The Matildas players don’t just play together, they are in sync

Women’s soccer is finally having a huge moment in Australia and an insider has spilled on the reality of being a female athlete.

The Matildas have won for Australia. Photo: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

The Matildas players don’t just play together; they bleed together, literally, at least according to their physician.

The team are currently on a high after they won their first-round World Cup game in a nailbiter against Ireland.

Mary Fowler of the Matildas breaks away from the defence. Photo: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

The players embracing. Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

The team managed to do it even with their captain and fan favourite Sam Kerr benched with a calf injury.

It was a record turnout, with a crowd of over 75,000 fans there to cheer on women’s soccer.

Women’s sports — which has long been the younger and more ignored sibling of men’s sports in Australia — firmly and finally caught the country’s attention.

How do we know that? Because Aussies are literally wearing their pride for our women’s team.

Nike has revealed that it is selling more Matildas merchandise during the FIFA Women’s World Cup than it ever sold for the Australian men’s team during the male equivalent of the tournament last year.

Now there’s suddenly more interest in the Matildas and the individual players than ever, and the team’s national team’s physician, Dr Brandi Cole, has revealed some pretty intimate details.

Matilda mania is happening! Photo: Kelly Defina/Getty Images for Football Australia

Sam Kerr with her girlfriend Kristie Mewis. Picture: Instagram

There’s long been the belief that if women spend enough time together, their periods start to sync, and according to Dr Cole, that is true when it comes to the Matildas.

“The girls all seem to get in sync with each other in terms of when their cycle is as soon as they come into camp,” she told The Sydney Morning Herald.

Dr Cole described it as “crazy” and said that it starts a chain reaction when a player comes to her for medication for period pain.

“Then the next minute, half the team’s coming to me,” she said. “It’s a known phenomenon.”

Cole explained that training camps are a hotbed for the syncing to take place, and often players’ periods will change to align with their teammates in a matter of days.

Dr Cole also said coaching staff monitor the player’s periods so they can better understand their needs.

“That’s the good thing about menstrual cycle monitoring – they’re starting to learn about themselves, which empowers our female athletes to get the best out of their bodies,” she said.