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Matildas Too Good For Football Ferns

by Jeremy Ruane

Australia outclassed the Football Ferns in front of 4,371 fans at Morshead Park, Ballarat on June 4, with the 2-0 scoreline flattering the New Zealand side, who haven't beaten their trans-tasman rivals since October 1994, some 28 clashes ago.

And in truth, they never looked like reversing that trend in this match, appearing short of a gallop throughout and still under starter's orders as the Matildas bolted out of the stalls from Japanese referee Yoshimi Yamashita's opening whistle.

The visitors were stunned by the fast-paced start of their greatest foes, with birthday girl Meikayla Moore picking up a card of another variety - yellow in hue - for her third minute challenge on Caitlin Foord, which resulted in Alanna Kennedy firing a free-kick from just outside the penalty area over the bar seconds later.

From the resulting goal-kick, Australia quickly regained possession and opened the scoring. Foord's pace was again the source of the problem, and she cut inside before firing in an angled ball which appeared to take a deflection off Chloe Logarzo as she attempted to get out of the way.

It was enough to deceive Erin Nayler, who could only look on as the ball flew past her into the far corner of the net, to the delight of the natives, who, like the Football Ferns, are using these matches to finalise their preparations for the Rio Olympics.

Based on this display, there is no doubt that Alen Stajcic's side is in a far better space in this regard than Tony Readings' charges, who fashioned their first opportunity of the match in the sixth minute when Annalie Longo caught Katrina Gorry in possession in midfield and proceeded to rattle the hoardings with a twenty-five yarder.

Australia's response was to unleash Foord once more, in tandem with Lisa De Vanna - herself no slouch. She cut inside Ali Riley, whose hundredth appearance for New Zealand this was, and unleashed a shot which Nayler did well to first parry then save at the feet of the fast-arriving Michelle Heyman.

Another fine flying denial by Nayler foiled the Matildas in the thirteenth minute, patient build-up on the left culminating in a fizzing thirty-yarder from Logarzo which New Zealand's number one tipped over the bar in style.

After Kennedy had rattled a stanchion after a Logarzo corner hadn't been cleared half-way through the first half, the Matildas eased off the pace a touch, allowing their opponents to get a foothold of sorts in the contest.

Much of what the Football Ferns did was laboured, however. There was nowhere near enough zip and zest in their play, their oft-seen dynamism conspicuous by its absence. Betsy Hassett was a notable exception to this charge, getting through a power of work for the cause, and going close to scoring with a chipped effort prior to the interval.

Far too often, though, a dash of All-Whites-itis graced the Kiwis' play, in the form of hopeful balls forward in search of the well policed Amber Hearn, who often ploughed a lone furrow with scant reward. It was most un-Football-Ferns-esque!

When they did savour possession in the attacking third, all too often they conceded it far too easily - stray and imprecise passes were too often the norm, rather than the exception.

It really wasn't a Football Ferns performance of which the team should be proud, something which was made doubly disappointing by their desire to honour Riley's entry to the centurions club in a manner befitting of her contribution to the team's dynamic. The players won't need telling that their display didn't fulfil this ambition.

Katie Bowen was something of a wildcard in the right wing role in this match, especially since she has played in more defence-oriented positions throughout the bulk of her career.

Occasionally her attacking forays offered promise - a 22nd minute cross headed over from eight yards by the recalled Hannah Wilkinson, who was clearly lacking match fitness and match sharpness after her lengthy ACL-induced lay-off.

Eight minutes later, Bowen went for goal herself, a volley which didn't miss by much after Moore, Hassett and Abby Erceg had combined to send Riley racing down the left before she whipped in a cross.

But a great free-kick opportunity was spurned by Bowen nine minutes before the interval, wastefully slamming the ball into the defensive wall to highlight another area in which the Football Ferns must improve - set-piece execution.

By this time, of course, the monster had stirred into

life once more, Heyman going close with a 36th minute volley after the Football Ferns' defence had failed to deal with a Gorry cross.

Eight minutes later, the rampaging figure of Foord once more frequented areas of the park where she wasn't welcome, this time rewarding the overlapping run of Steph Catley with a pass which invited the fullback to cross towards Heyman.

Erceg intervened on this occasion, at the expense of a corner, which Logarzo delivered right into the heart of the Football Ferns' penalty area. Cue the mother and father of almighty goalmouth scrambles, with the visitors somehow surviving as Australia tried time and again to notch a second goal, most notably through Heyman, who was only denied by the crossbar.

If the Football Ferns' ambitions included an improved second half showing, they certainly weren't evident in their deeds. The dreaded cry of "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie" was in evidence soon after the resumption of play, and a second goal soon transpired, in the 51st minute.

Catley played the ball forward, and the Football Ferns allowed it to bounce - another shortcoming on which work is needed; this match certainly proved worthwhile in terms of exposing such problems, although one would, of course, hope that there weren't so many such issues evident just two months out from the Olympics!

Now, this bouncing ball. It sat up perfectly for Heyman to execute a back-heeled flick, and through stormed Foord. Riley raced across in an effort to thwart the striker, but the Matilda shrugged her off and proceeded to curl the ball round the advancing figure of Nayler - 2-0.

More opportunities to increase that advantage soon followed. Gorry played a ball in behind the defence for Foord to exploit in the 57th minute. Nayler parried her shot, while Ria Percival scrambled the rebound to safety.

Four minutes later, Logarzo blazed over following Heyman's pullback, the midfielder's cause greatly aided by a collision between the retreating figures of referee Yamashita and Hassett, who was tracking the run of Logarzo until this incident.

The Matildas introduced some fresh legs soon afterwards, and Tameka Butt swiftly showed the benefits of such an injection in the 69th minute via a swashbuckling and unchallenged run from the centre circle to the edge of the penalty area, from where she let fly.

This effort narrowly cleared the crossbar, while Nayler grabbed a Foord shot at her near post soon afterwards, the 'keeper's poor distribution responsible for the latest Matildas' opportunity.

Despite making a number of substitutions, including a debut for Paige Satchell, there was no noticeable change to the pattern of play, with the natives very much on the front foot.

Six minutes from time, a stray Sarah Gregorius pass was swooped on by Logarzo, who combined with Ellie Carpenter to play in Foord on the left. Only a vital tackle by Jasmine Pereira - she caught the eye in her fifteen-minute cameo - prevented the striker from completing her hat-trick on this occasion.

Seconds later, a brave denial by Nayler at the feet of Catley prevented her from capitalising on a one-two with Kyah Simon, who herself looked to get on the scoresheet soon afterwards, firing across Nayler and the far post after outpacing Moore.

Catley was a prominent figure in the later stages of the match on Australia's left, and once more delivered quality in the ninetieth minute, this time picking out Butt. Nayler tipped her effort over the bar on this occasion, but could only look on helplessly in stoppage time as a deflected Butt effort arced over the 'keeper only to crash against the crossbar.

The final whistle sounded soon afterwards, and it was one the Football Ferns were definitely grateful to hear. They were very much second-best in this latest trans-tasman derby, with another clash between the teams scheduled for Melbourne's Etihad Stadium on June 7.

One hopes they'll be far more competitive from the outset in that encounter.

Matildas: Arnold (Dumont, 88); Polkinghorne (Allen, 88), Cooper, Kennedy, Catley; Gorry (Butt, 64), Kellond-Knight (Carpenter, 64), Logarzo; De Vanna (Crummer, 81), Heyman (Simon, 64), Foord

F'ball Ferns: Nayler; Percival, Moore (booked, 3), Erceg, Riley (Green, 69); Hassett (Yallop, 69), Duncan (Satchell, 86), Longo; Bowen (Pereira, 76), Hearn (White, 89), Wilkinson (Gregorius, 46)

Referee: Yoshimi Yamashita (Japan)

Rio 2016