Commonwealth Bank Matildas defender Laura Brock announces her retirement

Julia Woods 1629764769,1629764877

Commonwealth Bank Matildas defender Laura Brock has announced her retirement from international football, with a decade-long career representing her country.

Brock enjoyed a successful career with the Commonwealth Bank Matildas, earning 65 caps and scoring 2 goals.

The first of Brock's 65 matches at senior level for Australia came against DPR Korea in March 2010 coming on as a substitute in the friendly fixture ahead of the 2010 AFC Women's Asian Cup.

Finishing her Australian representative career on the biggest sporting stage of them all, she played her final game against the USA in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Bronze Medal match.

Laura's career saw her represent Australia all over the world, making appearances at the 2011 and 2015 FIFA Women's World Cups in Germany and Canada, respectively.

"To my last game day EVER...I couldn’t be happier to be spending it with this group of incredible women. Leaving it all out on the pitch tonight"

At just 22, one of the team's youngest that travelled to Germany for the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup. The eager, young defender soaked up every moment of her first away trip with the Commonwealth Bank Matildas, learning from the senior players around her.

"I was like an excited kid in a playground, and on the inside, I was freaking out," Brock says.

Laura Brock and Elise Kellond-Knight at the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup

After Brock's major tournament debut at the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup, she would go on to become a rock at the back of the Commonwealth Bank Matildas' defence in five more major tournaments.

Brock scored two goals for her country, both coming within a month of one another in 2015.

Scoring her first in a friendly with Scotland and then the second on a rainy night at Jubilee Oval against Vietnam in a send-off game leading up to the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup.

At the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada, Brock started all five games with a total of 443 minutes played across the tournament.

Laura was able to mentor the young players on the team in their first major tournament, something that was done for her just four years prior.

The veteran defender embraced her role as a mentor to other players, truly showing why her infectious personality on and off the field was so crucial to the Commonwealth Bank Matildas' success over the years.

Laura Alleway celebrates a goal with Elise Kellond-Knight.

Brock would make the move to expansion club in the NWSL to help elevate her game, joining fellow Commonwealth Bank Matildas Steph Catley and Lisa De Vanna at Orlando Pride.

The Commonwealth Bank Matildas would then qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, with Brock starting in 4 out of 5 qualifying games.

Laura soaked up every moment at her first Olympics, with the Commonwealth Bank Matildas missing out on the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games, Rio would be one to remember.

Brock would play 4 out of 5 full games in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, only sitting out the Commonwealth Bank Matildas 6-1 win over Zimbabwe.

Laura Brock against the Netherlands 2021

Injury would, unfortunately, deny her the opportunity to compete at her third consecutive FIFA Women's World Cup.

After initially being selected in the team for the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup in France, a devastating foot injury saw her replaced by debutant Karly Roestbakken.

Despite her exclusion from the squad, Brock would continue to mentor her teammates from the sidelines, following the team around France to cheer them on from the stands.

Brock mentored Roestbakken throughout the tournament, calling her frequently to show her support to her young replacement.

Karly would wear Brock's iconic number '5' on the back of her jersey, feeling Laura's support while she played.

Fellow teammates harnessed the emotion from missing a much-loved teammate, with coaching staff hanging her jersey in the changing rooms as a reminder to her teammates to keep fighting.

Brock ensured all her teammates were the best they could be, even helping Logarzo with her pre-game routine. Recording herself singing Chloe's beloved pre-game pump-up song 'Superwoman' by Alicia Keys.

Logarzo would go on to score a stunning goal against Brazil in the Commonwealth Bank Matildas 3-2 win, her celebration to follow showed just how important Brock was to the team's success. Chloe posed as Superwoman, a nod Laura.

After injury cruelly ruled her out of the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup in France, Brock would later be announced as an alternate player for the much anticipated Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

Like her previous tournament, Laura was ready to support her fellow teammates from the sideline and help them in whatever way she could, continuing training with the team in case she was needed as an injury replacement.

However, the expansion of Olympic squads from 18 to 22 saw Laura make the team as a fully-fledged player rather than a reserve, travelling to her second Olympic Games.

“I was just ecstatic when I found out that the squad had been shifted from 18 to 22. It means so much to me on a personal level, coming towards the end of my career, every tournament means so much."

This would be the debut of her new name on the back of her jersey, wearing her newly married name, 'Brock' on the back of her kit.

Laura's never-say-die attitude was on full display throughout the Olympic Games, "Hopefully I get some minutes and can put my old skills on the field and maybe help some of the girls out when they're tired,” she said jokingly.

Her final minutes representing Australia would come against the USA in the Commonwealth Bank Matildas Bronze Medal Match, coming on in the 87th minute.

Without a doubt, the next lucky player to don Brock's famous '5', will surely make Laura proud for years to come.