About a year ago, Joe Montemurro took charge of his first Matildas game. In another 12 months, he will stand on the sidelines for Australia's opening match at the Women's World Cup in Brazil.
A year might be a long time in normal circumstances, but it's not that long in international football. Montemurro has had six windows in charge of the team, a dozen or so weeks to actually work with players in person. He will have another five windows to prepare them for the biggest tournament in women's football.
And at this stage in his tenure, one thing is clear: the squad turnover people thought was coming, or had hoped was coming, isn't. Each window this year has seen largely similar squads selected and consistent starting XIs put forward.
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What we're seeing right now is likely what we're going to get in Brazil, give or take some minor adjustments. Against Mexico, the lineups that were selected were "close to where we want to be" according to Montemurro.
"I'm not saying it's going to be the one at the World Cup, but it's close to where we're going to be and having that continuity it's because we're not going to reconvene for the next four months," he said.
"I could have done a lot of rotations in this camp and played a lot of players and tried things, but I don't think it was necessary because we needed that continuity."
While there is an argument to be made that the likes of Sam Kerr, Caitlin Foord, and Hayley Raso, for example, don't need the additional reps of playing together, Montemurro has been strong in his continuity messaging throughout 2026, using it in in the leadup to the Women's Asian Cup, at the tournament proper, and for the FIFA Series in April.
But the flipside of continuity is disruption. And disruption is basically inevitable. What happens when players aren't available? Or are out of form? Or retire? What happens if Plan A doesn't work and there's no backup?
Where does the next generation come into the equation? What are they meant to do when they're getting minimal minutes at the end of a game? Or none at all?
For Montemurro, there isn't an issue with players coming into camp and the camp experience being all they gain.
"I think we've got this illusion that we've got to give everyone a go in international football; it doesn't happen like that. That's just not a reality," he said. "There's no favouritism or there's no you did this and you did that and you should be given the right to play international football. It doesn't work like that, I'm really sorry."
The fear remains that this squad simply won't look that different from the one that went on that magical run at the home World Cup, but fell short because of a lack of depth and rotation. The fear is that in Brazil, instead of writing a new story, the team may well be destined to repeat the same mistake of 2023 having not learned the lesson.
All while the metaphorical cliff on the other side of this core of players continues to creep up.
In the limited time he had, Montemurro will still have opportunities for slight changes and tweaks. When the team reconvenes in four months for a European camp where they will play "top teams," Montemurro believes he will be able to rotate more and share out some of the minutes. But that feels unlikely if "continuity" is the buzzword of Montemurro's tenure -- the test of high-class opposition means that the Matildas coach will almost surely reach for the same familiar XI.
Looking ahead to the year before the World Cup begins, Montemurro will have between 11 and 13 games to once again get things the way he wants. To further embed his style. To expand the pool of players he trusts. To peak at the right time.
With all that said, this is where current Matildas are placed, broken up into three tiers, looking ahead to the 2027 Women's World Cup.
Matildas certainties
Based on recent squads, these are the players who seem to be locked in for World Cup berths.
Goalkeepers: Mackenzie Arnold, Chloe Lincoln
Defenders: Ellie Carpenter, Steph Catley, Winonah Heatley, Kaitlyn Torpey, Charlize Rule, Courtney Nevin
Midfielders: Amy Sayer, Clare Wheeler, Emily van Egmond, Leticia McKenna
Forwards: Sam Kerr, Caitlin Foord, Mary Fowler, Holly McNamara, Hayley Raso, Remy Siemsen
Chosen if available
Whether it be battling concussion symptoms, other injury setbacks, or taking a step back because of things that are more important than football, these are the players who -- if they're fit and ready -- would likely book their spot at the World Cup.
Goalkeepers: Teagan Micah, Jada Whyman
Defenders: Clare Hunt, Charlotte Grant
Midfielders: Kyra Cooney-Cross, Tameka Yallop, Katrina Gorry
Squad? Yes. Minutes? Not really.
The players who are obviously good enough to earn national team call-ups but spend most of that time on the bench, earning handfuls of minutes if they're lucky.
Goalkeepers: Morgan Aquino, Sally James, Ilona Melegh
Defenders: Jessika Nash, Jamilla Rankin
Midfielders: Alex Chidiac, Isabel Gomez, Alana Murphy, Daniela Galic
Forwards: Kahli Johnson, Bryleeh Henry
