CommBank Matildas forward Cortnee Vine spoke to Football Australia media in the aftermath of Australia’s 2-0 victory over Mexico, and her first minutes for the national team in 2024.
“I think the game was great,” she reflected. “It was good for me to get some more minutes with the team. We started to play a new structure, so it was great to watch that football unfold against a team like Mexico.”
She said that the way that the team played was perfectly suited to her direct, fast-paced style.
“Coming back in I really had to focus on the tactical side again… but I think with this new structure, it’s really fun to play as a striker and I really enjoyed it out there.
“As a winger, it’s [the new structure] going to be perfect for breaking the last line. The movement, the push-pull that we’re doing, it’s just my type of game. I’m really happy with the change.”
While she was away from the national team she spent time focusing on clubland with Sydney FC, where she has been in outstanding form, with 10 goals and six assists this season.
It has been in recent months that she has looked her most dangerous.
“At the start of the season, I was a little bit injured,” Vine recalled. “I had a difficult start with injuries. But I feel like I’ve hit a better stride.
“I’m still not where I want to be – but I feel like that’s just [part of being] an athlete, you never feel like you’re where you want to be. I think I can always improve and be better and I’m hoping to bring that for the final series and hopefully score and assist some more goals.”
Vine said that part of her resurgence in form has come with her enjoying her football more – like she is “out in the park with your mates.”
She cited a recent Sydney FC game against Wellington Phoenix, where she engaged in some light-hearted banter with Wellington fans, as an example of what it looks like when she is having fun and playing her best football.
“You get some amazing opportunities being in the position I’m in, not just on the field but off the field, doing a lot of different media and taking those things as they come,” she explained.
“People know who you are now so they are watching and they will give a bit of stick if they want to – and it was really fun. I found it [the game against Wellington] fun… you’ve got to enjoy it, just have a bit of a laugh. I think that’s what makes it fun.”
With the Olympics on the horizon, Vine’s national team focus has now narrowed to doing everything she can to be selected in the 18-player squad.
“Olympics has been my dream ever since I was doing athletics from the age of nine,” she said. “So this one I hold very, very highly, and [the squad is] something I really want to be a part of.
“Having this in our reach this year – you’re going to do everything you can. Going back to club land, I’m still trying to prove myself. If I get the opportunity to come back in for the next camp, I'll be continuing to prove myself here.
“Knowing that it’s just over 100 days away, makes you want to work that little bit harder, do those extras, get stronger, get fitter. Even though it’s the back end of the season I feel like that’s in the back of my mind. Going home not just to play finals, but to get better.”