More changes as Matildas aim to rebound from shock loss
Panama, ranked a lowly 56th in the world, produced one of their greatest wins on Saturday win beating the 15th-ranked Matildas 1-0 in Bunbury.
Montemurro, in his first international window as Matildas coach, had made a whopping 10 changes to his starting line-up for that match, and introduced four debutants off the bench.
It's all part of his wider plan to gain more insight into the depth in Australian women's football, and to see who can adapt to his possession-based game style.
Montemurro's reign started with a 3-0 win and a 1-1 draw against Slovenia before the shock loss to Panama.
King puts Panama on the board 🎯The visitors snag the lead in Bunbury, as Sherline King strikes home the opener🇦🇺 #AUSvPAN 🇵🇦 is live now on Paramount+ 📺 pic.twitter.com/iA2wBM5Pyb
— Paramount+ Australia (@ParamountPlusAU) July 5, 2025
The Matildas have looked disjointed in all three games, but Montemurro is confident the short-term pain will lead to long-term gain.
Australia entered the current international window without mainstays like Sam Kerr, Mary Fowler, Steph Catley, Caitlin Foord, Katrina Gorry and Clare Wheeler.
Ellie Carpenter, Mackenzie Arnold, Kyra Cooney-Cross and Sharn Freier exited the squad after the Slovenia series, while Amy Sayer and Charli Grant were rested for Saturday's loss to Panama.
Sayer and Grant are expected to come in for Tuesday's game at HBF Park, but Alex Chidiac, Emily Gielnik and Kaitlyn Torpey have left to rejoin their respective clubs.
In an added blow for the Matildas, goalkeeper Teagan Micah has been ruled out of the final match of the international window after suffering whiplash in making a save on Saturday.
Montemurro doesn't view the shock 1-0 loss to Panama as a disaster, but says fans can expect more changes on Tuesday.
"You don't lose, you learn," Montemurro said on Monday when asked about the surprise defeat.
"It's a perfect opportunity to learn, because it's not a do-or-die game. It's not a game that we are going to lose points on or lose our status in a competition situation.
"I haven't really looked at it as a loss. I looked at it as more information for us to go forward.
"Obviously when you make a lot of changes like that, there is going to be a little bit of instability.
"But I still have belief in the process, I still have belief in the way going forward, and we've got a bank of information that will help us going forward."
Montemurro is looking for his players to display more football intelligence on Tuesday.
And although the current window is more about information gathering and the implementation of a new game style, he wants to end it with a win.
"We want to create the culture, we want to create the standards, we want to create an idea of football," Montemurro said.
"And obviously there will be a wider, extended look at where we are, where we're going with the squad - but we want to do it while we're winning.
"So a win is is important, like always."
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New York Times
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Injuries end season for Bomber, No.1 draft pick
Richmond's No.1 draft pick Sam Lalor might need surgery and Nik Cox's concussion history has also ended his AFL season. Lalor re-injured his left hamstring only a couple of minutes into his return on Saturday against Geelong, with the Tigers confirming on Monday his season is over. The AFL's concussion panel, which last month recommended West Coast defender Jeremy McGovern should retire on medical grounds, gave Cox hope he will resume his playing career. While Cox will not play this year due to his concussion problems, the panel gave him a pathway to make an AFL comeback after meeting him last month. Lalor has succumbed to a left hamstring injury for the third time, previously injuring it before he was drafted last year and then in the May Dreamtime at the 'G match against Essendon. The Tigers were cautious, holding him back for a week, but he limped off GMHBA Stadium after tackling Tom Atkins early in the first quarter. "We are all devastated for the young man, and I am sure our fans are too," Richmond high-performance manager Ben Serpell said. "The injury mechanism here for Sam this time was very different to his original injury mechanism. "He sustained the injury in a tackle. I think anyone who throws their body at the game as he did, and credit to him for doing that, is going to put their body at some risk irrespective of their injury history." Given Lalor's terrible injury history, he might undergo surgery on the hamstring. "We are a bit concerned about the integrity of the hamstring structure," Serpell said. "As part of that we will consult a few surgeons over the next little while to see if there is some surgical intervention available for us." Meanwhile, Cox is upbeat about his future after being told by the concussion panel he can resume his AFL career. "While I'm disappointed that I won't return to the field for the remainder of the 2025 season, this time away from the game will be used to focus fully on my health, recovery, and building the strongest possible foundation heading into pre-season," Cox said. "I've learned a lot about myself over the past few months, and I'm more motivated than ever to get back to doing what I love. "My focus now is on continuing to work closely with specialists and the club to make sure I'm in the best place physically and mentally to return to football."
