Ellie Carpenter: "I wear this jersey with so much pride"
Ellie Carpenter reflected on entering her tenth year with the CommBank Matildas as she spoke to Football Australia media at camp in Melbourne, Florida.
“Time literally flies!” she laughed. “I honestly still feel like I debuted a couple years ago, not even. I’m very proud of that [being in the team for ten years]. I’m quite a senior player in the squad now even though I’m still quite young.”
“Being in this team means so much to me. You’re representing this country and I think you don’t know what it means to be a Matilda until you’ve been in here for so long.
“Being with these girls for so long, ten years almost, building relationships on and off the field, the memories that you have last forever.”
Anyone who has seen Carpenter sprint up and down the line in green and gold will recognise the passion that she has for playing for her country.
“I wear this jersey with so much pride whenever I play, and I think that’s something that got instilled with myself coming into this team so young,” she explained. “Being in the team for almost ten years, I feel like I breathe that passion. Whenever I’m on the field I give 110% and I know all the other girls do around me.
“It’s something that you don’t have unless you’ve been in this team. For me, I give everything to this team, run through a brick wall. I love playing for my country.”
A real sign of her status in the team was when she was named joint vice-captain alongside Emily van Egmond after Sam Kerr’s long-term injury earlier this year.
“I don’t have to change being myself because I am who I am, and I think that I am quite a leader on the field when it comes to communicating and showing my presence,” she said.
“Off the field, it’s nice to be named that vice-captain, to be respected by your teammates. With the great girls around me and obviously with Steph [Catley] and Emily [van Egmond], they’re great girls to look up to and I think we have a really great relationship.
In clubland, Carpenter is the first-choice right-back of Lyon, considered by many to be one of the best clubs in the world. They are currently undefeated in the league and will take on French rivals PSG in the UEFA Women’s Champions League semi-finals.
Carpenter has been here before with Lyon, winning the prestigious Cup in 2022. However, she is desperate to get there again – that win is still tinged with the memories of rupturing her ACL in the same game.
Something that makes the journey more unique this time around is the possibility of coming up against CommBank Matildas teammate and childhood friend Clare Hunt in the semi-final.
“I can remember us running against each other when we were like nine years old,” she recalled. “Fast forward fifteen years later and we’re playing a semi-final in the Champions League – you wouldn’t write about it.”
“It’s been another great season for myself and every year with Lyon, I just want to keep improving and getting better.”
Back with the CommBank Matildas, Carpenter said that the squad was in a “good place” as they continued to prepare for the Olympic Football Tournament Paris 2024.
“Depth in this squad has just gotten so much better over the past three, four years,” she said. “I think this is the most depth we’ve had in terms of selection.”
“A roster of 16 field players and two goalkeepers [for the Olympics] – everyone’s spot is up for grabs. These players are pushing that and I think it’s really important to have so much depth and to make Tony [Gustavsson] make some really hard decisions.”
She finished by reflecting on the importance of having a squad fit, firing and ready to go heading into the tournament.
“Being available is the most important thing, to be honest,” she said. “The Olympics, we know it’s very demanding on the body. Every two days you’re playing, you have to travel, it’s such a tough schedule.”
“We all know that – a majority of us have experienced the Olympics. Being, hopefully my third Olympics is quite crazy, but we kind of know what is head of us. That’s why it’s so important to prepare well, physically and mentally is massively important.”
MATCH DETAILS | APRIL 2024 FIFA WINDOW
Mexico v Australia
Date: Tuesday, 9 April 2024 (local) / Wed, 10 April 2024 (AUS)
Kick-off: 7.00pm (local) / 10.00am (AEST)
Venue: Toyota Field, San Antonio, TX
Broadcast: Paramount ANZ
Tickets: ticketmaster.com