“It was so great to put the shirt on and run out with the girls.”
When she ruptured her ACL in early 2024, the Western United midfielder’s thoughts were far from a CommBank Matildas call-up.
“If you said to me four months ago, when I played my first game back, that this would be happening in July - I would have probably laughed,” she said.
“I had some amazing people around me - my family, my friends, and the staff that helped me get back were class, and I would not have been here without them.
“But I did also work really hard. I was always there every day, doing everything possible to get back to this level. So, just work hard. You never know what can happen.”
She talked through the moment that she was told she was coming on the pitch.
“I warmed up for most of the first half, and then when we came back out [for the second half], I was pretty much warming up the whole time,” she recalled.
“I was quite relaxed the whole day, but I didn't expect to get on that soon. So I was like – okay, quickly, go get my shin guards on and get ready. But I just felt super relaxed and super confident.
“[Assistant Coach] Em Husband came over and just said, get stuck in. It was obviously a rough game. She said, try and win the ball and get it forward and just cause some trouble. That was my main focus.”
Taranto has a reputation at A-League Women level for being a physical wrecking ball in midfield, and it meant that the game state suited her to a tee.
“I love a rough game, so I didn't mind it, just getting stuck in,” she smiled.
“Their game plan worked quite well. They tried to stop us when we were on a break going forward, and we couldn't really get into the flow of it. It was super intense, super high-speed. But I loved it.
“It took me maybe five minutes just to get into it. But I think once I got a few touches on the ball, I started to feel a bit more comfortable. I was just trying to cause some trouble in there and get stuck in, and get my body in there.”
Her parents and twin sister Melissa – who she plays alongside at Western United – made the trip to Bunbury to watch her debut.
When the ball fell to Taranto in a goal-scoring position, they thought that they may have been witnessing not only a debut, but a first goal as well. Instead, her twin dealt some tough love when they spoke post-game.
“The first thing she said was, you should have scored!” Taranto laughed, recalling the interaction.
“But no, she was super proud of me, and so were my parents. They flew down from Melbourne, so it was super special that they got to be there and see it.
“I wish my whole family could be here - you'd probably hear them from the other side of the field, but the support that they give me is incredible. I wouldn't be here without all of them.”
Another club teammate, Chloe Berryhill, was in camp alongside Taranto and provided a familiar face to help her ease into the environment.
“She’s been like my Mum in this camp, looking after me, and she's honestly been amazing,” Taranto said.
“It’s so nice to have a teammate and a really good friend in camp. She's been looking after me, but I'm so proud of her as well. I've seen how hard she's worked to get back here, and the experience she brings.
“I've learned so much from her, from Western United and even just these last few days.
“All of the girls were really supportive. After the game, they all came up and said congratulations, and that I did really well. So that makes me feel really nice.”
Taranto said that the players were hungry to get the win on Tuesday evening.
“If we can play a little bit quicker, control the ball, we can give them a good run,” she expressed.
“The girls are really hungry to get the win. It should be a good game.”
Next Game
CommBank Matildas v Panama
Date: Tuesday, 8 July 2025
Kick-off: 6.00pm WST / 8.00pm AEST
Venue: HBF Park, Perth
TV Broadcast: Paramount+ exclusive
Radio Broadcast: ABC Listen App
Tickets: Buy Tickets
