Live updates: Matildas vs Brazil in Brisbane, Clare Polkinghorne ...

Clare Polkinghorne given a guard of honour as the players walk out

9 minutes agoThu 28 Nov 2024 at 10:01am

The team for the Seleção Feminina

56 minutes agoThu 28 Nov 2024 at 9:14am

Matildas line up

59 minutes agoThu 28 Nov 2024 at 9:11am

1m agoThu 28 Nov 2024 at 10:09am

The Matildas have not lost to Brazil since the quarterfinals of the 2016 Olympic Games.

There, Brazil won 7-6 on penalties after a goalless draw at the Mineirão in in Belo Horizonte.

The sides have met 21 times since 1988, with the Aussies winning 11 of those matches, with eight defeats and two draws.

Polkinghorne looks surprised that they want to hear from her.

But she steps up to the mic anyway.

"Just a few quick words for me because we've got a game to get on with," she says.

"It's so special for me to be here and to celebrate in front of my home fans, in a city I grew up and in a stadium that I absolutely love.

"And this team has been everything to me. And it's been a hell of a journey and I'm very thankful for everything that everyone has done along the way.

"So thank you very much and let's get on with it."

Well said, Clare.

Time for the national anthems.

Key Event

9m agoThu 28 Nov 2024 at 10:01am

The entire Matildas non-starting squad is lined up to the left of the players tunnel.

Clare Polkinghorne's family is lined up to the right.

It's a wonderful tribute to one of Queensland, and Australia's, finest players.

The players march out onto the field and a visibly emotional Clare Polkinghorne comes out on her own.

This is a really wonderful, emotional moment.

She is being presented a jersey by another Queensland legend, one of the few who can hold a candle to Polks, in fairness, Darren Lockyer.

Now, standing by her family, she watches a video from her teammates celebrating her Matildas career.

Caitlin Foord has arrived in camp in excellent form for Arsenal, and she's hoping that she can

“The ultimate goal is the Asian Cup next for us," she told the FA.

"So it’s a great time to see players and keep pushing the team forward.”

She acknowledged that despite Australia's impressive record against Brazil in recent years, the Olympic silver medallists will be a tough test.

“We have a lot of history with Brazil, from major tournaments and knockout games,” she said.

“So it’s going to be a great opportunity for us, and a great challenge to come up against them, and do it here as well.

“It’ll be a good game.”

Still a bit of time before kick off, but the crowd is really flooding into Lang Park.

Looks and sounds like there are a lot of young kids in attendance as well, which is always what we want to see - even if it means a few late nights.

These matches are "only" friendlies, but nevertheless, they are still important as the Matildas gear up to the home Asian Cup in 2026.

That being said, the workload on players across the board is starting to get out of hand - and there have been a number of withdrawals from the squad for these internationals.

"That's the way the game is going. There's a lot more games, there’s a lot more demands on us to play," Caitlin Foord told Football Australia earlier this week.

"I mean, this is where every female footballer has wanted the game to go. The scheduling – that's obviously up to the leagues and the federations to discuss on how that should be, but for us to play and play games is all we've ever wanted.

"We have that support. We have the networks you need, if it's mental, physical support you need, we have options for all of that. As it should be, everyone has that option to get the support that they need."

Mary Fowler pulled out of these friendlies against Brazil and Chinese Taipei to focus on her mental and physical health, just days after Cortnee Vine made herself unavailable.

Katrina Gorry and Clare Wheeler will both be absent through injury.

Coach Tom Sermani told ABC Breakfast this morning that player welfare was the most important thing.

"It is simple, if a player is in that frame of mind, it is important that they take the time to recover," he said.

"We as an organisation, completely support that and do our best to make sure they come back fit and healthy and ready to play."

You can read more here.

Things went pretty well for the Matildas last time they took the field in Germany.

One of the all time great goals from Kyra Cooney-Cross and a late header from Clare Hunt handed the Tillies a 2-1 victory over the Olympic bronze medal winners in Duisburg.

"That was a really good confidence booster for the players," Tom Sermani told ABC Breakfast this morning.

"The important thing for any team that wants to keep improving is to make sure we can back up that performance and hopefully it wasn't a one off."

Read more from that match here, if you wish.

I get that the game is played very late and there may be scheduling reasons related to the Brazilian audience, but for those of us who live here, an hour later in the evening can make a significant difference in terms of performing in the heat and humidity. The price for starting late is that we'll have a team who can stay the distance and create a much more running and attacking game rather than one of surviving the heat until the final whistle blows. Of course it's a compromise, but maybe not an unreasonable one given my local weather stations currently reads 92% humidity.

- Mark D

All the Matildas players are wearing special Clare Polkinghorne t-shirts to warm up in.

It's a nice touch.

8pm is late? Remember when the AO tennis went to 3am?

- Glenn

Today is a special day for one of Brisbane's finest, Clare Polkinghorne.

The legendary defender has played 167 times for the Matildas since that day in 2006, becoming a stalwart of the backline.

Matildas interim coach Tom Sermanni gave Polkinghorne her debut for the Matildas against China in Shanghai.

Sermani told ABC sports Daniela Intili that he was proud to have played a role in her career.

"The fact she has had longevity in the national team, 18 years in itself and still a major part of the squad is an unbelievable achievement," Sermani said.

"The fact she is able to go in her own terms in her home town in front of her family, friends and all the fans here is a fairytale ending.

"It is fantastic for me to be part of that journey and give her a start and to be there at the finish."

You can read more about Polks' thoughts on the occasion right here.

I agree on all points though.

Particularly on the last one. If I fall asleep the ABC powers will be furious.

It's a decent question.

Anecdotally, I know of a significant number of people who baulked at the late kick off time and bemoaned the fact that they would be unable to take their kids to the match tonight.

And it has to be said, an 8:00pm kick off is shockingly late for a midweek game.

Now, the most likely reason is that an 8:00pm kick off in Queensland equates to a 7:00 am kick off time in Brazil - which is more palatable for the TV audience over there than if it was any earlier.

Does that excuse such a late kick off time local, which is even worse for the majority of Australia's population on the eastern seaboard thanks to daylight savings?

Not for me.

But what do I know? The proof will be in the number of people who turn up, I guess.

Look, there is no sugar coating this. It's late. Really late.

Kick-off set for 8:00pm local time in Queensland.

That's 9:00pm AEDT (New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania and ACT).

That is 8:30pm in South Australia.

In the Northern Territory it's 7:30pm.

And in the West, kick off is at 6:00pm.

Tonight's match against Brazil will be broadcast on 10 (10 Bold in WA only), 10 Play and on Paramount+.

So there are more than a handful of ways to keep across the action.

It is, admittedly, a bit late so, if you wanted to just keep across all the action as you go to sleep and you don't want to have the TV on, why not stick with us?

Key Event

56m agoThu 28 Nov 2024 at 9:14am

Here's how Brazil line up this evening.

I don't know about you, but it's still going to take me a long time to stop looking for a certain Marta Vieira da Silva on the teamsheet...

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59m agoThu 28 Nov 2024 at 9:11am

First things first, here's how the Matildas line up tonight.

It looks like Tom Sermani's strongest available starting XI in all honesty.

Clare Polkinghorne is your skipper this evening in the number 4 jersey.

Good evening folks and welcome to tonight's late night special edition, as the Matildas take on Brazil at Lang Park.

My name is Simon Smale and I'm in position here in the (mercifully airconditioned) press box at the stadium for tonight's spectacle, the first of four back-to-back internationals the Matildas face.

It's a late one, the Matildas are missing a couple of players from their best XI, but I'll be here to bring you all the action as it happens on a sticky and steamy Brisbane evening.

Thanks for being with me - let's get things underway, shall we?