There are three main components that make up a football squad. Forwards are largely responsible for scoring goals. Defenders are responsible for stopping them. The midfield? Well, they’re responsible for everything.
Who better to do everything than the woman who has covered every blade of grass in Australia over the past month?
The FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ semi-final against England will be Katrina Gorry’s 100th appearance for the Matildas. It is an outstanding achievement, one that speaks to her longstanding importance in the team. Importantly, it is a testament to her resilience and her ability to reinvent herself after an immensely challenging time.
‘Mini’ debuted for the Matildas in 2012, coming off the bench against Japan. It was vindication for the sacrifices she had made. The 19-year-old had moved away from her hometown of Brisbane to pursue her dream - first to Melbourne, then to Adelaide and back to Melbourne. She was able to finally sign with the Roar the year of her international debut, making the first of 116 appearances for the club with which she would become synonymous.
The accolades kept on coming. She was named Asian Player of the Year in 2014. She played in two World Cups - Canada 2015 and France 2019 - as well as the Rio 2016 Olympics. She is also a two-time A-League Women’s premier with Brisbane.
The 31-year-old is now in the form of her life, forming a formidable midfield pair with Kyra Cooney-Cross. She is at the heart of everything the Matildas do, whether that is advancing the ball forward or tracking back in defence. It is doubtful that the team could have reached the heights of a World Cup semi-final without her.
The catalyst for this hot run of form? The birth of her daughter, Harper, in 2021.
After enduring a difficult time both personally and professionally, the period out from the game helped her reset. She returned in the best form of her career and having Harper around in camp is something that she credits with helping her mindset in tough moments.
“She just brings light to the end of a tough day,” she explained to the media in the group stage. “When we’re feeling a bit sad or lonely, she walks in and she just makes everything happy. It just breaks up football mode for us and it makes it feel like a family.”
Since she returned to the national team in 2022 she has been utilised in a deeper role by coach Tony Gustavsson. She was first used as a defensive midfielder, her style of play known as a regista. A change of formation against Denmark in October meant that the double pivot of Gorry and Cooney-Cross was seen for the first time, and they have not been separated since.
Gorry has made the second-most tackles of any midfielder at the World Cup, with 43. She has also covered the most ground, an astonishing 57.68km. That is over 11.5km per game. Her grunt work in midfield is what allows others around her to shine.
While she hasn't shown it yet at Australia & New Zealand 2023, her 17 international goals speaks to both her past life as an attacking midfielder and her ability to shoot from distance. Goals from outside the penalty area are something that she is renowned for. It would be fitting if she were able to do so against England.
Hitting 100 appearances is a special moment for anyone. To do so in the biggest game the country has ever played is even bigger. But it is poignant that the player who has been at the centre of everything for the team marks her milestone on such an occasion.
An added incentive is that Harper, credited as somewhat of a muse for a renewed Gorry, will also celebrate her second birthday today.
The engine room in midfield will be doing everything in her power to ensure that appearance 101 is at Stadium Australia on Sunday.