Sharn Freier: "I feel so honoured"

The CommBank Matildas 2-0 win against Mexico has been described as a learning experience, a good hit-out, and an opportunity to put into practice new systems against a high-pressing team.

For Sharn Freier – who became CommBank Matildas cap #228 when she entered the field of play late in the second half – the game was so, so much more.

“I still can’t really believe it,” she reflected. “It was an amazing feeling last night and I’m just so grateful and I feel so honoured. It’s been surreal, the last 24 hours.

"When they came down and said ‘you’re up,’ I was excited but I was numb! I didn’t want to think too much, I was definitely very nervous, but also, I was just stoked.”

“I felt proud at the time, but also focused on what I had to do, on the job that needed to be done. It was unreal and I'm proud knowing that I have support at home.”

Freier had previously touched on the difference between training at an international level and a domestic level. Now that she has experienced an international match, she explained that it’s “a lot faster.”

“[It’s about] Always being alert, watching everything, making sure you’re ready for the next action… I think it’s just the pace of the game, and the physicality as well – you definitely need to be ready for anything that happens on the field,” she recalled of her experience on the pitch.

It has not always been a simple road for Freier, who suffered a torn ACL in 2021.

“It was the goal [to play for the CommBank Matildas],” she recounted. “Whether or not I thought I’d be here, I’m not too sure.”

“Doing my ACL, I’ve never really had an injury so big. So when I did it, I didn’t know what to expect and I didn’t know how I would come back. I didn’t know how long it would take. It was all very new to me.

“[The Matildas] was definitely still a goal, but it was something that I was just taking day by day, and doing everything I could at the time to make sure I came back to the level I was at and hopefully improve from there.

“I was proud in that sense, to be able to go through that, come back a little bit stronger and feel stronger, and be able to play as well, especially at this level. It’s quite rewarding for all the time and effort that was put in.

Reflecting on her experience in camp, she credited Brisbane Roar teammate Tameka Yallop with helping her get settled into the environment and to understand the expectations required.

She explained that it has given her a taste of the hard work required to be a CommBank Matilda.

“It’s just unbelievable,” she said. “It pushes you. Every day, you’ve got to keep working. Work hard. Play your best. It’s a really competitive environment, so that’s what it takes to continue.

“Just because you step out for a couple of minutes, it doesn’t mean anything. I think it’s so important to take it all in, enjoy it, but you need to keep working hard and do everything you can to keep this journey going.”