FIFA World Cup 2023: Buzz and Crash debate the Matildas’ historic charge, greatest Australian win
Australia’s won cricket and rugby World Cups and bucketloads of Olympic gold, but if the Matildas do the unthinkable... are they the greatest ever? Phil Rothfield and Robert Craddock debate the biggest World Cup issues.
Football
Don't miss out on the headlines from Football. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Australia’s won cricket and rugby World Cups and bucketloads of Olympic gold, but if the Matildas do the unthinkable... are they the greatest ever?
Veteran scribes Phil Rothfield and Robert Craddock debate the Matildas’ quarter-final showdown with France, their place in Australian sporting history and all the biggest World Cup issues.
Crash: Buzz am I right in saying if Australia wins this thing it is our greatest team victory – male or female – in history. I know we’ve won cricket World Cups, Bledisloe Cups and Olympic golds but a global tournament like this … would it beat everything?
Buzz: That’s a big call crash, but you’re right. The America’s Cup was a sporting triumph against all odds. Extraordinary stuff. However, if the Matildas do win it, I’d nearly have them on top. But let’s not mock them. Few games to go.
Crash: Buzz we know the Matildas are big but what is the ceiling here? Can you give us some context?
Buzz: Crash 8 million Australians watched Cathy Freeman’s gold medal race in 2000 and then 4.2 million watched Ash Barty win the Australian Open. You know what, the Matildas will get close to that mark. They have become unbelievably popular.
Crash: And the interesting one was even on Tuesday night the France-Morocco game did an outstanding 333,000 at 7 Mate just in the capital cities. That was not far short of shows like Hot Seat so somewhere in Brisbane today there‘s a French striker who can boast she is almost as popular as Eddie McGuire. I beg your pardon Buzz but no-one saw that coming.
Buzz: Incredible. You know what I loved the other night in Sydney Crash. The national anthem. Did you see it? Everyone sang, loud and proud. The passion, the smiles. They are such a loveable team.
Crash: Yes, an interesting contrast to the Americans in their match against Sweden when a lot of the players seemed disengaged by the anthem. Interesting you mentioned Freeman because when Bruce McAvaney told Adam Peacock before the tournament he felt a Matildas’ win would be bigger than Cathy‘s Sydney gold there just seemed a dob of mayo on the statement. We get it now. Bruce was right. I mean, that’s three wins away. Can you imagine the hype by then?
Amid the waves of national fervour washing the country I feel we must turn to the most neutral, cold-hearted judges of all for the correct assessment of the Matilda‘s chances.
Buzz: Who are?
Crash: Who else? The bookies. They have the Matildas the same odds ($8) that Carlton are to win the AFL and the Storm are to win the NRL. In other words it probably won’t happen but you certainly wouldn’t fall off your seat if it did. Does that feel right to you?
Buzz: We can’t win Crash. (I’m only saying that because I refuse to risk being the mock.) Something else Crash, I actually feel sorry for our netball girls. They became World champions this week but probably didn’t get the coverage they deserve because of the Matildas. Even the NRL and AFL seasons have had to play second fiddle to the Matildas.
Crash: Agreed. The footy has been great yet it does feel a bit suburban this winter. You can feel it at the water cooler. Three weeks ago everyone was talking Ashes. Now it‘s the Matildas. Can you believe they put the netball World Cup against the soccer? As good as the netball is you might as well put a concert up the road from Taylor Swift.
Buzz: There’s nothing like a soccer World Cup. I’ve been to two of them – Brazil and Russia. I was actually in Moscow five years ago when David Gallop and Frank Lowy went off to a meeting with FIFA bosses to pitch to host this tournament.
Crash: Funny you should mention Lowy because he is 92 now and spending most of his time in Tel Aviv. I remember back in the early 80s when he pushed for the National Soccer League and it sort of provided a blueprint for AFL and league to expand beyond their narrow boundaries. Without the untold millions he put in to the sport I‘m not sure where it would be now.
Buzz: There are some girls in this team who will walk away from the tournament with huge commercial opportunities. Sam Kerr was already big on the World stage but Mary Fowler, Caitlin Foord and Hayley Raso are becoming household names. They are so marketable.
Crash: They are but I also feel the sport needs to let the fans get to know their stars more. I get during the World Cup they don‘t talk as much but you need to keep the front door open when so many are knocking. Companies don’t throw money at stars like they used to. I know even in bat contracts in cricket players who would have got $250,000 for a bat contract 20 years ago get a third of that today.
Crash: Buzz I’m fascinated by the Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson. Watching his press conferences I see a bit of Des Hasler and Kevin Sheedy about him – he’s different – and a touch of Wayne Bennett is that there is a bit of the bush psychologist who can read the room to what his team needs.
Buzz: I love him Crash. He teared up the other night from all the emotion. The girls are certainly playing for him, aren’t they?
Crash: Indeed. I can’t help thinking one of his best moves was to get Cathy Freeman to talk to the players about the handling of home town pressure in a big event. Cathy speaks well on a subject only a handful of people are truly qualified to talk about. I wonder if she told them about that wonderful line she used from Billie Jean King: “Pressure is a privilege. You have to be happy, be free and enjoy yourself.”
Easy to say. Hard to do. But it looks as if they are playing with this mindset?
Buzz: I notice that in the tunnel. They’re not relaxed but they’re not about to melt under pressure either. Cathy would have had an influence no doubt.
More Coverage
Originally published as FIFA World Cup 2023: Buzz and Crash debate the Matildas’ historic charge, greatest Australian win
Revealed: The top contenders to be the Socceroos’ next coach
Graham Arnold’s tenure as coach of the Socceroos is over and Football Australia are not wasting any time finding a replacement with an announcement expected within the next few weeks. Here are the frontrunners.
Socceroos set for swift coach replacement
Graham Arnold’s decision to quit as coach of the Socceroos seemingly came from nowhere but his bosses were ready and have been looking at replacements.