IF you weren’t on the Matildas bandwagon after Saturday night, you’ve surely got to be by now.
The marathon, three hour quarter final clash with France will no doubt have etched a whole host of new names into Australian sporting folklore.
Names like Arnold and Vine will forever live alongside household names like Aloisi, Schwarzer and Redmayne for their heroics in penalty shootouts.
It was a huge occasion for a couple of reasons.
The win sealed Australia’s place in the World Cup semi-final, taking place at Stadium Australia tonight, the furthest the country has ever gone on the international stage, including the Soceroos.
It also banished a few demons from the 2019 World Cup, where the Matildas were sent packing by Norway after a heartbreaking loss on penalties.
But above all, it’s the way the Matildas have transcended sporting codes and inspired a whole generation that made Saturday night’s win all the more sweeter.
It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that most of the general public would have struggled to name at least one player in Australia’s first ever Women’s World Cup squad back in 1995.
Today, though, Sam Kerr is arguably the face of Australian football. When Australia was in contention to host the 2022 Men’s World Cup, AFL legend Ron Barassi was on the back page of the Herald Sun crushing a soccer ball.
That was in response to the prospect of FIFA using the MCG to host World Cup games, taking the hallowed ground off the hands of the AFL for a whole season.
On Saturday night, though, we saw AFL teams huddled around TV screens post game and coaches delaying press conferences to watch the shootout on their phones.
Even fans gathered in concourses at the MCG, the SCG and Optus Stadium as Cortnee Vine stepped up to spot.
There’s also great footage of an entire flight cabin tuning in to watch the Matildas reach the final four.
No one has united the country quite like this since Cathy Freeman at the Sydney Olympics.
Even the Socceroos in 2006 didn’t really have the backing like the Tillies have. So to those of you out there who still might be on the fence, flick on the TV tonight and tune in.
Get out to the pub or to Festival Plaza, don your Green and Gold and help pull the girls over the line one last time.
To the rest of the world, Australia has arrived.
And we’re not going anywhere.
