Ahead of their next big test, the girls in green and gold let us in on how they dig deep.
By Bek Day
With the AFC Women’s Asian Cup set to be played in early March – the first major tournament on home soil since their explosive run on the world stage in 2023 – the CommBank Matildas are staring down a new Goliath: the chance to bring home the silverware at the Asian Cup for the first time since 2010.
We sat down with some of the squad and head coach Joe Montemurro to uncover what it takes to build, restore and maintain self-belief in the face of mounting pressure.
Defender Courtney Nevin feels more confident when she knows she's done the hard work.
For defender Courtney Nevin, confidence isn’t some abstract feeling that you’re either gifted with or not. Rather, it’s built in the day-to-day effort, like filling a bucket one drop at a time. “Going onto the field, I feel more confident and comfortable when I know I’ve done the hard work off the field,” she says. “I think with football, there’s always going to be a sense of doubt in myself but when that doubt comes – in a game or training – I have to remember that I’ve put so much hard work into this.”
A mistake from a striker can be a blow but for a goalkeeper, the stakes are even higher. “You might concede a bad goal and not touch the ball again for another five or 10 minutes so sitting with those thoughts can be really challenging,” explains goalkeeper Chloe Lincoln. But rather than allow those thoughts to send her spiralling and derail the rest of her game, the player uses physical cues to re-centre herself in the moment.
“I have little strategies that help me let go of that moment, like picking up a bit of grass as a physical way to ground myself.” Other times, she says, it’s just understanding: “Okay, it’s happened. I can’t control it now. What can I do to help myself move on?”
Forward Holly McNamara tries to keep her focus on the next action, not the past.
“If you miss a shot or a pass, self-doubt definitely comes in,” says Holly McNamara. But instead of looking 10 steps ahead to catastrophe or dwelling on what went wrong, the forward lasers in on the present moment. “I try to focus on the next action,” she says. “If I mess up a shot, I’ll be like, ‘Okay, I’m just going to make my next pass.’” Whether it’s in daily life, injury rehab or on the pitch, she keeps her focus on the next day, the next session, the next touch. “Not the past and not 10 steps ahead – that’s where I get my confidence.”
'I think you need a little bit of doubt to get to those good outcomes,' says head coach Joe Montemurro.
While overcoming uncertainty can be a crucial step on the field, head coach Joe Montemurro views it a little differently. For him, it’s an important ingredient in performance. “I think doubt makes us better. It challenges us to find better solutions,” he says. “I don’t mind going into a training session doubting whether something might work or not – it allows me to find that little bit extra and ask, ‘Is it going to work today? Are the players going to be up for it?’ Then I adjust… It’s about outcomes and I think you need a little bit of doubt to get those good outcomes.”
Away from the football pitch, the players agree that daily wellbeing practices like mindfulness and gratitude can move the needle in a meaningful way. To maintain confidence in the face of unwanted self-talk, Courtney suggests: “Take 10 minutes out of your day to have a mindfulness moment. Bad thoughts might come in but it’s about realising that it’s just a thought and that’s okay – there’s no need to let it affect you or get too big in your mind. Know it’s there, know it’s okay and move on.”
Goalkeeper Chloe Lincoln finds physical ways to ground herself.
When the going gets tough for Chloe, she leans into gratitude and tries to stay grounded. “If you can remember that, it gives you confidence wherever you are.”
And in advice that’s just as valuable whether you’re wearing heels or cleats, Courtney emphasises the importance of factoring in the support network you’ve built – and leaning on them when your confidence has taken a hit. “Remember you have a team to support you,” she says. “If you’re struggling, you can lean on your teammates. Don’t try to take on everything yourself.
Watch the CommBank Matildas on home turf at the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup in Perth, the Gold Coast and Sydney from 1-21 March.
Published: 2 March 2026
An earlier version of this article was published in Brighter magazine.
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