New Zealand manager Jitka Klimková has announced the Football Ferns’ 23-player squad for the side’s upcoming friendlies against the Matildas in April.
Melbourne Victory defender Claudia Bunge will look to continue her recent purple patch following her side’s A-League Women’s championship win, while Wellington Phoenix teammates Lily Alfeld and Grace Jale are again included after break-out seasons with the Australian league’s newest club.
Sydney defender Ally Green will also join the squad as a train-on player after confirming her intention to represent her mother’s homeland this month.
The squad also includes a host of experienced overseas-based players, with goalkeeper Erin Nayler, defenders Katie Bowen and Ali Riley, and midfielders Betsy Hassett and Ria Percival making the long journey to Townsville and Canberra to don the silver fern once more.
The Ferns will however be without Leicester City defender CJ Bott, who is nursing a hip injury; Abby Erceg and Anna Leat, who are unavailable due to club commitments; and Marisa van der Meer, who has been named as part of the New Zealand under-20s squad preparing for the U-20 Women’s World Cup this week.
Speaking to NZ Football, Klimková said her team would be looking to use the lessons learned at the recent SheBelieves Cup in the United States to continue improving as the 2023 Women’s World Cup draws closer.
“We took some big steps forward during the Canada and Korea Republic tours, and then as we saw in the SheBelieves Cup, sometimes you have to take a step back to take another couple of steps forward,” she said.
“It’s part of the journey, and with the short turnaround between the SheBelieves Cup and our series against Australia we have a great opportunity ahead.”
“While we’re still exploring our player base, this tour will be focused on building on our team’s culture. We want to be mentally tougher when we encounter adversity. Every team faces challenges, I think we can respond quicker and more positively when one of us makes a mistake. We know when we give up a goal it is often more than one player’s mistake, so we collectively need to respond better and more quickly. If we can improve in this area it will be very impactful throughout the 90 minutes. We also want to focus on possession and breaking lines, as well as improving our decision making and building connections and variations in how we play in the final third.”
Matildas vs New Zealand
North Queensland Stadium, Townsville
Friday 8 February – KO 7.45pm AEST
Matildas vs New Zealand
Canberra Stadium, Canberra
Tuesday 12 February – KO 7.45pm AEST
Both matches to be broadcast on 10BOLD, 10PLAY & Paramount+
Tickets available via matildas.com.au/tickets
| Player | Club | Caps (Goals) |
|---|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | ||
| Lily Alfeld | Wellington Phoenix, New Zealand | 0 (0) |
| Victoria Esson | SC Sand, Germany | 5 (0) |
| Erin Nayler | Umeå IK, Sweden | 76 (0) |
| Defenders | ||
| Elizabeth Anton | Perth Glory, Australia | 7 (0) |
| Katie Bowen | North Carolina Courage, USA | 80 (3) |
| Claudia Bunge | Melbourne Victory, Australia | 7 (0) |
| Anna Green | Unattached | 78 (7) |
| Meikayla Moore | Liverpool, England | 51 (3) |
| Ali Riley | Angel City, USA | 143 (1) |
| Rebekah Stott | Melbourne City, Australia | 84 (4) |
| Ashleigh Ward | Actonians, England | 1 (0) |
| Midfielders | ||
| Olivia Chance | Celtic, Scotland | 28 (1) |
| Daisy Cleverley | Unattached | 19 (2) |
| Betsy Hassett | Stjarnan, Iceland | 128 (14) |
| Grace Jale | Wellington Phoenix, New Zealand | 4 (2) |
| Ria Percival | Tottenham Hotspur, England | 160 (15) |
| Malia Steinmetz | Western Sydney Wanderers, Australia | 5 (0) |
| Ava Collins | St John’s University, USA | 4 (0) |
| Forwards | ||
| Jacqui Hand | Unattached | 6 (1) |
| Gabi Rennie | Arizona State University, USA | 10 (2) |
| Emma Rolston | Avaldsnes IL, Norway | 10 (6) |
| Paige Satchell | Sydney, Australia | 26 (2) |
| Hannah Wilkinson | Melbourne City, Australia | 103 (26) |
