Emma Burke 
Alanna Kennedy celebrates scoring a goal against Iran on the Gold Coast at the Women's Asian Cup. Photo supplied by Football Australia.
The Matildas have now played their three Group Stage games in the Women’s Asian Cup, consisting of wins against the Philippines and Iran, and a draw against South Korea.
Head Coach Joe Montemurro has used a different midfield combination in each of the three games, though none of them have had Australia looking their best.
The opening 1-0 win against the Philippines featured Katrina Gorry, Clare Wheeler, and Emily van Egmond, with Alanna Kennedy and Amy Sayer appearing as substitutes for the latter.
Australia’s second win, 4-0 against Iran, had van Egmond, Kennedy, and Mary Fowler in the centre of the field. A change in personnel saw Sayer drop back after having played the first 60 minutes in the forward line.
The final group game against South Korea was a 3-3 draw and had a midfield made up of Gorry, Kennedy, and Wheeler, with van Egmond and Kyra Cooney-Cross coming off the bench in the final 10 minutes of the game.
The most interesting thing about these midfield combinations is that there are still so many potential ones to be tried and tested, and Australia still has one player listed as a midfielder yet to play any minutes so far in Alex Chidiac.
With the next game being do-or-die for the Matildas against North Korea in a Quarter-final, control of the middle of the pitch will be crucial to the side’s success, so what will Montemurro do?
At this point it’s impossible to deny the necessity of Alanna Kennedy in the midfield. She hasn’t managed to put a foot wrong throughout the Group Stage, and has scored four goals to boot. This makes her one of the top scorers in the tournament so far, equal with Japan’s Riko Ueki and Kiko Seiki, and North Korea’s Yu-Jong Myong.
Provided Montemurro goes with his usual style of three midfielders, Kennedy making up one of them means there are two spots left, one of which should then go to Kyra Cooney-Cross.
It’s known that Cooney-Cross has not played many minutes in recent weeks for either club or country, for personal reasons, but when she did take to the pitch for the final 20 or so minutes of the game against South Korea, it was like she hadn’t missed a beat.
Cooney-Cross has been one of Australia’s best midfield products in the last few years. Her performances at the 2023 Women’s World Cup were so good they caught the eye of Arsenal legend Ian Wright, and secured her a move to aforementioned club.
Her vision in the middle of the park in both attacking and defending and her ability to pick the correct pass time and time again make her nearly impossible to keep on the bench for such an crucial game.
The final midfield position could then go to a number of players. The best one would be Katrina Gorry.
It’s well documented that Gorry plays an exceptional game in the defensive midfield role, especially in regard to tackling and recovering the ball, but she also showed another side of her game recently against South Korea, up in the attacking position.
Playing higher up the pitch gave Gorry a greater ability to break lines going forward, spending most of her time on the field playing in Sam Kerr at regular intervals.
One of the other great parts of Gorry’s game is much more well-known to people, her working relationship on the pitch with Cooney-Cross.
The tried and tested duo were a key part of the Matildas’ success in 2023, and their experience and familiarity with each other should absolutely be leant on once again should the Matildas be out to succeed against North Korea come Friday evening.
Whether this trio in Kennedy, Cooney-Cross, and Gorry is the one Montemurro goes for, considering how many options he has available to him, and exactly how it might play out on the pitch are two entirely different questions, that will only be answered on Friday night when the Matildas take the pitch for their Quarter-final game.
During the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup, The Dubcast, Round Ball Australia’s Women’s Football podcast, will have daily episodes discussing the days games and looking ahead to the next days matches. Listen on Spotify, Apple, or watch on YouTube.