Matildas embrace the nation’s support without letting it consume them

Australia has gone mad for the Matildas and the players know it - but the task at hand means the pandemonium outside their circle is not a distraction.

The Matildas know they can’t escape the pandemonium they have created in their historic World Cup run and that embracing the groundswell of support will be important to their success.

But “chill” time and zoning out are also crucial factors for them to keep the stunning journey going beyond Wednesday’s semi-final clash with England that looms as one of the most-watched sporting events in Australian history.

Players were mobbed as they left their hotel in Brisbane and again on arrival in Sydney as Matildas fever sweeps Australia in a fashion unfamiliar to so many team members who have spent much of their career kicking balls with “no one watching”.

Other codes have shifted game times so as to not clash with the Matildas, live sites are expanding around the country and there’s a likely public holiday if they win it all.

Veteran Tameka Yallop said it was important at times to “allow it in”, that fervour that has enveloped the nation.

A packed press gallery attended Tameka Yallop’s press conference on Monday. Picture: Matt King/Getty Images

But the environment created by the players and coaching staff has ensured it doesn’t consume them, with so much at stake, and the hopes of the entire country riding on their collective shoulders.

It’s built into their recovery, which is as crucial as anything in a tournament whirlwind that includes back-to-back knockout games within five days.

“When we do speak of recovery as a team it is definitely physically, emotionally and mentally. We do give our minds a break as well,” Yallop said.

“We do find that zone where we can chill out and relax and give us the space to refocus for the next game. It’s all about building those emotions ready to fire when the whistle goes.

“We have an amazing environment where we get to have a lot of family around us and get to offload and feel the support of them as well and that goes a long way.

Sydney Swans AFL stars Dane Rampe and Luke Parker, Matildas Steph Catley and Mary Fowler and AFLW players Lucy McEvoy and Chloe Molloy. Two days out from their do-or-die clash against England, the Tillies visited the Swans' swish training facilities at Moore Park on Monday.

“There are times when we definitely allow it in and want to feel the same experience that everyone else does. Then there are other times we look back just into our circle and refocus. We know what to listen to and not to listen to.

“We do have a really tight environment when we switch that out and focus.”

Yallop said the fast-paced nature of the World Cup, with five games already inside three weeks, was something they had been preparing for, and fatigue was not an option with the trophy so close to their grasp.

“For us, recovery was important before the tournament even started because we were working really hard and training really hard in the individual clubs and when we came together,” she said.

“For us, it’s something we have trained for, something every individual player has put a lot of time and effort into, not just training hard but the recovery also. We are in a good place.

“We are rolling with that momentum and it’s not something that is new to us.”

Originally published as Matildas embrace the nation’s support without letting it consume them