Katrina Gorry relishing her return to Matildas after two-year absence

Having felt the pain of the Matildas’ premature Asian Cup exit from afar, returning midfielder Katrina Gorry is ready to bring some joy back to the national team.

Katrina Gorry has rediscovered her love for football. Picture: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

Katrina Gorry’s joy at returning to the Matildas’ fold is in stark contrast to the despair she felt as she watched Australia’s Asian Cup failure from afar.

Gorry is poised to make her first Matildas appearance in two years on Friday night when Australia hosts New Zealand in Townsville in the first game of a two-match series between the 2023 Women’s World Cup co-hosts.

Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson wanted Gorry – who has been capped 78 times – in his squad for January’s Asian Cup in India, but the 29-year-old midfielder declined, having given birth to baby daughter Harper less than nine months ago.

Gorry instead watched the Matildas’ Asian Cup campaign, which ended with a disappointing 1-0 quarter-final loss to South Korea.

“I’m sure the girls were all really disappointed with the Asian Cup … you could see if after the game (against South Korea),” she said.

“I was shattered for them.”

A bit of sightseeing for @cortneev9 and @remyysiemsen in Townsville during our squad announcement, ahead of our first-ever game in North Queensland on Friday night!

🇦🇺 v 🇳🇿 8.04.22 @TSVCouncil

#WeAreMatildas#AUSvNZL@TownsvilleAus#[e-mail]/SMYz42RAHZ

— CommBank Matildas (@TheMatildas) April 3, 2022

Gorry, who starred for Brisbane Roar in the recently completed A-League women’s season, is set to bring some spark to the Matildas, saying her hiatus helped her rediscover her passion for football.

“For me, (after) taking some time away from the game, I’ve fallen back in love with it,” she said.

“(I’m) just playing with pure enjoyment of the game again, which is the best for me.

“It showed in my performances (for the Roar) recently just how much happier I am on the field and hopefully I can bring that back into camp.

“It’s just about enjoying camp, being back in the environment, being back around the girls, and just testing myself against some of best players in the country and in the world at the moment.”

A proud Queenslander, Gorry said playing against New Zealand in a series which also includes a second game in Canberra next week would stir a trans-Tasman rivalry that’s similar to the competitiveness in all sports between her home state and NSW.

“Whenever we play New Zealand, it’s pretty much like Queensland-NSW – we have that rivalry,” she said.

“And for us, hosting the World Cup with them, it brings something extra to it. I’m really excited for these games.”

Originally published as Katrina Gorry relishing her return to Matildas after two-year absence