1 00:00:00,320 --> 00:00:03,440 Speaker 1: We'd like to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land 2 00:00:03,520 --> 00:00:06,840 Speaker 1: on which this podcast was produced, the Gadigle people of 3 00:00:06,920 --> 00:00:09,959 Speaker 1: the or nation. We pay our respects to Elder's past 4 00:00:09,960 --> 00:00:10,479 Speaker 1: and present. 5 00:00:13,080 --> 00:00:15,880 Speaker 2: It's the year two thousand and we're with the sports 6 00:00:15,920 --> 00:00:21,079 Speaker 2: obsessed Lydia Williams, who is glued to her TV. The 7 00:00:21,120 --> 00:00:24,840 Speaker 2: twelve year old is fixated as the Olympics takeover Sydney. 8 00:00:25,440 --> 00:00:29,080 Speaker 2: Kathy Freeman wins gold for Australia in a four hundred 9 00:00:29,120 --> 00:00:35,760 Speaker 2: meter sprint. She watches on as Kathy wraps herself in 10 00:00:35,840 --> 00:00:41,600 Speaker 2: the Aboriginal flag during her victory lap. Something clicks in 11 00:00:41,680 --> 00:00:46,920 Speaker 2: Lydia's mind. Women can have a career in sports. A 12 00:00:47,040 --> 00:00:50,600 Speaker 2: First Nations woman can be a national heal. 13 00:00:50,600 --> 00:00:53,880 Speaker 3: Thanks and that the Maxieldas are better and football is 14 00:00:53,920 --> 00:00:57,080 Speaker 3: better for having had Lydia Williams inn. 15 00:00:58,320 --> 00:01:03,080 Speaker 2: But her path to success won't come without its struggles. 16 00:01:04,000 --> 00:01:08,360 Speaker 2: I'm Att Middleton and this is head game today. While 17 00:01:08,400 --> 00:01:12,160 Speaker 2: Lydia Williams was saving goals, the Matildas and the power 18 00:01:12,280 --> 00:01:21,160 Speaker 2: teamwork were saving her. Lydia Williams, I have a Matilda 19 00:01:21,200 --> 00:01:25,040 Speaker 2: in the building. Long time I see Lydia. I bumped 20 00:01:25,080 --> 00:01:28,520 Speaker 2: into yesterday at the Logis and at the Logis after party, 21 00:01:28,959 --> 00:01:31,840 Speaker 2: and here we are today. How we've made it, I 22 00:01:31,880 --> 00:01:34,360 Speaker 2: don't know, but it's great to see you. How are you, 23 00:01:34,560 --> 00:01:35,039 Speaker 2: oh man? 24 00:01:35,080 --> 00:01:37,480 Speaker 3: It's because we're both rock stars. That's how we made it. 25 00:01:38,319 --> 00:01:40,200 Speaker 2: Do you know what we are? And we lived like 26 00:01:40,319 --> 00:01:42,880 Speaker 2: rock stars yesterday. But it's great to have you on. 27 00:01:43,200 --> 00:01:45,160 Speaker 2: I remember seeing you last night, and yes, we were 28 00:01:45,480 --> 00:01:48,000 Speaker 2: on the podcast tomorrow and I was super excited to 29 00:01:48,080 --> 00:01:50,000 Speaker 2: not only see you, but to have you on because 30 00:01:50,080 --> 00:01:53,680 Speaker 2: cod talk about a phenomenal career and talk about head game, 31 00:01:53,680 --> 00:01:57,400 Speaker 2: you know, having the mindset of an elite athlete. It's 32 00:01:57,480 --> 00:02:01,000 Speaker 2: something that takes discipline, it takes ructure, it takes years 33 00:02:01,000 --> 00:02:03,960 Speaker 2: of experience to get to where you where you've been 34 00:02:04,000 --> 00:02:06,440 Speaker 2: in your career has been phenomenal. But take me back 35 00:02:06,440 --> 00:02:10,600 Speaker 2: to the very beginning when you were a little child 36 00:02:10,840 --> 00:02:13,440 Speaker 2: and you were running around the field or whatever you're doing. 37 00:02:13,720 --> 00:02:16,359 Speaker 2: Where did you Where were you born and where did 38 00:02:16,400 --> 00:02:19,240 Speaker 2: you just what was your family life like growing up? 39 00:02:19,360 --> 00:02:21,560 Speaker 3: Yeah? Well, I was born in Katanning, which is a 40 00:02:21,560 --> 00:02:24,440 Speaker 3: small really small town in w A. And then we 41 00:02:24,480 --> 00:02:30,400 Speaker 3: moved to Calgouli when I was eighteen months and that's yeah. 42 00:02:30,440 --> 00:02:33,480 Speaker 3: So that's where I actually grew up. And Kalgouli is 43 00:02:33,480 --> 00:02:38,280 Speaker 3: the biggest goal mining town in Australia of a big 44 00:02:38,320 --> 00:02:43,520 Speaker 3: population of thirty thousand people. And you know, there's a town, 45 00:02:43,600 --> 00:02:48,720 Speaker 3: but then surrounding it's red dirt desert, just barrenness. 46 00:02:49,480 --> 00:02:50,160 Speaker 2: Did you move there? 47 00:02:51,080 --> 00:02:53,079 Speaker 3: Well, it's biggest city than Catana. 48 00:02:54,520 --> 00:02:57,240 Speaker 2: That wasn't a career move for your parents. Let's move 49 00:02:57,280 --> 00:02:58,000 Speaker 2: to a bigger city. 50 00:02:58,120 --> 00:03:01,160 Speaker 3: Yeah, And yeah, that's just kind of how I lived 51 00:03:01,160 --> 00:03:05,160 Speaker 3: my life is you know, sport was always on the weekends, 52 00:03:05,480 --> 00:03:09,720 Speaker 3: as you kind of do in small country towns and everything, like, 53 00:03:09,760 --> 00:03:13,000 Speaker 3: you have a really good foundation of family and friends, 54 00:03:13,000 --> 00:03:16,280 Speaker 3: and weekends are dedicated to being outside and doing that. 55 00:03:16,400 --> 00:03:18,600 Speaker 3: So that's really how I found my love for sport 56 00:03:18,760 --> 00:03:25,200 Speaker 3: and passion for just being active. But my mum, she's American. 57 00:03:26,720 --> 00:03:30,360 Speaker 3: She grew up in America, ended up going and working 58 00:03:30,400 --> 00:03:33,680 Speaker 3: on Wall Street before coming to Australia to you, yeah, 59 00:03:33,760 --> 00:03:36,360 Speaker 3: to work as a missionary in the middle of the 60 00:03:36,360 --> 00:03:41,800 Speaker 3: desert to help indigenous women with domestic violence, drug and 61 00:03:41,800 --> 00:03:45,080 Speaker 3: alcohol abuse. So she left, yeah, the bright lights of 62 00:03:45,080 --> 00:03:48,080 Speaker 3: New York City to live in a tent and to 63 00:03:48,560 --> 00:03:50,680 Speaker 3: you know, help out people that needed it a little 64 00:03:50,680 --> 00:03:55,160 Speaker 3: bit more. And my dad that's where they met. 65 00:03:54,760 --> 00:03:57,720 Speaker 2: They met was so she went from the bright lights 66 00:03:57,760 --> 00:04:02,839 Speaker 2: to you know, from training to to living in a tent. 67 00:04:03,120 --> 00:04:05,920 Speaker 3: Yeah wow, and just helping women in the night that 68 00:04:06,400 --> 00:04:10,200 Speaker 3: needed help and somewhere safe to stay and whatever they needed. 69 00:04:10,280 --> 00:04:13,720 Speaker 3: Be kind of that that person for them. And my 70 00:04:13,840 --> 00:04:17,120 Speaker 3: dad he kind of, I guess, had a different upbringing 71 00:04:17,120 --> 00:04:20,479 Speaker 3: than my mum. He didn't know his father and he 72 00:04:20,720 --> 00:04:24,760 Speaker 3: was born and a part of the stolen generation. So 73 00:04:25,680 --> 00:04:30,440 Speaker 3: during that time, his grandparents raised him and they would 74 00:04:30,720 --> 00:04:34,360 Speaker 3: hide him so he didn't get taken away because some 75 00:04:34,400 --> 00:04:37,720 Speaker 3: of his siblings got separated from him and went to missions, 76 00:04:37,760 --> 00:04:42,279 Speaker 3: and his grandfather was making sure that whenever the police 77 00:04:42,279 --> 00:04:45,400 Speaker 3: came into town or any counsel, you know, he would 78 00:04:45,520 --> 00:04:47,640 Speaker 3: hide him and make Dad hide in the bush and 79 00:04:47,839 --> 00:04:50,680 Speaker 3: make sure that he didn't get taken away as well. Wow. 80 00:04:51,200 --> 00:04:54,839 Speaker 2: So and how did they raise you, Well. 81 00:04:54,600 --> 00:04:58,240 Speaker 3: It was obviously a lot of difficulties and struggle they 82 00:04:58,279 --> 00:05:01,280 Speaker 3: had within their marriage. Of all of a sudden, it 83 00:05:01,400 --> 00:05:07,640 Speaker 3: was a very white American woman marrying a very dark 84 00:05:08,240 --> 00:05:13,839 Speaker 3: indigenous bush like man, and so from both sides of 85 00:05:13,880 --> 00:05:16,440 Speaker 3: the family they had to deal with a lot of racism. 86 00:05:16,000 --> 00:05:19,480 Speaker 2: And you did you did you see. 87 00:05:19,279 --> 00:05:21,960 Speaker 3: That or no? By the time I came around, it 88 00:05:22,160 --> 00:05:25,520 Speaker 3: was yeah, they were you know, madly in love and 89 00:05:26,040 --> 00:05:29,120 Speaker 3: dealt with a lot of that that struggle. I kind 90 00:05:29,120 --> 00:05:31,240 Speaker 3: of saw them all from my dad's point of view. 91 00:05:31,360 --> 00:05:36,000 Speaker 3: Is I'm more white presenting than what my dad's color was. 92 00:05:36,560 --> 00:05:40,440 Speaker 3: So when I'd be at football or we'd be walking 93 00:05:40,440 --> 00:05:42,680 Speaker 3: out around the street and you know, like my dad 94 00:05:42,680 --> 00:05:44,640 Speaker 3: will be holding my hand or whatever it was, you 95 00:05:44,720 --> 00:05:48,880 Speaker 3: get you know, you get double looks or people you know, 96 00:05:48,960 --> 00:05:50,960 Speaker 3: my dad's watching. You'll be like, oh, is that your dad? 97 00:05:51,480 --> 00:05:53,640 Speaker 3: Oh who's that black man watched? Like watching the game? 98 00:05:53,760 --> 00:05:54,679 Speaker 3: Like is he okay? 99 00:05:55,800 --> 00:05:57,960 Speaker 2: There's something that's completely normal to you. Was just being 100 00:05:58,080 --> 00:06:00,360 Speaker 2: thrown at you in little little segments like that. 101 00:06:00,480 --> 00:06:03,120 Speaker 3: Yeah, And it's like almost like what I would say, 102 00:06:03,279 --> 00:06:07,360 Speaker 3: kind of like naivety of racism, Like it's just casual 103 00:06:07,440 --> 00:06:09,800 Speaker 3: racism being thrown out. But for me, it was like 104 00:06:09,839 --> 00:06:12,320 Speaker 3: I don't understand why I have to keep explaining that 105 00:06:12,320 --> 00:06:15,080 Speaker 3: that's my dad, Like don't we look alike? Yeah? 106 00:06:14,880 --> 00:06:17,840 Speaker 2: Yeah, you must be relentless and must be horrible to 107 00:06:17,920 --> 00:06:20,840 Speaker 2: keep doing that. And also it highlights the fact of racism, right, 108 00:06:21,440 --> 00:06:23,640 Speaker 2: it's there in your face, you know, you think you 109 00:06:23,680 --> 00:06:27,320 Speaker 2: know it's casual racism or people just at it's like wow, 110 00:06:27,360 --> 00:06:29,720 Speaker 2: actually when you look at it, for you to keep 111 00:06:29,760 --> 00:06:31,799 Speaker 2: chipping away. You like that from such a young. 112 00:06:31,640 --> 00:06:34,160 Speaker 3: Age and it really affected me, I think when I 113 00:06:34,320 --> 00:06:41,880 Speaker 3: was early teens, because I was white presenting, but I 114 00:06:41,880 --> 00:06:45,560 Speaker 3: had a desert slang and we spent every year, we 115 00:06:45,560 --> 00:06:48,160 Speaker 3: spent at least a month out in the desert where 116 00:06:48,200 --> 00:06:51,760 Speaker 3: I'd camp under the stars, learned how to light a fire, 117 00:06:52,240 --> 00:06:57,520 Speaker 3: learn all about desert culture, bush life, elders, everything Aboriginal 118 00:06:57,560 --> 00:07:00,279 Speaker 3: and indigenous that I could think of. And then I'd 119 00:07:00,320 --> 00:07:03,719 Speaker 3: come and be in calculate a town and I'd have 120 00:07:03,880 --> 00:07:09,640 Speaker 3: all these desert behaviors and it wasn't obviously accepted by, 121 00:07:10,320 --> 00:07:13,120 Speaker 3: you know, people that weren't familiar with it. But then 122 00:07:13,520 --> 00:07:18,440 Speaker 3: also because I was white presenting, then like if a 123 00:07:18,480 --> 00:07:21,239 Speaker 3: black person saw me, then they'd you know, be double 124 00:07:21,240 --> 00:07:23,640 Speaker 3: look as well. So it was almost like people knew 125 00:07:23,640 --> 00:07:25,880 Speaker 3: me because of my parents, but if you just looked 126 00:07:25,880 --> 00:07:30,280 Speaker 3: at me, you wouldn't really know what your culture, where 127 00:07:30,320 --> 00:07:32,440 Speaker 3: are you from? And I really had kind of an 128 00:07:32,520 --> 00:07:36,720 Speaker 3: identity struggle of I just wanted to be one or 129 00:07:36,720 --> 00:07:39,920 Speaker 3: the other and I couldn't. It was like not accepted 130 00:07:39,960 --> 00:07:40,400 Speaker 3: either way. 131 00:07:40,840 --> 00:07:43,720 Speaker 2: And how did that affect your relationship with Did you 132 00:07:43,800 --> 00:07:45,760 Speaker 2: take one side or the other or were you just 133 00:07:45,800 --> 00:07:48,800 Speaker 2: trying to find out who you know where you sat? Really? 134 00:07:49,160 --> 00:07:50,800 Speaker 3: Yeah, I think it was more like trying to figure 135 00:07:50,800 --> 00:07:52,640 Speaker 3: out where I sat. When when I was eleven, we 136 00:07:52,680 --> 00:07:57,000 Speaker 3: moved to Canberra as a family, and all of a sudden, 137 00:07:57,200 --> 00:07:59,720 Speaker 3: my desert lingo was. You know, I was in bush 138 00:08:00,080 --> 00:08:03,400 Speaker 3: of like a lot of trees and there was no 139 00:08:03,520 --> 00:08:07,880 Speaker 3: red red dirt. It was like grassland and mountains and 140 00:08:08,040 --> 00:08:11,600 Speaker 3: it was really cold and so like that was a 141 00:08:11,640 --> 00:08:14,000 Speaker 3: really big culture shock to me. But then I still 142 00:08:14,000 --> 00:08:17,520 Speaker 3: had a desert like twang. So all of a sudden 143 00:08:18,120 --> 00:08:20,320 Speaker 3: things I would normally say or do or how I 144 00:08:20,360 --> 00:08:23,080 Speaker 3: would sound now I've had to change how I speak 145 00:08:23,120 --> 00:08:25,760 Speaker 3: to people because they wouldn't understand me. 146 00:08:26,480 --> 00:08:27,640 Speaker 2: Got you so? 147 00:08:27,920 --> 00:08:30,600 Speaker 3: And then during that time as well, I'm a you know, 148 00:08:30,720 --> 00:08:34,840 Speaker 3: young adolescent girl, and I don't want anything to do 149 00:08:34,920 --> 00:08:37,760 Speaker 3: with my dad because he doesn't know anything about you know, 150 00:08:37,840 --> 00:08:41,599 Speaker 3: female hormones or anything like that. So then all of 151 00:08:41,640 --> 00:08:45,280 Speaker 3: a sudden, I've become I guess more white. But I'm 152 00:08:45,280 --> 00:08:48,080 Speaker 3: also in a culture or an area that I don't 153 00:08:48,080 --> 00:08:51,840 Speaker 3: get to, you know, express my indigenous heritage that much. 154 00:08:52,520 --> 00:08:54,640 Speaker 2: What was that like growing up? How would you? Were 155 00:08:54,679 --> 00:08:57,920 Speaker 2: you jumping between two identities? Were you? Were you sort 156 00:08:57,920 --> 00:09:00,960 Speaker 2: of questioning who you were? Was? It was tough? Yeah? 157 00:09:01,000 --> 00:09:04,160 Speaker 3: It was tough. And during that time, when I was fifteen, 158 00:09:04,200 --> 00:09:08,000 Speaker 3: my dad actually got really sick and fifteen yeah, so 159 00:09:08,200 --> 00:09:10,680 Speaker 3: in the in the midst of all this identity crisis 160 00:09:10,720 --> 00:09:16,600 Speaker 3: and you know, going through hormonal changes and just enjoying 161 00:09:16,640 --> 00:09:20,920 Speaker 3: being a teenager, my dad gets sick and within three 162 00:09:20,960 --> 00:09:26,320 Speaker 3: weeks of diagnosis it was he's got cancer to he 163 00:09:26,360 --> 00:09:27,440 Speaker 3: only has one day to live. 164 00:09:28,520 --> 00:09:32,800 Speaker 2: Oh wow. So he got diagnosed and within three weeks 165 00:09:32,800 --> 00:09:35,440 Speaker 2: he was no longer. Yeah, oh sorry to you that. 166 00:09:35,520 --> 00:09:38,280 Speaker 3: Yeah, no, it's I've processed it a lot, but you 167 00:09:38,320 --> 00:09:40,000 Speaker 3: know then that was an extra bit of. 168 00:09:41,720 --> 00:09:45,320 Speaker 2: I yeah, a big bit on top. Right. So not 169 00:09:45,360 --> 00:09:49,160 Speaker 2: only you going through this struggle with yourself, but then 170 00:09:49,200 --> 00:09:51,920 Speaker 2: that lands on your lap. Wow, and you sound like 171 00:09:52,000 --> 00:09:53,480 Speaker 2: you were really close for your dad. 172 00:09:53,800 --> 00:09:55,920 Speaker 3: Yeah. I mean like my whole I kind of say, 173 00:09:55,960 --> 00:09:59,320 Speaker 3: like my whole childhood in Kalgarouli and growing up was 174 00:09:59,400 --> 00:10:02,480 Speaker 3: my dad was like I just loved everything about it. 175 00:10:02,559 --> 00:10:06,920 Speaker 3: He taught me all about the land. You know, I 176 00:10:07,080 --> 00:10:09,120 Speaker 3: talking to my mum. Now there's so much of me 177 00:10:09,240 --> 00:10:11,600 Speaker 3: that is my dad. So I think we have a 178 00:10:11,679 --> 00:10:16,960 Speaker 3: really big connection even through his passing, but then moving 179 00:10:17,000 --> 00:10:20,200 Speaker 3: to to Canberra and being in like a more I 180 00:10:20,200 --> 00:10:25,640 Speaker 3: guess white collar area, then I you know, drift to 181 00:10:25,720 --> 00:10:28,120 Speaker 3: my mom's side. So then really it was kind of 182 00:10:28,120 --> 00:10:31,520 Speaker 3: when when dad got really sick and passed away, it 183 00:10:31,559 --> 00:10:34,720 Speaker 3: was like, oh, there's there's a whole part of me 184 00:10:34,800 --> 00:10:37,200 Speaker 3: that felt like missing. Wow. 185 00:10:37,240 --> 00:10:39,440 Speaker 2: So your dad taught you, like you said, you know, 186 00:10:39,480 --> 00:10:41,400 Speaker 2: how to live in the verse, you know, to make 187 00:10:41,440 --> 00:10:43,320 Speaker 2: a five, et cetera, et cetera, you know all that 188 00:10:43,360 --> 00:10:47,800 Speaker 2: good their heretiage stuff that that that you loved. Who 189 00:10:47,840 --> 00:10:50,080 Speaker 2: taught you to to kick a football? 190 00:10:50,880 --> 00:10:55,040 Speaker 3: It was my dad. Yeah, he loved growing up playing 191 00:10:55,120 --> 00:10:58,120 Speaker 3: He was actually a fl loved AFL. So I remember 192 00:10:58,679 --> 00:11:02,679 Speaker 3: we go to pub in Kagarli and I'm like a 193 00:11:02,720 --> 00:11:05,920 Speaker 3: little six to eight year old and we'd go into 194 00:11:05,960 --> 00:11:09,640 Speaker 3: a pub and meete whoever West Coast Eagles person was there, 195 00:11:09,720 --> 00:11:11,679 Speaker 3: and Dad would be like, hey, she's going to be 196 00:11:11,760 --> 00:11:15,640 Speaker 3: playing sport one day and blah blah blah, and yeah 197 00:11:15,720 --> 00:11:19,840 Speaker 3: Dad was a real, real big, I guess, advocate of 198 00:11:19,920 --> 00:11:23,960 Speaker 3: me being outside and playing sport. Mum was very big 199 00:11:24,000 --> 00:11:27,040 Speaker 3: on education, but both were really big on supporting me. 200 00:11:27,720 --> 00:11:32,000 Speaker 2: And what age were you at when you started really 201 00:11:32,080 --> 00:11:36,160 Speaker 2: enjoying Is it soccer or football? Here is soccer football? 202 00:11:36,240 --> 00:11:37,840 Speaker 3: Yeah, we have the World Cup, so it has to 203 00:11:37,880 --> 00:11:38,360 Speaker 3: be football. 204 00:11:41,760 --> 00:11:44,199 Speaker 2: Yeah. What age did you actually realize I'm pretty good 205 00:11:44,200 --> 00:11:46,080 Speaker 2: at this and I want to take this seriously or 206 00:11:46,280 --> 00:11:48,319 Speaker 2: it was you just a kid kicking a ball around 207 00:11:48,400 --> 00:11:50,640 Speaker 2: and you just played for a team. How did it 208 00:11:50,960 --> 00:11:53,920 Speaker 2: progress into the obviously the phenomenal career that you've had, 209 00:11:53,960 --> 00:11:56,720 Speaker 2: which we touched on, but how did it progress into you, 210 00:11:56,720 --> 00:11:59,480 Speaker 2: you know, getting your first sort of serious contract to 211 00:12:00,160 --> 00:12:02,760 Speaker 2: rolling into represent your country. 212 00:12:03,080 --> 00:12:06,720 Speaker 3: Oh it's actually mum. So I went when we first 213 00:12:06,720 --> 00:12:09,360 Speaker 3: came to Canberra, I came late to registration and basically 214 00:12:09,400 --> 00:12:11,000 Speaker 3: they were like, do you want to be in Division 215 00:12:11,000 --> 00:12:14,400 Speaker 3: one but there's only a goalkeeper position left? Or Division 216 00:12:14,400 --> 00:12:16,000 Speaker 3: four and you can play wherever. And I was like, 217 00:12:16,360 --> 00:12:19,800 Speaker 3: why would I ever go to Division four? Yeah? So 218 00:12:19,880 --> 00:12:22,400 Speaker 3: I was like, yeah, we'll rotate, and it just we're 219 00:12:22,400 --> 00:12:26,439 Speaker 3: not rotating and I remember I went to a goalkeeping 220 00:12:26,480 --> 00:12:31,560 Speaker 3: clinic in Canberra which had about maybe thirty goalkeepers and 221 00:12:31,760 --> 00:12:36,040 Speaker 3: only a handful of girls within that, and the goalkeeper 222 00:12:37,040 --> 00:12:40,120 Speaker 3: instructor or coach whatever it was, he actually was an 223 00:12:40,160 --> 00:12:46,760 Speaker 3: ex previous soccer US coach and unbeknownst to me, he 224 00:12:47,000 --> 00:12:48,480 Speaker 3: actually went up to my mom at the end of 225 00:12:49,000 --> 00:12:53,000 Speaker 3: the whole clinic and he's told her, whatever you do, 226 00:12:53,000 --> 00:12:55,680 Speaker 3: do not let her quit. Out of everyone here, she 227 00:12:55,720 --> 00:13:00,360 Speaker 3: has the most potential to be a professional and make 228 00:13:00,440 --> 00:13:02,800 Speaker 3: it for a very long career, so don't let it quit. 229 00:13:03,480 --> 00:13:06,120 Speaker 3: So I think that was just kind of something that 230 00:13:06,240 --> 00:13:09,880 Speaker 3: was in the background, and I just remember anything that 231 00:13:09,960 --> 00:13:13,520 Speaker 3: I went to, if it was national championships, would we 232 00:13:13,600 --> 00:13:16,560 Speaker 3: had to pay. And my dad never really had a job, 233 00:13:17,000 --> 00:13:20,880 Speaker 3: so we're on a single parent threshold and income, so 234 00:13:21,559 --> 00:13:25,240 Speaker 3: we had to obviously go to a lot of Aboriginal 235 00:13:26,080 --> 00:13:29,160 Speaker 3: funding or sports places and just asked to help for 236 00:13:29,280 --> 00:13:31,800 Speaker 3: like money trying to do that, and it was never 237 00:13:31,880 --> 00:13:34,800 Speaker 3: burdened late It's never was. I never knew that it 238 00:13:34,880 --> 00:13:39,120 Speaker 3: was like hard for them to raise that, and I 239 00:13:39,160 --> 00:13:40,920 Speaker 3: just I went to everything they made sure that it 240 00:13:40,960 --> 00:13:43,760 Speaker 3: happened that I got to be involved with everything that 241 00:13:43,840 --> 00:13:47,000 Speaker 3: I could and as possible that was there. So I 242 00:13:47,000 --> 00:13:50,480 Speaker 3: think that was kind of my mum and dad really 243 00:13:50,520 --> 00:13:54,079 Speaker 3: realized it, but never said it to me directly. 244 00:13:54,120 --> 00:13:57,040 Speaker 2: When did you realize it? When you go wow, you know, listen, 245 00:13:58,120 --> 00:13:58,560 Speaker 2: I'm good. 246 00:13:58,640 --> 00:14:01,679 Speaker 3: You know it was Actually I told this story when 247 00:14:01,720 --> 00:14:05,719 Speaker 3: I had my retirement game to the girls and our 248 00:14:05,800 --> 00:14:10,040 Speaker 3: current goalkeeper coach. He was actually my very first goalkeeper 249 00:14:10,080 --> 00:14:13,240 Speaker 3: coach at a camp and it was it was in 250 00:14:13,280 --> 00:14:16,880 Speaker 3: two thousand and five, so my dad just passed away 251 00:14:16,920 --> 00:14:20,000 Speaker 3: and I went to this camp and it was a 252 00:14:20,000 --> 00:14:23,280 Speaker 3: selection camp before the team went to the Under twenties 253 00:14:23,680 --> 00:14:27,760 Speaker 3: World Cup in Thailand for the girls, and I was 254 00:14:28,000 --> 00:14:31,600 Speaker 3: a baby and there were three other goalkeepers who obviously 255 00:14:31,600 --> 00:14:33,600 Speaker 3: were going to go and play, but he pulled me 256 00:14:33,640 --> 00:14:37,800 Speaker 3: aside and he was like, don't quit, I'll see you 257 00:14:37,840 --> 00:14:42,120 Speaker 3: in like a couple of years. And I was like, oh, yeah, whatever, yeah, 258 00:14:42,160 --> 00:14:45,080 Speaker 3: And then literally like I was, I wasn't devastated because 259 00:14:45,080 --> 00:14:46,760 Speaker 3: I was like, I've only gone to one camp. This 260 00:14:46,880 --> 00:14:48,280 Speaker 3: is cool, Like I got to fly all the way 261 00:14:48,280 --> 00:14:52,000 Speaker 3: to Perth and then three months later I got called 262 00:14:52,000 --> 00:14:55,560 Speaker 3: into the national team at sixteen for my very first. 263 00:14:55,400 --> 00:14:58,440 Speaker 2: Hand seen you get called into the national team. What 264 00:14:58,520 --> 00:14:59,920 Speaker 2: did it take me back to that? What did that 265 00:15:00,480 --> 00:15:02,080 Speaker 2: to take you back to that call? How did that happen? 266 00:15:02,160 --> 00:15:05,280 Speaker 2: They contact your parents, They tell you where were you 267 00:15:05,320 --> 00:15:05,760 Speaker 2: when you got that? 268 00:15:06,040 --> 00:15:07,880 Speaker 3: They contacted my parents because at that time, I was 269 00:15:07,880 --> 00:15:12,600 Speaker 3: actually training with the as boys, and the goalkeeper coach 270 00:15:14,480 --> 00:15:18,120 Speaker 3: for the Matilda's kept coming into training camps at the AIS, 271 00:15:18,480 --> 00:15:23,160 Speaker 3: and the coach at the time, Tom Somani, he kept 272 00:15:23,200 --> 00:15:28,040 Speaker 3: seeing my progression of like improvement and I'm training with boys, 273 00:15:28,160 --> 00:15:33,000 Speaker 3: I'm not training with girls anymore. And then he actually 274 00:15:33,000 --> 00:15:37,640 Speaker 3: called that coach and the goalkeeper coach and myself and 275 00:15:38,200 --> 00:15:40,680 Speaker 3: had a conversation with my parents and then they're like, okay, 276 00:15:40,720 --> 00:15:44,480 Speaker 3: you're going to like Matilda's camp. And I'm like, who's 277 00:15:44,600 --> 00:15:50,080 Speaker 3: Matilda's those girl the women that walked past, Like I'm 278 00:15:50,120 --> 00:15:55,840 Speaker 3: still in school, Like what like okay, So yeah, that 279 00:15:55,960 --> 00:15:58,440 Speaker 3: was my first kind of like introduction is like I 280 00:15:58,600 --> 00:15:59,440 Speaker 3: was a schoolgirl. 281 00:16:00,200 --> 00:16:01,280 Speaker 2: Was your father still alive? 282 00:16:01,840 --> 00:16:04,400 Speaker 3: No? My dad wasn't alive at that point, So I 283 00:16:04,480 --> 00:16:06,280 Speaker 3: kind of throughout that. 284 00:16:06,280 --> 00:16:07,280 Speaker 2: I feel about that. 285 00:16:08,360 --> 00:16:16,680 Speaker 3: It's hard, but I think through the difficulty in his 286 00:16:16,800 --> 00:16:21,640 Speaker 3: diagnosis to when he passed, Like I me and Mum. 287 00:16:21,840 --> 00:16:24,440 Speaker 3: It took us three years before we could both sit 288 00:16:24,480 --> 00:16:27,160 Speaker 3: down and talk to each other, like it was impossible 289 00:16:27,200 --> 00:16:29,400 Speaker 3: for us but your dad, yeah, because we were so 290 00:16:29,480 --> 00:16:34,000 Speaker 3: upset and afraid that we'd make each other cry. But 291 00:16:34,120 --> 00:16:37,560 Speaker 3: I mean we'd walk in to shopping centers together and 292 00:16:37,640 --> 00:16:39,920 Speaker 3: like Mum would just start balling, and I was like, 293 00:16:39,960 --> 00:16:41,440 Speaker 3: I don't even know how to help. I'm a fifteen 294 00:16:41,520 --> 00:16:45,160 Speaker 3: year old going through angst myself and I find it 295 00:16:45,200 --> 00:16:49,239 Speaker 3: really hard to open up. And I got sent to therapists, 296 00:16:49,240 --> 00:16:50,960 Speaker 3: but I'm like, I don't want to talk, like I'm 297 00:16:50,960 --> 00:16:53,680 Speaker 3: not I don't know what to talk about. And so 298 00:16:53,800 --> 00:16:56,280 Speaker 3: for a good six months, like I can't remember anything. 299 00:16:56,560 --> 00:16:57,080 Speaker 2: It's a blur. 300 00:16:57,320 --> 00:17:01,760 Speaker 3: Yeah, it's a blur. But I think in that I 301 00:17:01,800 --> 00:17:05,879 Speaker 3: took a lot of that pain and hurt and unease 302 00:17:06,560 --> 00:17:08,440 Speaker 3: and turned it into. 303 00:17:08,480 --> 00:17:09,840 Speaker 2: Sport, focused it on. 304 00:17:10,080 --> 00:17:13,359 Speaker 3: I love that, Yeah, And it just went from there 305 00:17:13,440 --> 00:17:17,240 Speaker 3: like it's I you know, it was something that I 306 00:17:17,240 --> 00:17:20,200 Speaker 3: could do. I could go wake up every training day 307 00:17:20,240 --> 00:17:22,320 Speaker 3: and go and be like, Okay, I don't have to 308 00:17:22,320 --> 00:17:25,320 Speaker 3: think about anything. Yeah, I'm just I enjoy this is 309 00:17:25,320 --> 00:17:28,560 Speaker 3: something I really like. People are there for me, but 310 00:17:29,600 --> 00:17:32,760 Speaker 3: ultimately I'm I'm an athlete and they're athletes, and we 311 00:17:32,840 --> 00:17:33,840 Speaker 3: have a job that we need to do. 312 00:17:33,960 --> 00:17:38,919 Speaker 2: Yeah, redirectioning those negative emotions onto a positive sort of 313 00:17:38,920 --> 00:17:40,840 Speaker 2: purpose really works, doesn't it. 314 00:17:41,000 --> 00:17:41,200 Speaker 3: Yep? 315 00:17:41,200 --> 00:17:44,480 Speaker 2: If you can tunnel let and focus on that. So 316 00:17:44,560 --> 00:17:47,080 Speaker 2: that's phenomenal. So how do you feel when your mom 317 00:17:47,160 --> 00:17:47,600 Speaker 2: tells you. 318 00:17:48,119 --> 00:17:51,600 Speaker 3: I'm intimidated because I firstly, I don't know what it entails. 319 00:17:51,720 --> 00:17:55,439 Speaker 3: Like I've not seen I don't know what a camp is. 320 00:17:55,520 --> 00:17:57,760 Speaker 3: I don't know where they go. 321 00:17:58,000 --> 00:18:00,439 Speaker 2: I don't know you're being thrown in deep ag. 322 00:18:00,600 --> 00:18:02,840 Speaker 3: Yeah, like I know a few of them from like 323 00:18:03,720 --> 00:18:08,040 Speaker 3: the academy training centers, but I don't I don't know anything. 324 00:18:08,160 --> 00:18:11,320 Speaker 3: I'm not. At that point in time, I was a goalkeeper. 325 00:18:11,560 --> 00:18:16,879 Speaker 3: I didn't really understand like technique and structure, and you know, 326 00:18:16,920 --> 00:18:19,640 Speaker 3: I just loved what I was doing. And I think 327 00:18:20,680 --> 00:18:24,840 Speaker 3: going into an environment that I wasn't sure, I was like, Okay, well, 328 00:18:25,200 --> 00:18:26,600 Speaker 3: I think I only knew one person. 329 00:18:27,040 --> 00:18:30,679 Speaker 2: And was it intimidating because your first Nations woman? Was 330 00:18:30,680 --> 00:18:32,439 Speaker 2: that was the part of that or was it just 331 00:18:32,480 --> 00:18:35,520 Speaker 2: intimidating just because of the magnitude of it, or was 332 00:18:35,560 --> 00:18:36,240 Speaker 2: it a bit of both. 333 00:18:36,720 --> 00:18:38,520 Speaker 3: At that point in time, I think because I was 334 00:18:38,520 --> 00:18:41,400 Speaker 3: still grieving about my dad and going through that process. 335 00:18:42,080 --> 00:18:47,880 Speaker 3: I think I really, I guess compumentalize the indigenous part 336 00:18:48,680 --> 00:18:52,640 Speaker 3: and really kind of didn't really want to talk about 337 00:18:52,680 --> 00:18:54,680 Speaker 3: being First Nations because that meant that I had to 338 00:18:54,720 --> 00:18:58,200 Speaker 3: open up about my dad, and for me, I wasn't 339 00:18:58,720 --> 00:19:04,120 Speaker 3: ready to do that. So I went in nervous as 340 00:19:04,200 --> 00:19:09,440 Speaker 3: a sixteen year old, and I'm now in an environment 341 00:19:09,480 --> 00:19:13,440 Speaker 3: with twenty five year olds, and I'm also someone who's 342 00:19:13,840 --> 00:19:18,400 Speaker 3: quite shy at that time and quite you know, still 343 00:19:18,440 --> 00:19:21,280 Speaker 3: trying to figure out everything that's going on. Of course, 344 00:19:21,320 --> 00:19:22,119 Speaker 3: So yeah, I. 345 00:19:22,720 --> 00:19:25,520 Speaker 2: Age you asking these questions, aren't you about yourself, about 346 00:19:25,520 --> 00:19:29,080 Speaker 2: the situation about other people? It's like, yeah, you've you're 347 00:19:29,080 --> 00:19:30,800 Speaker 2: trying to figure it all out, and you think at 348 00:19:30,800 --> 00:19:33,160 Speaker 2: that age you can you can figure it all out, 349 00:19:33,200 --> 00:19:38,200 Speaker 2: and ultimately you can't. It's yeah, it's a funny age 350 00:19:38,240 --> 00:19:40,360 Speaker 2: to be out. I remember being at sixteen seventeen when 351 00:19:40,359 --> 00:19:43,240 Speaker 2: I joined the military, and I'm just like so overwhelming. 352 00:19:43,359 --> 00:19:46,800 Speaker 2: Oh yeah, you just have to just take it each 353 00:19:46,880 --> 00:19:50,200 Speaker 2: day as it comes. But how does your life change 354 00:19:50,240 --> 00:19:53,639 Speaker 2: from that moment onwards? You know, what's your what was 355 00:19:53,680 --> 00:19:54,800 Speaker 2: there an obvious change. 356 00:19:56,000 --> 00:19:59,880 Speaker 3: No, like because I guess my life was still the same. 357 00:20:00,160 --> 00:20:05,479 Speaker 3: I'd be able to leave school and go to training 358 00:20:05,520 --> 00:20:08,320 Speaker 3: camps or tours that we did, but you know, I 359 00:20:08,320 --> 00:20:11,120 Speaker 3: mean I was still like at school hanging with my friends. 360 00:20:11,160 --> 00:20:15,240 Speaker 3: I'd miss you know, some weddings or birthdays or whatever 361 00:20:15,280 --> 00:20:18,200 Speaker 3: it was, and that would suck. But I was like, no, 362 00:20:18,359 --> 00:20:20,920 Speaker 3: it's like cool, I'll see you guys soon. And I'm 363 00:20:20,920 --> 00:20:24,320 Speaker 3: traveling and I think at that point we only flew 364 00:20:24,359 --> 00:20:27,560 Speaker 3: to like Asia, so it wasn't any huge flights away 365 00:20:27,600 --> 00:20:30,080 Speaker 3: and it was maybe like four times a year, so 366 00:20:30,280 --> 00:20:32,000 Speaker 3: really it was like, oh cool, Like I get a 367 00:20:32,000 --> 00:20:34,080 Speaker 3: little holiday and a break and get a little bit 368 00:20:34,119 --> 00:20:34,480 Speaker 3: of money. 369 00:20:34,800 --> 00:20:37,080 Speaker 2: And while you're doing that, you're obviously playing for local team. 370 00:20:37,440 --> 00:20:41,199 Speaker 3: Yep, yeah, who I was playing. It was like a 371 00:20:41,240 --> 00:20:44,040 Speaker 3: state team, so it was like, yeah, Canberra Eclipse I 372 00:20:44,040 --> 00:20:47,199 Speaker 3: think it was called back then. So yeah, and it 373 00:20:47,240 --> 00:20:52,320 Speaker 3: wasn't like full time like it was. I train mostly. 374 00:20:52,560 --> 00:20:55,280 Speaker 3: I think like I play on weekends and then just 375 00:20:55,400 --> 00:20:58,479 Speaker 3: train separately and then just be able to play with 376 00:20:58,520 --> 00:20:59,280 Speaker 3: like a club team. 377 00:21:00,240 --> 00:21:05,320 Speaker 2: Back then, and I say back then, women's football it 378 00:21:05,359 --> 00:21:08,080 Speaker 2: wasn't taking that seriously as it is now it's obviously 379 00:21:08,160 --> 00:21:11,520 Speaker 2: you know, blown now, especially since the World Cup right 380 00:21:12,000 --> 00:21:14,600 Speaker 2: last year. But what was it like did you feel 381 00:21:14,640 --> 00:21:17,280 Speaker 2: like that that was it taken seriously or. 382 00:21:17,320 --> 00:21:20,000 Speaker 3: Was it you know, I think it was it was 383 00:21:20,119 --> 00:21:22,720 Speaker 3: because it was Everyone that was a part of it 384 00:21:22,760 --> 00:21:25,040 Speaker 3: did it because they had passion. Because there wasn't money 385 00:21:25,040 --> 00:21:30,480 Speaker 3: in it. There wasn't all these extras and sponsors. Everyone 386 00:21:30,520 --> 00:21:33,240 Speaker 3: that was a part of it, from coaches to medical team, 387 00:21:33,400 --> 00:21:37,720 Speaker 3: to gear people to the girls did it because it 388 00:21:37,880 --> 00:21:39,320 Speaker 3: was like a passion that they had and they just 389 00:21:39,400 --> 00:21:43,719 Speaker 3: loved it. So it was almost that rawness of like 390 00:21:44,400 --> 00:21:46,040 Speaker 3: we're just going to go out and have fun. We 391 00:21:46,119 --> 00:21:50,000 Speaker 3: have something to prove, but like, what are we like, 392 00:21:50,080 --> 00:21:51,760 Speaker 3: Let's just go out and make sure that we make 393 00:21:51,800 --> 00:21:55,960 Speaker 3: ourselves really proud and happy, not the expectations of everyone else. 394 00:22:05,440 --> 00:22:07,480 Speaker 2: And when did it really start to ramp up for you? 395 00:22:07,480 --> 00:22:11,600 Speaker 2: You know when because obviously the more the exposure it gets, 396 00:22:11,680 --> 00:22:14,000 Speaker 2: the more you play that, you know, when did it 397 00:22:14,040 --> 00:22:16,680 Speaker 2: start to really ramp up where this is full time now, 398 00:22:16,720 --> 00:22:19,400 Speaker 2: this is you know, I'm in it. 399 00:22:19,400 --> 00:22:21,920 Speaker 3: It was my first club that I went to, which 400 00:22:22,160 --> 00:22:25,520 Speaker 3: was in the US. I went to Chicago and I 401 00:22:25,640 --> 00:22:28,560 Speaker 3: was a nineteen year old kid going overseas for the 402 00:22:28,600 --> 00:22:29,120 Speaker 3: first time. 403 00:22:29,359 --> 00:22:30,320 Speaker 2: How does that come about? 404 00:22:31,880 --> 00:22:36,199 Speaker 3: One of the girls was going there and they needed 405 00:22:36,320 --> 00:22:40,240 Speaker 3: another goalkeeper. And at that point I was playing youth 406 00:22:40,359 --> 00:22:43,399 Speaker 3: and was doing really well in the I call it 407 00:22:43,440 --> 00:22:46,920 Speaker 3: Young Matilda's and I was already established in the Matildas 408 00:22:46,920 --> 00:22:51,119 Speaker 3: now and it was an opportunity to go overseas. It 409 00:22:51,160 --> 00:22:52,480 Speaker 3: was the first time that they had it. I have 410 00:22:52,520 --> 00:22:57,440 Speaker 3: a dual citizenship, so, I mean, America uses a draft 411 00:22:57,520 --> 00:22:59,760 Speaker 3: system where they do get a lot of college girls 412 00:23:00,080 --> 00:23:03,600 Speaker 3: to join teams to then develop them. So it was 413 00:23:03,640 --> 00:23:08,480 Speaker 3: basically I was a draft draft that had international experience 414 00:23:09,480 --> 00:23:12,160 Speaker 3: and was playing and training at a really high level, 415 00:23:12,800 --> 00:23:16,240 Speaker 3: Like why wouldn't you come get me? And you don't 416 00:23:16,280 --> 00:23:20,119 Speaker 3: have to worry about visas or anything like that. So 417 00:23:20,160 --> 00:23:23,960 Speaker 3: it was actually funny. The coach was m Hayes, so 418 00:23:24,040 --> 00:23:27,080 Speaker 3: she was my first, my first like proper professional coach 419 00:23:27,560 --> 00:23:30,000 Speaker 3: and now won a gold medal with the US so 420 00:23:31,280 --> 00:23:35,120 Speaker 3: but yeah, she recruited me over and brought me over 421 00:23:35,160 --> 00:23:38,439 Speaker 3: to the States, and that's when I was like, wow, 422 00:23:38,640 --> 00:23:41,920 Speaker 3: Like we're training twice a day, We're doing this, We're 423 00:23:42,040 --> 00:23:49,120 Speaker 3: drinking protein shakes, your nutritio. Yeah, yeah, and I was like, oh, 424 00:23:49,200 --> 00:23:52,200 Speaker 3: we get to stay. You're paying for my apartment, like, 425 00:23:52,359 --> 00:23:55,520 Speaker 3: and you're giving me a car to drive around and 426 00:23:55,760 --> 00:23:59,879 Speaker 3: a salary. And and then I came home and I 427 00:24:00,040 --> 00:24:02,560 Speaker 3: remember feeling like I was on top of the world. 428 00:24:02,560 --> 00:24:05,399 Speaker 3: I don't play I played like maybe a few practice games, 429 00:24:05,480 --> 00:24:07,880 Speaker 3: but I mean I was on a great team where 430 00:24:07,920 --> 00:24:11,200 Speaker 3: I learned so much. And I came home and I 431 00:24:11,320 --> 00:24:14,920 Speaker 3: thought like I was pretty pleasing with myself. Made it 432 00:24:15,119 --> 00:24:19,000 Speaker 3: And initially I reckon yeah, and he lived on the 433 00:24:19,040 --> 00:24:22,359 Speaker 3: back of the year and got told that I was 434 00:24:22,600 --> 00:24:27,600 Speaker 3: basically nothing from some yeah not just needed to get 435 00:24:27,680 --> 00:24:30,960 Speaker 3: rid of my arrogant attitude from some coaches that. 436 00:24:31,040 --> 00:24:35,000 Speaker 2: The coaches, Wow, so did you get there? You get 437 00:24:35,000 --> 00:24:37,280 Speaker 2: you're a bit of cocky, you're getting a bit complacent. Yeah, 438 00:24:37,720 --> 00:24:40,240 Speaker 2: I've got everything at myfe because you've almost done the reverse. 439 00:24:40,320 --> 00:24:42,840 Speaker 2: Normally people join a professional club and then they go 440 00:24:42,960 --> 00:24:47,000 Speaker 2: onto the national team. You were in the national team. 441 00:24:47,000 --> 00:24:48,600 Speaker 2: That's why I said. You went straight to the the 442 00:24:48,680 --> 00:24:51,360 Speaker 2: national team, and you've done the flip reverse right from 443 00:24:51,400 --> 00:24:53,920 Speaker 2: the national team and then you went and played played professionals. 444 00:24:53,920 --> 00:24:55,800 Speaker 2: So you get a clip around the ear in America? 445 00:24:55,880 --> 00:24:57,160 Speaker 2: How does that how does that feel? 446 00:24:57,960 --> 00:24:59,639 Speaker 3: No, I mean that was a bit rough. That was 447 00:25:00,000 --> 00:25:02,359 Speaker 3: it was a it's what I needed. But at the 448 00:25:02,440 --> 00:25:04,640 Speaker 3: time I was like I didn't do anything, Like why 449 00:25:04,680 --> 00:25:08,719 Speaker 3: am I getting like almost like punished, like here I am, 450 00:25:09,000 --> 00:25:10,840 Speaker 3: But no, it was it was needed. I think it 451 00:25:10,920 --> 00:25:14,080 Speaker 3: gave me a little bit of down to earth of like, 452 00:25:14,840 --> 00:25:18,119 Speaker 3: look how good that person is and why aren't you playing? Like, 453 00:25:18,240 --> 00:25:23,119 Speaker 3: well you're not playing, so whatever your arrogance is, like 454 00:25:23,760 --> 00:25:25,600 Speaker 3: I don't know where it comes from, because guess what, 455 00:25:25,800 --> 00:25:30,000 Speaker 3: you're not actually on the pitch. And it was like, oh, yeah, okay, 456 00:25:30,200 --> 00:25:32,440 Speaker 3: well what are they doing that I need to do? 457 00:25:32,960 --> 00:25:34,840 Speaker 3: And I think that was awake. It was a quick 458 00:25:34,880 --> 00:25:38,240 Speaker 3: wake up call. I think it was six months of cockiness. Yeah, 459 00:25:39,040 --> 00:25:41,200 Speaker 3: and then it was like nope. 460 00:25:41,200 --> 00:25:43,080 Speaker 2: Yeah, I remember when I joined the military and I 461 00:25:43,200 --> 00:25:45,960 Speaker 2: passed out training best your cruit, best PT and then 462 00:25:46,000 --> 00:25:47,960 Speaker 2: we go into my first unit and the same with 463 00:25:48,080 --> 00:25:50,320 Speaker 2: me the first year, just like I don't need to 464 00:25:50,359 --> 00:25:53,440 Speaker 2: do anything. And then the rude awakening of it seeing 465 00:25:53,480 --> 00:25:56,000 Speaker 2: people overtake you, seeing people getting promoted in front of you. 466 00:25:56,119 --> 00:25:58,760 Speaker 2: See it's just like wow, I need I actually need 467 00:25:58,840 --> 00:26:01,400 Speaker 2: this wake up cool. Yeah, because again, like you say 468 00:26:01,640 --> 00:26:03,720 Speaker 2: I'm not on the pitch, they are what do I 469 00:26:03,800 --> 00:26:06,359 Speaker 2: need to do to get there? And what did you 470 00:26:06,440 --> 00:26:08,240 Speaker 2: do to get there? Oh? 471 00:26:08,359 --> 00:26:11,440 Speaker 3: Well, then I came back and I was didn't go 472 00:26:11,640 --> 00:26:15,000 Speaker 3: back overseas. I actually was looking for another opportunity, which 473 00:26:15,119 --> 00:26:17,840 Speaker 3: it came in the form I had a year to 474 00:26:17,960 --> 00:26:23,159 Speaker 3: be at home, and during that time we had I 475 00:26:23,240 --> 00:26:25,240 Speaker 3: actually broke my wrist during that time. 476 00:26:25,880 --> 00:26:26,280 Speaker 2: Oh wow. 477 00:26:26,359 --> 00:26:29,119 Speaker 3: When I came back home, I was just training with 478 00:26:29,160 --> 00:26:30,959 Speaker 3: the boys. It was a bit of a wet night 479 00:26:31,119 --> 00:26:34,960 Speaker 3: and I went out to save a ball and when 480 00:26:35,000 --> 00:26:37,720 Speaker 3: I saved it, it just felt something in my wrist 481 00:26:38,080 --> 00:26:43,760 Speaker 3: kind of snap. So I actually then for the next 482 00:26:44,600 --> 00:26:49,600 Speaker 3: eight months there was qualifiers with the national team and 483 00:26:50,680 --> 00:26:55,000 Speaker 3: qualifiers with the youth national team, and so I had 484 00:26:55,080 --> 00:26:58,159 Speaker 3: to put a splint on and then I was waiting 485 00:26:58,400 --> 00:27:00,800 Speaker 3: until I could get surgery. So I played for eight 486 00:27:00,880 --> 00:27:03,920 Speaker 3: months with a broken wrist. Just strapped it up, just 487 00:27:04,000 --> 00:27:05,679 Speaker 3: strapped it up, sucked it up. 488 00:27:07,600 --> 00:27:11,080 Speaker 2: You don't what I mean. Those opportunities, right, and just 489 00:27:11,240 --> 00:27:13,960 Speaker 2: like don't know that you had a broken risk. Yeah, 490 00:27:14,040 --> 00:27:16,280 Speaker 2: they wasn't something that you heard because you wanted to 491 00:27:16,359 --> 00:27:17,120 Speaker 2: do your trials. 492 00:27:17,200 --> 00:27:19,200 Speaker 3: It was just yeah, it was they were just like, 493 00:27:19,359 --> 00:27:21,280 Speaker 3: what can we do? So I went to a risk specialist. 494 00:27:21,320 --> 00:27:23,000 Speaker 3: They gave me a little splint to wear and I 495 00:27:23,119 --> 00:27:25,920 Speaker 3: just wore it under my glove and just got on 496 00:27:26,040 --> 00:27:28,119 Speaker 3: with it until I had time to actually have surgery, 497 00:27:28,119 --> 00:27:31,120 Speaker 3: which was in twenty ten, so I had I think 498 00:27:31,160 --> 00:27:35,119 Speaker 3: it was four months off doing rehab, got back into it, 499 00:27:35,200 --> 00:27:39,440 Speaker 3: and then two thousand and eleven I went over to 500 00:27:39,480 --> 00:27:42,720 Speaker 3: Sweden for my next club, and I was a two 501 00:27:42,800 --> 00:27:46,800 Speaker 3: year deal and when I got over there, I had 502 00:27:46,960 --> 00:27:51,000 Speaker 3: a great two months. And then the second game of 503 00:27:51,080 --> 00:27:54,120 Speaker 3: the season, I ran out for a ball and tore 504 00:27:54,200 --> 00:27:54,720 Speaker 3: my ACL. 505 00:27:57,920 --> 00:28:02,320 Speaker 2: That's that's a pretty serious injury. Yeah, Carl, what was 506 00:28:02,359 --> 00:28:05,720 Speaker 2: going for your head when you're on the ground? Yeah? 507 00:28:05,840 --> 00:28:07,480 Speaker 2: Do you know it? Do you know? Do you know 508 00:28:07,560 --> 00:28:08,480 Speaker 2: exactly what it was? No? 509 00:28:08,560 --> 00:28:10,600 Speaker 3: I thought it was my hamstring at first, but then 510 00:28:11,240 --> 00:28:13,920 Speaker 3: I got up and tried to move and my knee 511 00:28:13,960 --> 00:28:16,479 Speaker 3: gave out, and I was like, what is that feeling? 512 00:28:16,640 --> 00:28:17,600 Speaker 3: I hate that feeling. 513 00:28:17,760 --> 00:28:19,719 Speaker 2: And you'd only just gone to Sweden. 514 00:28:19,920 --> 00:28:22,960 Speaker 3: Yeah, only just gone to Sweden. And in my head 515 00:28:23,000 --> 00:28:25,920 Speaker 3: I was like, I'm the furthest away that I could 516 00:28:25,960 --> 00:28:29,880 Speaker 3: be from Australia. Literally, the furthest part of Sweden Airport 517 00:28:30,200 --> 00:28:34,720 Speaker 3: I was, so it was to travel there. It was 518 00:28:34,800 --> 00:28:38,520 Speaker 3: at least thirty hours. In my head, I'm like, oh 519 00:28:38,600 --> 00:28:40,760 Speaker 3: my god, I ain't gonna have I need to get surgery. 520 00:28:41,560 --> 00:28:45,240 Speaker 3: And I'm like, am I covered for surgery? Like is 521 00:28:45,360 --> 00:28:48,720 Speaker 3: that the club covers that? Or do I need to 522 00:28:48,760 --> 00:28:54,640 Speaker 3: go home? And they weren't actually sure of the diagnosis either, 523 00:28:55,120 --> 00:28:57,320 Speaker 3: So then I had to be there and wait. And 524 00:28:57,440 --> 00:29:00,760 Speaker 3: it was at a time in Australia when quite a 525 00:29:00,800 --> 00:29:03,120 Speaker 3: few of the team started getting a cls, so it 526 00:29:03,240 --> 00:29:07,040 Speaker 3: was maybe three girls on the national team had acls 527 00:29:07,080 --> 00:29:09,880 Speaker 3: within that six months as well, so I kind of 528 00:29:09,960 --> 00:29:16,320 Speaker 3: knew from talking to them when they had theirs done, 529 00:29:16,560 --> 00:29:19,800 Speaker 3: like what it feels like, where were they? Did they 530 00:29:19,880 --> 00:29:22,520 Speaker 3: come home? Whatever it was, And so in my head 531 00:29:22,560 --> 00:29:25,440 Speaker 3: I was panicking because I was like, oh no, I'm 532 00:29:25,560 --> 00:29:30,280 Speaker 3: like them feeling I'm seeing so many similarities and hearing 533 00:29:30,360 --> 00:29:32,240 Speaker 3: so many things that like I need to get home. 534 00:29:33,440 --> 00:29:36,040 Speaker 3: So that was a real hard time of I didn't 535 00:29:36,080 --> 00:29:40,320 Speaker 3: really want to hurt my relationship with the club because 536 00:29:40,360 --> 00:29:44,040 Speaker 3: I was only there for two months, and then I 537 00:29:44,160 --> 00:29:46,080 Speaker 3: was like, but also I need. 538 00:29:46,040 --> 00:29:47,400 Speaker 2: To sort this out. Yeah, I need to get get 539 00:29:47,400 --> 00:29:51,800 Speaker 2: it done, and also being somewhere where you feel like 540 00:29:51,920 --> 00:29:54,640 Speaker 2: it's home, you know, especially with an injury, you know, 541 00:29:54,720 --> 00:29:57,040 Speaker 2: you don't want to be somewhere where you're not familiar with, 542 00:29:57,400 --> 00:29:59,880 Speaker 2: you know, especially if you were covering, and so you 543 00:30:00,040 --> 00:30:00,600 Speaker 2: fly back to. 544 00:30:01,320 --> 00:30:03,000 Speaker 3: Yeah, so I ended up being I fly back to 545 00:30:03,080 --> 00:30:05,880 Speaker 3: Australia to get surgery and I was there for three 546 00:30:05,960 --> 00:30:09,880 Speaker 3: months to make sure that kind of the hard stuff 547 00:30:10,040 --> 00:30:12,640 Speaker 3: was out of the way with a physio at home 548 00:30:12,800 --> 00:30:15,480 Speaker 3: and I could be home. And I remember just being 549 00:30:15,640 --> 00:30:19,480 Speaker 3: so like emotional and just I mean I wanted to go. 550 00:30:20,360 --> 00:30:22,880 Speaker 3: I was loving it. I was loving being away from home, 551 00:30:23,120 --> 00:30:25,080 Speaker 3: and I remember I had to be back home with 552 00:30:25,200 --> 00:30:28,760 Speaker 3: my mom whilst nursing an injury, and it was just, 553 00:30:28,880 --> 00:30:31,120 Speaker 3: I think, really hard for us both. That was the 554 00:30:31,160 --> 00:30:33,960 Speaker 3: first time we actually spent time together since I left. 555 00:30:34,160 --> 00:30:37,320 Speaker 2: And how did that affect your relationship with the Matilda's. 556 00:30:37,480 --> 00:30:40,120 Speaker 3: That was fine because at that time we didn't have contracts, 557 00:30:40,240 --> 00:30:44,720 Speaker 3: so and also the kind of like the talent pool 558 00:30:44,760 --> 00:30:48,960 Speaker 3: that was coming in there was not much because the 559 00:30:49,840 --> 00:30:53,360 Speaker 3: competition in Australia was only three months long, So really, 560 00:30:54,160 --> 00:30:56,120 Speaker 3: where are you finding people they need to be in 561 00:30:56,360 --> 00:31:01,120 Speaker 3: academies and state institutes to kind of get that, but 562 00:31:01,560 --> 00:31:06,000 Speaker 3: there was no real kind of stepping stone to keep 563 00:31:06,080 --> 00:31:10,560 Speaker 3: developing that turnover and that threshold. So yeah, I was 564 00:31:10,640 --> 00:31:12,960 Speaker 3: fine for the matildas. That was all good. It was 565 00:31:13,160 --> 00:31:16,680 Speaker 3: just kind of like get healthy, get fit again, and 566 00:31:16,760 --> 00:31:21,320 Speaker 3: then I went back over and finished my Yeah, finish 567 00:31:21,400 --> 00:31:24,960 Speaker 3: my rehab there. Next season was fine, and then the 568 00:31:25,000 --> 00:31:30,040 Speaker 3: following season I went over to America again, and halfway 569 00:31:30,080 --> 00:31:35,720 Speaker 3: through that season I redid the same ACL give me yeah, 570 00:31:35,960 --> 00:31:39,120 Speaker 3: and that was right. I was in twenty fourteen, and 571 00:31:39,200 --> 00:31:42,680 Speaker 3: that was ten and a half months out before the 572 00:31:42,760 --> 00:31:44,320 Speaker 3: World Cup in twenty fifteen. 573 00:31:44,560 --> 00:31:46,000 Speaker 2: And how did that affect your mindset? 574 00:31:47,080 --> 00:31:52,480 Speaker 3: I remember telling the physio I've done it, and we 575 00:31:52,560 --> 00:31:55,320 Speaker 3: walked right in. He goes, I'm not gonna test you 576 00:31:55,400 --> 00:31:58,080 Speaker 3: here because it's going to be on TV and we're 577 00:31:58,080 --> 00:31:59,480 Speaker 3: going to walk in and I'm going to test you, 578 00:32:00,000 --> 00:32:02,280 Speaker 3: so I need you to get up and let's go. 579 00:32:03,040 --> 00:32:05,800 Speaker 3: So up, I get walk with him in. He tests 580 00:32:05,920 --> 00:32:10,400 Speaker 3: and he's like, yeah, we can get an MRI, but like, 581 00:32:10,520 --> 00:32:13,200 Speaker 3: we'll get one, but we'll try and get you home. 582 00:32:13,960 --> 00:32:16,800 Speaker 3: And I remember getting my phone and walking back out 583 00:32:16,880 --> 00:32:20,840 Speaker 3: to the bench and calling my national team doctor and 584 00:32:20,960 --> 00:32:24,600 Speaker 3: national team coach at the time, and going, I've done it. 585 00:32:25,760 --> 00:32:28,160 Speaker 3: What do I need to do to get back for 586 00:32:28,400 --> 00:32:32,720 Speaker 3: the World Cup? And at that time, I was the 587 00:32:32,840 --> 00:32:37,040 Speaker 3: starting goalkeeper, so it was all hands on deck. They said, 588 00:32:37,080 --> 00:32:39,280 Speaker 3: we'll book you a flight and we'll get you into 589 00:32:39,320 --> 00:32:43,520 Speaker 3: surgery in a week, So I had two days to 590 00:32:43,640 --> 00:32:46,400 Speaker 3: pack everything up. Oh. Actually, I was devastated that night, 591 00:32:46,480 --> 00:32:50,000 Speaker 3: and I remember I was talking to Abby one back 592 00:32:50,080 --> 00:32:59,480 Speaker 3: actually and most epic US footballer goalscorer, and she told me, 593 00:33:00,240 --> 00:33:02,360 Speaker 3: let's have a drink tonight. You can cry about it, 594 00:33:02,520 --> 00:33:04,200 Speaker 3: you can be sad, but when you wake up tomorrow, 595 00:33:04,240 --> 00:33:07,520 Speaker 3: you're going to the World Cup. And I remember that 596 00:33:07,720 --> 00:33:10,800 Speaker 3: the words that got me through that whole rehab. And 597 00:33:11,440 --> 00:33:15,120 Speaker 3: I didn't have time to think in that time that rehab, 598 00:33:15,360 --> 00:33:20,200 Speaker 3: I had zero time to think. I had physio. Yeah, 599 00:33:20,680 --> 00:33:24,200 Speaker 3: I had no time to even doubt anything. And during 600 00:33:24,240 --> 00:33:27,400 Speaker 3: that time, it would be like wake up, go to 601 00:33:27,480 --> 00:33:33,280 Speaker 3: the gym, You're doing mobility circuit and a workout, and 602 00:33:33,400 --> 00:33:36,360 Speaker 3: then after that we're going to go outside and do 603 00:33:36,840 --> 00:33:41,400 Speaker 3: running or whatever, or go on the recovery center. So 604 00:33:41,520 --> 00:33:45,440 Speaker 3: that takes me to lunchtime, go get lunch, drive back 605 00:33:45,480 --> 00:33:48,280 Speaker 3: home and then you're going to do a goalkeeping session 606 00:33:48,360 --> 00:33:51,280 Speaker 3: where it's just just catching, just whatever it is to 607 00:33:51,400 --> 00:33:53,720 Speaker 3: keep the mind ticking over. Then you're going to watch 608 00:33:53,760 --> 00:33:57,240 Speaker 3: some footage of you playing, and then it's study bedtime, 609 00:33:57,920 --> 00:34:00,840 Speaker 3: and then you're doing that for a whole nine months. 610 00:34:01,560 --> 00:34:03,560 Speaker 3: And then at that time, we were actually going into 611 00:34:03,640 --> 00:34:07,000 Speaker 3: camp from about five months out of the of the 612 00:34:07,040 --> 00:34:11,000 Speaker 3: World Cup, like literally five days in weekends off, five 613 00:34:11,120 --> 00:34:14,800 Speaker 3: days in weekends off, and they wanted me in and 614 00:34:15,120 --> 00:34:19,200 Speaker 3: to continue that process. But now I'm around the team. Wow, 615 00:34:19,280 --> 00:34:24,640 Speaker 3: And it was the way that everyone banded together during 616 00:34:24,719 --> 00:34:27,759 Speaker 3: that moment really makes me grateful that that would have 617 00:34:27,840 --> 00:34:29,839 Speaker 3: been a make or break for me in I think 618 00:34:29,880 --> 00:34:34,120 Speaker 3: in my career of mentally and physically and injury wise. 619 00:34:34,960 --> 00:34:38,480 Speaker 3: But the way that they kind of banded together for that, yeah, 620 00:34:38,960 --> 00:34:41,560 Speaker 3: it really got me through. I think what could have 621 00:34:41,640 --> 00:34:42,600 Speaker 3: been something awful. 622 00:34:43,520 --> 00:34:46,480 Speaker 2: So yes, teamwork that ultimately got you got you your 623 00:34:46,600 --> 00:34:50,160 Speaker 2: mindset straight to think, right, we're gonna have a drink 624 00:34:50,719 --> 00:34:52,799 Speaker 2: after this, We're going to prepare for the World Cup. 625 00:34:53,280 --> 00:34:56,600 Speaker 2: How did that preparation go and when? How what was 626 00:34:56,680 --> 00:34:59,839 Speaker 2: it like getting the called up or you know, did 627 00:35:00,040 --> 00:35:03,680 Speaker 2: departing for your first World Cup wasn't it. 628 00:35:03,880 --> 00:35:07,120 Speaker 3: Yeah, it was that I got through the rehab fine. 629 00:35:07,160 --> 00:35:09,360 Speaker 3: I got to eight and a half months, which they 630 00:35:09,480 --> 00:35:13,600 Speaker 3: kind of like they're like nine months earliest, very earliest. 631 00:35:14,120 --> 00:35:15,640 Speaker 3: And I got to eight and a half months, and 632 00:35:16,120 --> 00:35:18,359 Speaker 3: coach said to me, in order for you to play 633 00:35:18,400 --> 00:35:23,600 Speaker 3: your first game in these next like four weeks, I 634 00:35:23,719 --> 00:35:27,680 Speaker 3: need you to play ten games for me to feel 635 00:35:27,719 --> 00:35:30,759 Speaker 3: confident that I can play, ready, that you are ready 636 00:35:30,840 --> 00:35:31,000 Speaker 3: to go. 637 00:35:31,320 --> 00:35:31,520 Speaker 2: Yeah. 638 00:35:32,320 --> 00:35:35,800 Speaker 3: And so that basically was go to camp, play midweek, 639 00:35:36,080 --> 00:35:39,000 Speaker 3: go home play on the weekend. Go to camp play midweek, 640 00:35:39,080 --> 00:35:41,320 Speaker 3: go home play on the weekend. And I had to 641 00:35:41,440 --> 00:35:43,560 Speaker 3: do that. And that was the one part that I 642 00:35:43,760 --> 00:35:46,520 Speaker 3: was if I doubted anything, that would have been the 643 00:35:46,640 --> 00:35:50,160 Speaker 3: only part, just because I was like, this is my 644 00:35:50,280 --> 00:35:52,279 Speaker 3: first games back. I don't know what's going to happen. 645 00:35:52,360 --> 00:35:54,600 Speaker 3: I'm playing at home with a boys team, like I 646 00:35:54,719 --> 00:35:55,520 Speaker 3: had to find a team. 647 00:35:55,719 --> 00:35:56,560 Speaker 2: Yeah, of course. Yeah. 648 00:35:57,880 --> 00:35:59,480 Speaker 3: And so I was playing with boys teams and then 649 00:36:00,080 --> 00:36:03,359 Speaker 3: the week day I'd be playing with the girls at camp. 650 00:36:04,440 --> 00:36:09,640 Speaker 3: So that was hectic. And then getting that phone call, 651 00:36:09,920 --> 00:36:13,000 Speaker 3: like it was face to face just saying Okay, you're going, 652 00:36:13,440 --> 00:36:16,279 Speaker 3: we got you. Wow, you're going. It's fine. 653 00:36:17,120 --> 00:36:21,239 Speaker 2: All that hard work. Yeah, that dedication and commitment. How 654 00:36:21,280 --> 00:36:23,719 Speaker 2: did that feel when you when you were sitting face 655 00:36:23,760 --> 00:36:26,640 Speaker 2: to face and you've got that cool up let's call it. 656 00:36:26,920 --> 00:36:30,680 Speaker 3: Yeah, it's just validation, just validation that I had people 657 00:36:30,760 --> 00:36:34,799 Speaker 3: had my back and people believed in me and at 658 00:36:34,840 --> 00:36:38,759 Speaker 3: that tournament. Different now, but that was what year was 659 00:36:38,800 --> 00:36:44,200 Speaker 3: at twenty fifteen. Fifteen, we actually made history back becoming 660 00:36:44,239 --> 00:36:47,920 Speaker 3: the first Australian nation to make it past knockout rounds. 661 00:36:48,320 --> 00:36:50,160 Speaker 3: So we beat Brazil in the knockout rounds and then 662 00:36:50,200 --> 00:36:54,480 Speaker 3: we're facing Japan who ultimately won that World Cup. But 663 00:36:55,080 --> 00:36:57,799 Speaker 3: that was the first time men or women we made 664 00:36:57,920 --> 00:36:59,080 Speaker 3: history of getting through that. 665 00:37:08,680 --> 00:37:12,359 Speaker 2: How would you describe teamwork, you know, coming from such 666 00:37:12,440 --> 00:37:18,120 Speaker 2: an elite sort of high performance team, what would you 667 00:37:18,200 --> 00:37:19,200 Speaker 2: say that teamwork is? 668 00:37:21,160 --> 00:37:24,120 Speaker 3: The teamwork is just like you have to make sure 669 00:37:24,160 --> 00:37:29,200 Speaker 3: that what yourself you are selfish with what your job is, 670 00:37:29,840 --> 00:37:32,600 Speaker 3: but the ultimate goal is what the team's job is. 671 00:37:33,440 --> 00:37:39,520 Speaker 3: And if you don't have a peripheral then it just 672 00:37:39,600 --> 00:37:44,160 Speaker 3: doesn't work. If you're just purely focused on yourself, then great, 673 00:37:44,200 --> 00:37:46,279 Speaker 3: you did, you did your job, but guess what we lost, 674 00:37:46,480 --> 00:37:52,080 Speaker 3: So it doesn't matter. So I think, yeah, teamwork is 675 00:37:52,239 --> 00:37:54,640 Speaker 3: like selfishly peripheral vision. 676 00:37:55,719 --> 00:37:58,319 Speaker 2: Do you thrive in a team? You know, how good 677 00:37:58,440 --> 00:38:00,200 Speaker 2: is it? How good does it feel to be of 678 00:38:00,280 --> 00:38:02,960 Speaker 2: a part of a high performance team where they get it? 679 00:38:03,160 --> 00:38:05,080 Speaker 2: You know, when people just just get it, They're not 680 00:38:05,120 --> 00:38:06,839 Speaker 2: just there for the sake of it, going in doing 681 00:38:06,840 --> 00:38:08,440 Speaker 2: what they need to do and buggering off that. You know, 682 00:38:08,560 --> 00:38:12,080 Speaker 2: it's the whole atmosphere, the whole sort of coming together, 683 00:38:12,200 --> 00:38:15,520 Speaker 2: the bonding of a of a proper high performance team. 684 00:38:16,360 --> 00:38:18,680 Speaker 3: It just it just feels like things click, Like you 685 00:38:18,719 --> 00:38:21,520 Speaker 3: don't you don't feel like you have to wake up 686 00:38:21,560 --> 00:38:23,680 Speaker 3: and be like, oh, here we go again, Like you're 687 00:38:23,719 --> 00:38:26,040 Speaker 3: like it's a hard day, I'm going to get through it, 688 00:38:26,160 --> 00:38:28,239 Speaker 3: and then I get a rest or whatever it is. 689 00:38:28,840 --> 00:38:31,759 Speaker 3: And I remember an old coach of mine one of 690 00:38:31,800 --> 00:38:34,000 Speaker 3: the best things he's ever said. He's coached men and women, 691 00:38:34,440 --> 00:38:41,240 Speaker 3: and his observation was for men, for them to like perform, 692 00:38:41,480 --> 00:38:47,880 Speaker 3: they need to perform to belong. But for women they 693 00:38:48,000 --> 00:38:51,000 Speaker 3: need for them to thrive is they need to belong 694 00:38:51,280 --> 00:38:54,680 Speaker 3: to then perform. And that was the one thing that 695 00:38:55,160 --> 00:38:57,000 Speaker 3: through his object you could just kind of you kind 696 00:38:57,040 --> 00:39:00,239 Speaker 3: of see how it works, like yeah, like I was 697 00:39:00,400 --> 00:39:03,720 Speaker 3: like no, like, let's fit in, let's form this trust 698 00:39:03,840 --> 00:39:06,880 Speaker 3: and whatever it is, and now we're all performing. Or 699 00:39:06,920 --> 00:39:09,919 Speaker 3: I can tell you now you need to do better 700 00:39:10,640 --> 00:39:14,880 Speaker 3: and you don't find that threatening or intimidating where minutes 701 00:39:15,040 --> 00:39:17,920 Speaker 3: you know you have to do it. If you don't, 702 00:39:18,440 --> 00:39:19,399 Speaker 3: well we can bugger off. 703 00:39:19,520 --> 00:39:22,680 Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, absolutely. So you did the twenty fifteen World Cup, 704 00:39:23,920 --> 00:39:24,680 Speaker 2: how did you perform? 705 00:39:26,040 --> 00:39:30,000 Speaker 3: Good? That's that was a defining moment. I think for 706 00:39:30,120 --> 00:39:35,440 Speaker 3: me just within myself getting through what I did and 707 00:39:35,600 --> 00:39:38,880 Speaker 3: then us achieving what we did as a team. I 708 00:39:39,040 --> 00:39:44,359 Speaker 3: just felt an overwhelming sense of strength, I think, both 709 00:39:44,600 --> 00:39:45,959 Speaker 3: on the pitch, off the pitch. 710 00:39:46,760 --> 00:39:48,600 Speaker 2: Just carry it throughout your whole demeanor. 711 00:39:48,880 --> 00:39:55,040 Speaker 3: Yeah, because after that, we had our CBA negotiations enduring 712 00:39:55,120 --> 00:40:00,360 Speaker 3: the Collective Bargaining Agreement. So seven years, four years prior 713 00:40:00,520 --> 00:40:04,480 Speaker 3: was the first time that we had contracts and now 714 00:40:05,120 --> 00:40:07,880 Speaker 3: we were it was up. It goes for four year cycles. 715 00:40:08,360 --> 00:40:10,360 Speaker 3: Now it was up during the World Cup and we 716 00:40:10,520 --> 00:40:15,560 Speaker 3: were getting ready to renegotiate and they halted the renegotiate 717 00:40:15,680 --> 00:40:23,160 Speaker 3: the renegotiations and basically we were on twenty thousand for 718 00:40:23,520 --> 00:40:27,280 Speaker 3: that whole work with national team for what we're putting 719 00:40:27,320 --> 00:40:29,799 Speaker 3: in like we were nine to five. Basically we were 720 00:40:29,840 --> 00:40:33,879 Speaker 3: on not a lot of money, we were below minimum wage. Wow, 721 00:40:34,480 --> 00:40:36,520 Speaker 3: we were like and it just was stopped, like there 722 00:40:36,600 --> 00:40:39,800 Speaker 3: was no movement in your country represent and we just 723 00:40:39,880 --> 00:40:45,000 Speaker 3: did the most amazing thing and there was nothing, nothing happening. 724 00:40:45,920 --> 00:40:49,200 Speaker 3: And I remember out of that, we were scheduled to 725 00:40:49,239 --> 00:40:56,600 Speaker 3: play the US, we were world champions, and we said no, 726 00:40:57,080 --> 00:41:00,000 Speaker 3: we had a strike. It was when do we get 727 00:41:00,200 --> 00:41:02,480 Speaker 3: a change here? Like do you want to invest in us? 728 00:41:02,560 --> 00:41:06,680 Speaker 3: Because we really believe in ourselves. And that was definitely 729 00:41:06,719 --> 00:41:09,960 Speaker 3: a team effort of everyone being like, no, collectively, we're 730 00:41:10,000 --> 00:41:14,880 Speaker 3: gonna say no. And there was so many phone calls, 731 00:41:14,920 --> 00:41:17,480 Speaker 3: there were so many conversations that we had just to 732 00:41:17,560 --> 00:41:21,120 Speaker 3: make sure everyone was either on the same page or 733 00:41:21,280 --> 00:41:26,360 Speaker 3: just understood the stance on majority. And yeah, we had 734 00:41:26,440 --> 00:41:29,120 Speaker 3: we had to strike and you know, got basically what 735 00:41:29,800 --> 00:41:34,399 Speaker 3: we wanted, which was improvement. And then you know, four 736 00:41:34,480 --> 00:41:39,200 Speaker 3: years after that, we're equal parody with the men. So yeah, 737 00:41:39,239 --> 00:41:40,880 Speaker 3: that twenty fifteen. 738 00:41:41,280 --> 00:41:46,440 Speaker 2: Stand was a pivotable turning point, right wow. And then 739 00:41:46,880 --> 00:41:49,200 Speaker 2: so for the next World Cup, which is obviously four years, 740 00:41:49,239 --> 00:41:51,520 Speaker 2: it's four years and World Cups you want the same 741 00:41:52,280 --> 00:41:56,960 Speaker 2: pay as men. Yeah, that's a huge moldstone car. How 742 00:41:57,040 --> 00:41:59,160 Speaker 2: did that feel? Oh? 743 00:41:59,280 --> 00:42:02,000 Speaker 3: I just felt like we got now belief in our federation. 744 00:42:02,360 --> 00:42:04,920 Speaker 3: Like before it was like we had belief in ourselves 745 00:42:05,000 --> 00:42:06,880 Speaker 3: and then now all of a sudden, it's like more 746 00:42:06,920 --> 00:42:08,239 Speaker 3: people come on for the right and. 747 00:42:10,160 --> 00:42:12,479 Speaker 2: And you feel valued, right, Yeah, you know you're putting 748 00:42:12,520 --> 00:42:14,880 Speaker 2: the hours in. You know you want to feel valued, 749 00:42:14,920 --> 00:42:19,360 Speaker 2: and it's just yeah, that feel good. That feel good feeding, 750 00:42:19,400 --> 00:42:19,640 Speaker 2: isn't it. 751 00:42:19,800 --> 00:42:21,719 Speaker 3: Yeah? And also like the hard yards that a lot 752 00:42:21,760 --> 00:42:24,800 Speaker 3: of us did, it was like validation for that, but 753 00:42:24,920 --> 00:42:27,279 Speaker 3: it was also a stance on like if you want 754 00:42:27,320 --> 00:42:29,600 Speaker 3: to now be in the national team, you've got to 755 00:42:29,680 --> 00:42:33,239 Speaker 3: understand like this is where we're at. If you want 756 00:42:33,320 --> 00:42:35,920 Speaker 3: that money, you need to perform or if you want 757 00:42:35,960 --> 00:42:38,440 Speaker 3: to be up here with the big dogs, like you've 758 00:42:38,480 --> 00:42:41,719 Speaker 3: got to make sure that we continue performing and we 759 00:42:41,840 --> 00:42:47,360 Speaker 3: continue fighting. So yeah, I think through that trying to 760 00:42:47,600 --> 00:42:51,400 Speaker 3: see as like the money or is the reward for 761 00:42:51,480 --> 00:42:54,880 Speaker 3: you to work hard? It's not you working hard, like 762 00:42:55,120 --> 00:42:57,239 Speaker 3: you get that money to work hard, it's you will 763 00:42:57,280 --> 00:42:58,399 Speaker 3: get that if you work hard. 764 00:42:58,840 --> 00:43:01,080 Speaker 2: And when did the first major come knocking on your door? 765 00:43:01,200 --> 00:43:04,440 Speaker 2: Because you played for some c I was just looking 766 00:43:04,480 --> 00:43:07,120 Speaker 2: through and I'm like, wow, phg as, I'm an Arsenal 767 00:43:07,160 --> 00:43:10,960 Speaker 2: fanily So when was your first major club? When did 768 00:43:11,000 --> 00:43:11,640 Speaker 2: they come knocking? 769 00:43:12,120 --> 00:43:17,759 Speaker 3: It was actually during COVID so Joe Montemoruro it was 770 00:43:17,880 --> 00:43:19,799 Speaker 3: the coach and he went over there and I had 771 00:43:19,880 --> 00:43:24,480 Speaker 3: him at Melbourne City and he just kind of was saying, look, 772 00:43:24,840 --> 00:43:26,960 Speaker 3: we have an opening spot for a goalkeeper. Do you 773 00:43:27,000 --> 00:43:28,759 Speaker 3: want to come over? And I was like, I loved 774 00:43:28,840 --> 00:43:32,040 Speaker 3: working with him, and it was just at a point 775 00:43:32,080 --> 00:43:35,920 Speaker 3: in my career where I knew that I probably couldn't 776 00:43:36,600 --> 00:43:43,160 Speaker 3: do like full seasons or probably needed to be at 777 00:43:43,200 --> 00:43:46,920 Speaker 3: a place where I was cared for physically, because I 778 00:43:47,080 --> 00:43:49,640 Speaker 3: could kind of feel my body starts shifting into a 779 00:43:49,680 --> 00:43:53,120 Speaker 3: point of like your reach and the end of that hill. 780 00:43:53,880 --> 00:43:57,560 Speaker 3: You're at the top of that and let's see what's yeah, yeah, yeah, 781 00:43:57,719 --> 00:44:01,200 Speaker 3: So I was like, you know, so for me, I 782 00:44:01,280 --> 00:44:03,480 Speaker 3: was like, yeah, you know what, that actually sounds pretty good. 783 00:44:04,600 --> 00:44:07,960 Speaker 3: So flew over to London and got to be a 784 00:44:08,120 --> 00:44:11,880 Speaker 3: London colony and you know, play with the girls and 785 00:44:12,600 --> 00:44:17,680 Speaker 3: experience what life was like at Arsenal, which yes, it's 786 00:44:17,719 --> 00:44:19,440 Speaker 3: just a different world. England is a different world with 787 00:44:19,520 --> 00:44:21,439 Speaker 3: football they live. 788 00:44:22,239 --> 00:44:24,839 Speaker 2: Yeah, and how was that culture change? 789 00:44:25,560 --> 00:44:27,040 Speaker 3: It was good, Like I really enjoyed it. It was 790 00:44:27,080 --> 00:44:31,200 Speaker 3: definitely different because it still was COVID and everything that 791 00:44:31,480 --> 00:44:35,480 Speaker 3: was happening in between of COVID was you know, crazy, 792 00:44:37,000 --> 00:44:40,319 Speaker 3: but it was, Yeah, it was. It was a great time. 793 00:44:40,400 --> 00:44:43,840 Speaker 3: Like I mean, the world stopped. Football didn't stop, sport 794 00:44:43,880 --> 00:44:47,279 Speaker 3: didn't stop, and so to be a part of you know, 795 00:44:47,440 --> 00:44:49,880 Speaker 3: making sure that you know, we still had income, we 796 00:44:50,000 --> 00:44:54,680 Speaker 3: still were doing our job was really nice. And being 797 00:44:54,719 --> 00:44:58,000 Speaker 3: at a place like Arsenal to provide that to the players, 798 00:44:58,680 --> 00:45:01,600 Speaker 3: it just felt like the lifeline of you know what 799 00:45:01,800 --> 00:45:02,839 Speaker 3: basically stopped the world? 800 00:45:04,080 --> 00:45:08,320 Speaker 2: How cool is that Arsenal football player? Man, did you 801 00:45:08,400 --> 00:45:11,680 Speaker 2: have a did it ever sink in to realize the 802 00:45:11,800 --> 00:45:14,960 Speaker 2: magnitude of who you're playing for? And because I know 803 00:45:15,080 --> 00:45:18,080 Speaker 2: you say, the UK it has it's a different beast 804 00:45:18,120 --> 00:45:21,120 Speaker 2: when it comes to football. But to say that you played, 805 00:45:21,200 --> 00:45:24,000 Speaker 2: you know, you're an Arsenal player, that's that's that's a 806 00:45:24,080 --> 00:45:25,600 Speaker 2: pinch yourself moment. Yeah. 807 00:45:25,600 --> 00:45:28,320 Speaker 3: I think when we when I started really watching EPL, 808 00:45:28,400 --> 00:45:30,560 Speaker 3: like I've always watched it, but just it was just 809 00:45:30,800 --> 00:45:32,880 Speaker 3: you know, it's on all the time, like Sky sports 810 00:45:32,920 --> 00:45:35,200 Speaker 3: BB see, like it's just on all the time, and 811 00:45:35,239 --> 00:45:39,200 Speaker 3: I'm like really immersed myself within that culture and went 812 00:45:39,280 --> 00:45:40,800 Speaker 3: to like a few of the men's games and I 813 00:45:40,880 --> 00:45:43,000 Speaker 3: was like, heck, yeah, this is cool, Like this is 814 00:45:44,320 --> 00:45:47,040 Speaker 3: so interesting and so different to what I haven't been 815 00:45:47,200 --> 00:45:48,080 Speaker 3: exposed to before. 816 00:45:48,719 --> 00:45:52,839 Speaker 2: Wow. So you go from Arsenal then to PHG, Yeah, 817 00:45:53,880 --> 00:45:58,320 Speaker 2: now they're the Giants. Yeah right now, how did you 818 00:45:58,560 --> 00:46:00,719 Speaker 2: do you poach? How did that get come? Of course? 819 00:46:01,320 --> 00:46:03,319 Speaker 3: So I was kind of in the middle of, I guess, 820 00:46:03,360 --> 00:46:05,719 Speaker 3: figuring out what I wanted to do next, and then 821 00:46:05,840 --> 00:46:09,040 Speaker 3: another again, another opportunity. It kind of feels like with me, 822 00:46:09,520 --> 00:46:14,400 Speaker 3: opportunities that have come around have been within like a 823 00:46:14,520 --> 00:46:18,320 Speaker 3: month of needing, needing to make an answer and a 824 00:46:18,400 --> 00:46:22,360 Speaker 3: decision within that like everything that I planned out probably 825 00:46:22,480 --> 00:46:25,880 Speaker 3: hasn't worked out, But anything that's been like you have 826 00:46:26,000 --> 00:46:29,040 Speaker 3: two weeks are you going? Are you not? Has been 827 00:46:29,440 --> 00:46:35,319 Speaker 3: Arsenal has been PSG has been Whatever's next? But yeah, 828 00:46:35,360 --> 00:46:37,160 Speaker 3: it literally was I was trying to figure out what 829 00:46:37,239 --> 00:46:40,560 Speaker 3: to do. I was still in England, like in the 830 00:46:40,600 --> 00:46:44,239 Speaker 3: middle of like contract negotiations or you know, talking to 831 00:46:44,320 --> 00:46:48,600 Speaker 3: other clubs, and then PSG came through to my agent 832 00:46:48,640 --> 00:46:51,120 Speaker 3: and was like, we have an opening. Is it yes 833 00:46:51,200 --> 00:46:54,080 Speaker 3: or no? We need to figure it out. And I 834 00:46:54,160 --> 00:46:55,799 Speaker 3: was like, heck, yeah, I. 835 00:46:55,920 --> 00:46:56,239 Speaker 2: Want to go. 836 00:46:57,880 --> 00:47:02,000 Speaker 3: So yeah, up, I packed everything and off to France. 837 00:47:02,080 --> 00:47:05,680 Speaker 2: I went, wow, are you starting to now pick up 838 00:47:05,719 --> 00:47:10,200 Speaker 2: sponsorships and is you know, immersing yourself as this this 839 00:47:10,400 --> 00:47:11,400 Speaker 2: professional footballer. 840 00:47:13,320 --> 00:47:16,800 Speaker 3: I think it was more I knew that I didn't 841 00:47:16,960 --> 00:47:20,000 Speaker 3: have that much time left, like how long is this 842 00:47:20,120 --> 00:47:26,480 Speaker 3: fairytale gonna end? Or when does this this end? So 843 00:47:27,520 --> 00:47:30,520 Speaker 3: I really kind of had to sit down and I 844 00:47:30,600 --> 00:47:33,120 Speaker 3: think around, you know, during this time is when I 845 00:47:33,200 --> 00:47:36,080 Speaker 3: started thinking about retirement, what that looks like, when does 846 00:47:36,160 --> 00:47:41,560 Speaker 3: that happen? Where am I going to be? And for 847 00:47:41,680 --> 00:47:43,800 Speaker 3: me it was I had kind of a year and 848 00:47:44,120 --> 00:47:48,239 Speaker 3: a bit with Brighton, Oh sorry, with PHG and then 849 00:47:49,920 --> 00:47:51,480 Speaker 3: I was like, you know what that's that's going to 850 00:47:51,520 --> 00:47:55,560 Speaker 3: sound really good. And then we were leading into our 851 00:47:56,440 --> 00:48:00,279 Speaker 3: World Cup preparation and everything and kind I had a 852 00:48:01,080 --> 00:48:05,000 Speaker 3: three YEP and I had a conversation with my coaches 853 00:48:05,360 --> 00:48:07,440 Speaker 3: with the national team and they were like, you know, 854 00:48:07,600 --> 00:48:11,520 Speaker 3: you're not really playing that much at PSG, which training 855 00:48:11,600 --> 00:48:15,520 Speaker 3: environment was awesome. I it basically didn't really need to 856 00:48:15,719 --> 00:48:17,920 Speaker 3: to play all the time kind of I guess what 857 00:48:18,200 --> 00:48:21,799 Speaker 3: was optics and what I needed to do in case 858 00:48:21,880 --> 00:48:23,239 Speaker 3: I needed to play. I needed to be at a 859 00:48:23,280 --> 00:48:26,120 Speaker 3: place where I had that opportunity. So I had to 860 00:48:26,160 --> 00:48:28,520 Speaker 3: make a decision what I wanted to do, and I 861 00:48:28,800 --> 00:48:32,319 Speaker 3: left PSG and went to Brighton, back to the UK. 862 00:48:32,560 --> 00:48:34,879 Speaker 3: Back to the UK. I didn't say it too many 863 00:48:34,920 --> 00:48:37,360 Speaker 3: bad places London and Brighton, so I was cheering. I 864 00:48:37,400 --> 00:48:38,640 Speaker 3: went to the best places I could be. 865 00:48:40,040 --> 00:48:40,759 Speaker 2: You certainly did. 866 00:48:41,239 --> 00:48:43,040 Speaker 3: But yeah, that was at a point where I was 867 00:48:43,280 --> 00:48:47,120 Speaker 3: starting to think about what's next. But at that time 868 00:48:47,239 --> 00:48:51,359 Speaker 3: also it was you know, getting sponsors and leading into 869 00:48:51,480 --> 00:48:54,520 Speaker 3: what the World Cup was, and it was like, you know, 870 00:48:54,640 --> 00:48:56,680 Speaker 3: I'm going to try and put in as much as 871 00:48:56,760 --> 00:48:59,560 Speaker 3: i can in my body and in my like I 872 00:48:59,640 --> 00:49:03,320 Speaker 3: knew that it was my last tournament. Sure in twenty twenty, 873 00:49:04,160 --> 00:49:09,680 Speaker 3: we had the opportunity for the bid, and when we 874 00:49:09,760 --> 00:49:12,360 Speaker 3: got it, the bid, and we're like, oh, we're actually 875 00:49:12,440 --> 00:49:14,520 Speaker 3: doing it. Like obviously the men tried to go for 876 00:49:14,640 --> 00:49:17,440 Speaker 3: the bid and blew it out and didn't happen for 877 00:49:17,719 --> 00:49:20,239 Speaker 3: the Men's World Cup, and so I was like, we 878 00:49:20,360 --> 00:49:23,360 Speaker 3: actually have a good chance because two other teams bowed 879 00:49:23,400 --> 00:49:25,840 Speaker 3: out and then it was us in Colombia and I 880 00:49:25,960 --> 00:49:28,239 Speaker 3: was like, oh my god, we can actually win this thing. 881 00:49:29,000 --> 00:49:31,239 Speaker 3: And then I remember sitting in this boardroom. We're all 882 00:49:31,400 --> 00:49:34,319 Speaker 3: like social distancing in the chairs at three am. We've 883 00:49:34,360 --> 00:49:39,719 Speaker 3: been campaigning and media calling like from seven pm. And 884 00:49:40,239 --> 00:49:43,840 Speaker 3: I remember the President FIFA coming on and doing the 885 00:49:43,920 --> 00:49:48,240 Speaker 3: announcement and obviously going the you know, the rights holders 886 00:49:48,280 --> 00:49:51,480 Speaker 3: for the FIFA twenty twenty three Women's World Cup is 887 00:49:51,520 --> 00:49:54,440 Speaker 3: Australia New Zealand, and we went berserk, I can imagine, 888 00:49:55,120 --> 00:49:58,560 Speaker 3: But it was just because we've been to so many 889 00:49:58,600 --> 00:50:00,920 Speaker 3: World Cups and all we want and it was Australia 890 00:50:01,040 --> 00:50:04,680 Speaker 3: to feel what we felt and see what it's like 891 00:50:05,320 --> 00:50:08,959 Speaker 3: in Europe in places where we've been, and really wrap 892 00:50:09,080 --> 00:50:13,400 Speaker 3: up in that culture. And honestly, like I wouldn't have 893 00:50:14,040 --> 00:50:17,239 Speaker 3: You couldn't have paid me enough money to Like, I 894 00:50:17,320 --> 00:50:20,040 Speaker 3: would have not won anything if you would have told 895 00:50:20,080 --> 00:50:22,160 Speaker 3: me that World Cup would have gone the way it has. 896 00:50:23,080 --> 00:50:26,719 Speaker 3: And just the the vibe and support and people like 897 00:50:26,880 --> 00:50:29,759 Speaker 3: falling in love with the team and enjoying football like 898 00:50:30,640 --> 00:50:34,040 Speaker 3: it's just everything we dreamed of and kind of can't 899 00:50:34,040 --> 00:50:35,919 Speaker 3: believe that it happened that World Cup. 900 00:50:37,480 --> 00:50:41,920 Speaker 2: The viewing figures were the biggest of any sporting event 901 00:50:42,560 --> 00:50:48,040 Speaker 2: in the history of Australia. That is huge. The turning 902 00:50:48,120 --> 00:50:50,840 Speaker 2: point for that because all of a sudden you're on 903 00:50:50,840 --> 00:50:54,320 Speaker 2: the global map. Now was it? Was it that obvious 904 00:50:54,440 --> 00:50:56,600 Speaker 2: for us? It was because all of a sudden, we're 905 00:50:56,600 --> 00:50:59,440 Speaker 2: seeing it. We're seeing the matildas everywhere, We're seeing Australia everywhere. 906 00:50:59,520 --> 00:51:02,160 Speaker 2: You know, it's it's in your face? Was it obvious 907 00:51:02,400 --> 00:51:03,960 Speaker 2: for you guys on the other end? 908 00:51:04,400 --> 00:51:06,880 Speaker 3: I think it grew as the tournament went on. The 909 00:51:07,080 --> 00:51:09,719 Speaker 3: first game against Ireland, when Steph took up to take 910 00:51:09,760 --> 00:51:14,440 Speaker 3: the penalty, started obviously with Irish fans. I mean, you 911 00:51:14,520 --> 00:51:17,040 Speaker 3: know how Irish fans are. They're cheering the whole game, 912 00:51:17,080 --> 00:51:19,759 Speaker 3: and I think people in the stands are watching us, 913 00:51:19,800 --> 00:51:23,759 Speaker 3: they're like, oh, like okay, they're cheering, like do we 914 00:51:23,840 --> 00:51:25,480 Speaker 3: need to cheer back? And then all of a sudden 915 00:51:25,520 --> 00:51:29,600 Speaker 3: they started to understand, you know, how it looks like 916 00:51:29,800 --> 00:51:32,200 Speaker 3: and how it works, and you know, and then Steph 917 00:51:32,280 --> 00:51:35,239 Speaker 3: scores and then this huge eruption. It was like, wow, 918 00:51:35,320 --> 00:51:38,120 Speaker 3: that's cool. And then as it progressed, it got to 919 00:51:39,520 --> 00:51:42,279 Speaker 3: you know, us versus Canada and I must win game 920 00:51:42,600 --> 00:51:47,040 Speaker 3: in Melbourne and then obviously the bat Stadium people were 921 00:51:47,120 --> 00:51:48,800 Speaker 3: just cheering the whole time and it was like this 922 00:51:48,960 --> 00:51:51,799 Speaker 3: is a cool vibe. And then we won that game, 923 00:51:52,400 --> 00:51:54,600 Speaker 3: and then it kind of like people started to understand 924 00:51:55,840 --> 00:51:59,080 Speaker 3: what it's like and how like you could almost see 925 00:51:59,120 --> 00:52:00,920 Speaker 3: like people starting to get more and more into it. 926 00:52:01,800 --> 00:52:05,920 Speaker 3: And then by the time the the England game came up, 927 00:52:06,239 --> 00:52:11,359 Speaker 3: and just hearing the crowd when Sam scored that goal, 928 00:52:12,200 --> 00:52:14,960 Speaker 3: like it was deafening, and I think that was just 929 00:52:15,120 --> 00:52:19,640 Speaker 3: like so life changing. Definitely the France game life changing. 930 00:52:20,200 --> 00:52:22,239 Speaker 3: The France game was definitely I think when everyone was like, 931 00:52:22,320 --> 00:52:25,040 Speaker 3: oh my god, like they believe in us, and then 932 00:52:25,080 --> 00:52:26,440 Speaker 3: all of a sudden that when it got to that 933 00:52:26,880 --> 00:52:29,799 Speaker 3: Sam scoring that goal, but then it was like can 934 00:52:29,840 --> 00:52:30,320 Speaker 3: they win it? 935 00:52:30,560 --> 00:52:33,759 Speaker 2: And then there was true belief in the campaign. And 936 00:52:33,960 --> 00:52:38,680 Speaker 2: what was it like coming back as national heroes? It 937 00:52:38,800 --> 00:52:39,440 Speaker 2: was phenomenal? 938 00:52:39,560 --> 00:52:43,800 Speaker 3: Right, Yeah, I mean never like it's it's weird because 939 00:52:43,880 --> 00:52:46,600 Speaker 3: we've all known each other since we were children. It 940 00:52:46,760 --> 00:52:49,120 Speaker 3: was like teenagers, we've all grown up together, we've all 941 00:52:49,160 --> 00:52:52,080 Speaker 3: known each other, so for us, it's like, oh yeah, 942 00:52:52,160 --> 00:52:55,000 Speaker 3: like these guys are the same, like, you know, we're 943 00:52:55,800 --> 00:52:59,239 Speaker 3: gonna catch up with each other when everyone's retired. We're 944 00:52:59,280 --> 00:53:03,080 Speaker 3: gonna make sure there's time for our families to get together. 945 00:53:03,239 --> 00:53:05,840 Speaker 3: And I think that's the beauty of the team is 946 00:53:05,960 --> 00:53:10,480 Speaker 3: everyone already has this relationship with each other from the 947 00:53:10,560 --> 00:53:14,799 Speaker 3: hardships and from the things that happened before the World Cup. 948 00:53:15,320 --> 00:53:19,680 Speaker 3: That when after the World Cup and everyone's looking at us, 949 00:53:20,200 --> 00:53:22,960 Speaker 3: we're like, oh, yeah, this is cool. But like we've 950 00:53:23,000 --> 00:53:26,000 Speaker 3: always been like this, We've always you know, done this 951 00:53:26,120 --> 00:53:27,919 Speaker 3: and worked hard. It's just now we have more eyes 952 00:53:28,000 --> 00:53:31,600 Speaker 3: on us, and now we nearly meant it, We nearly 953 00:53:31,640 --> 00:53:34,520 Speaker 3: made it. Like we're we actually really believed in ourselves 954 00:53:34,560 --> 00:53:35,560 Speaker 3: and you guys believed in us. 955 00:53:36,160 --> 00:53:39,719 Speaker 2: Well it's phenomenal, it's well deserved and it's about time. 956 00:53:40,320 --> 00:53:43,280 Speaker 2: And a final question for you, Lydia, what is next 957 00:53:43,840 --> 00:53:47,399 Speaker 2: for you? Where are you going? What you're doing? And yeah, 958 00:53:47,480 --> 00:53:50,000 Speaker 2: where's where do you see yourself now? 959 00:53:52,480 --> 00:53:55,480 Speaker 3: Well, I'm definitely home, permanently home now in Australia, which 960 00:53:55,600 --> 00:53:57,960 Speaker 3: you feel good, Yeah, it does. I'm still trying to 961 00:53:57,960 --> 00:54:00,719 Speaker 3: figure out how winter works, haven't We've done that for 962 00:54:00,760 --> 00:54:06,160 Speaker 3: a while. But no, I'm home now, I'm doing a 963 00:54:06,200 --> 00:54:09,800 Speaker 3: little bit of speaking and joining the speaker's circuit and 964 00:54:09,840 --> 00:54:11,880 Speaker 3: all that kind of stuff. But I do want to 965 00:54:11,920 --> 00:54:14,360 Speaker 3: give back as much as possible, whether that's First Nations 966 00:54:14,480 --> 00:54:17,560 Speaker 3: or football or you know, just empowerment. So that's kind 967 00:54:17,600 --> 00:54:19,680 Speaker 3: of my big passion empowerment. 968 00:54:20,320 --> 00:54:23,600 Speaker 2: Wow, brilliant, Well listen. All the power to you, Lydia. 969 00:54:23,920 --> 00:54:26,680 Speaker 2: It's been great talking to you. Thank you ever so much. 970 00:54:26,800 --> 00:54:28,560 Speaker 2: Keep inspiring. It's been a pleasure. 971 00:54:28,560 --> 00:54:29,239 Speaker 3: Thank you, Thank you. 972 00:54:30,080 --> 00:54:34,319 Speaker 2: Lydia. Williams is the author of Goal and Saved Our 973 00:54:34,400 --> 00:54:37,560 Speaker 2: linked the details in the show notes. Thank you so 974 00:54:37,680 --> 00:54:41,240 Speaker 2: much for joining me on Headgame. If you enjoyed this episode, 975 00:54:41,360 --> 00:54:44,160 Speaker 2: make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss any of 976 00:54:44,200 --> 00:54:48,160 Speaker 2: our incredible stories and leave me a review wherever you're listening. 977 00:54:49,160 --> 00:54:51,919 Speaker 2: I'm Att Middleton. Catch you again next time.