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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Sport
Joey Lynch

Canada 1-0 Australia: Matildas fail to break through in friendly – as it happened

Christine Sinclair Canada Matildas Australia Joey Lynch Tony Gustavsson
Quinn celebrates scoring for Canada as Katrina Gorry looks dejected
Quinn celebrates scoring for Canada in their 1-0 win over the Matildas in the second international friendly at BC Place in Vancouver. Photograph: Christopher Morris/Getty Images

Summary

Well that’s it for the Matildas history-making, record-breaking year. A disappointing way for it to close and leaving many questions for coach Tony Gustavsson to ask and answer with the final round of Olympic qualification on the horizon in February.

Thanks for following along today.

Here is Patrick Horan’s match report:

Grace Gill observing that it has been an amazing year for the Matildas and Australian football in 2023 and she’s right. No matter the disappointment of this window or the ongoing maddening state of affairs that is Gustavsson-ball, 2023 has a strong case for being the best year ever for Australian sport. That’s mostly down to this Matildas side.

Both Christine Sinclair and Sophie Schmidt mean so much to women’s football globally but especially at home.

Catley says after such a monumentally successful year for the Matildas with the Women’s World Cup at home and finishing fourth, it’s disappointing to finish on this low.

It has been an amazing year, it has been massive in our country, football in Australia has never been as popular, people love our team, we have such a massive and incredible fanbase back home, I think we did something really significant and left a legacy in our country, it has been a massive year for us in a kind of dark too and on a bit of a low, but it has also been a later to be involved in this, she is a class act and incredible person and player, it has been nice to be able to send her off, but a bit of a shame it was our loss to.

I think when she started women’s football had nothing and she was one of the pioneers that grounded out and fought for things we have now and there’s no way we would be in the place we are without players like her, she is at the forefront of everything and she has done it such grace and class and she has led this country to amazing things document that is career she should be proud of and something the rest of us can really look at and think of as wonderful.

Andy Harper has come in off the long run up on the coverage once again.

These post-game moments are becoming events in and of themselves, you can tell because how quickly Paramount+ had the clip up on the socials.

Captain Steph Catley is speaking on the field.

It was an interesting one I think, I think the game ebbed and flowed, we are trying a few different things, a few different ways of playing, and sometimes there are growing pains, so I think there are times the gamer we’re not controlling it but when we do, it pretty good. The second positive take is that the set piece cost us, that is not good enough for our team, lots to think about and improve on. Still a long way to go.

So Canada gets the job done. They weren’t all that better than Australia when it came to extended periods of possession but they were the superior sides in all the moments that mattered and they finished strongly – probably because they had fresher legs and something to play for in Sinclair and Schmidt.

Buchanan was very strong at the back throughout the entire game while Lacasse was a real highlight up front for the hosts. Leon, when she came off the bench also flashed real danger.

For Australia, conversely, it was a bit of a flashback to the worst moments of the World Cup. Struggles to get things going when they were denied transition and high turnovers up the pitch and an almost complete lack of substitutions from Gustavsson as the game wore on.

Updated

Fulltime: Canada 1-0 Australia

Christine Sinclair will go out a winner. Sophie Schmidt will go out a winner. Canada makes it two-from-two in the November window against Australia with a 1-0 win at Christine Sinclair Place in Vancouver. On the balance of play, particularly in that second-half, they earned it.

Updated

90+6 Mins: Catley’s corner in is seen off by Canada. Surely that’s it.

95 Mins: Australia try another late move forward but Foord’s attempted cross is blocked out for a corner.

90+1 Mins: Another change for Canada as Awujo replaced Buchanan after hat head knock. That’s their sixth, for those keeping track.

90 Mins: We’re on the cusp of added time in this one and Gustavsson has only made a single sub – Gorry, who was sick yesterday and missed training, for Yallop.

The coach spoke about the importance of load management and looking after players during this window but that’s ringing very hollow as a team that looks out on its feet – with long club seasons ahead of them – runs out a full-game, on an artificial surface, in what is simply a friendly, while only making one sub.

Updated

89 Mins: Buchanan is down receiving treatment for what appears to be a cut above her eye after she copped a wayward elbow from Kennedy to contest that header.

89 Mins: Ball in from Carpenter is looking for a now make-shift centre forward Kennedy but her header is wayward.

87 Mins: Hunt’s delivery is claimed by Canada, who burst forward again. They’re finishing with a wet sail against an Australian side that looks to be increasingly cooked; not sure why Gustavsson has only made one change given this is just a friendly and these players have long club seasons to get back to.

86 Mins: Collins gives away a free kick for a foul on Raso on the halfway line, she’s not a fan of the decision.

Australia are going to get numbers forward from this.

84 Mins: Canada does really well to work the ball into Leon at the top of the box. Her first effort is blocked by Hunt and her second is easy pickings for Micah given it was hit without much power on it.

83 Mins: Canada take the ball off Carpenter, Schmidt’s resulting ball in is headed away. Canada have had the best of this second-half.

82 Mins: A sloppy turnover from the Matildas allows Leon to streak forward. Kennedy comes up with an important intervention that redirects her and allows Australia to get numbers back.

81 Mins: Raso gives away a free kick after yanking Lacasse’s shirt.

80 Mins: Another change for Canada as Rose comes off for Shelina Zadorsky.

78 Mins: A ball is knocked in behind the Canadian lines looking for Carpenter but Buchanan moves to intercept. Raso then wins a free kick in a dangerous position for Australia.

77 Mins: Tired legs out there (many more for Australia, who have only made one substitute to this point) and there’s a some sloppiness creeping in.

75 Mins: Yallop gets into position inside the box, is found by Fowler, and fires a shot over the bar!

Updated

74 Mins: Australia have the ball in attack, a move that ends when Carpenter drives inside but splays her cross out.

73 Mins: Sydney Collins comes on for Canada, replacing Riviere.

72 Mins: Van Egmond is lethargic in possesion and has the ball stolen off her by Schmidt, leading to Canada getting forward and having a shot through Leon.

71 Mins: Yallop’s arrival has seen Van Egmond drop back into a holding midfield role; that’s really not the best place to optimise her strengths.

Updated

70 Mins: Foord tries from range with a well-hit effort but it doesn’t find the target.

69 Mins: Prince comes off for Canada, replaced by Jordyn Huitema. Tameka Yallop replaced Katrina Gorry for Australia in the 65th minute.

67 Mins: Van Egmond has not had the best of games to this point but she tries to make amends with a long-range effort that loops over the bar.

66 Mins: Prince drives forward with the ball and does very well to lose Hunt as she winds up for a close-range shot. But just as she’s about to fire in on goal she gets the ball caught beneath her as she adjusts in the face of a charging Micah at the last moment and the resulting effort is meek and wide.

64 Mins: Canada enjoying a sustained period of control of the ball. Leon hits a cross-cum-shot across the face of goal that Lacasse just can’t stretch out to meet. Micah is not happy with the defence in front of her.

63 Mins: Canada with a sustained period of possesion before finding Lacasse over the top. She cuts it back for Fleming but her attempted delivery into the box is blocked away. The hosts retain the ball.

60 Mins: The Matildas almost spoil the moment but getting forward quickly but the defence clears it away before it can get to Foord.

Canada go up the other end and have a long-range shot from Quinn go just over the bar. That’s their final contribution before they’re subbed off for Adriana Leon.

Sinclair comes off for the final time

58 Mins: For the last time in her international career, Christine Sinclair departs the field in a Canadian jersey, subbed off for her friend Schmidt. There are hugs, cheers and tears for a great of the sport.

Christine Sinclair claps as she leaves the field
Christine Sinclair thanks fans as she leaves the pitch and brings her international football career to a close. Photograph: Craig Mitchelldyer/Getty Images for Football Australia

Updated

56 Mins: Canada have a chance through Lacasse, pouncing on the ball after a Matildas’ miscommunication but ultimately unable to trouble Micah.

55 Mins: Australian turn the ball over in their attempts to get forward.

These struggles in possesion make one wonder what might have been had Holly McNamara not suffered a devastating ACL injury on the eve of what would have been her return to the national side. Would she have been able to help unstick the Matildas?

Probably not, unless she was playing much deeper than at Melbourne City, but it’s something to think about.

Updated

54 Mins: Canada tries to spring Lacasse into some space down the left flank but she’s making her run from an offside position.

52 Mins: Second-half is settling into the same melody that dominated vast swathes of the first half; each team getting a go to try and fail to play through their opponents before turning if over.

51 Mins: Canada can’t build-up from the back and Australia take possession. They go long quickly for Raso in space but her resulting cross if deflected away.

50 Mins: Fowler gives away a free kick for hand ball, we’ll see Canada try to build-up from the back again.

49 Mins: Both sides are unchanged for the start of this second half.

Canada trying to build-up from the backline but can’t make their way through the Aussie mid-block – they’re not exactly presenting a free-flowing contrast to their foes in sustained possession.

48 Mins: Fleming dinks the ball in behind for Sinclair but Micah is off her line to claim it. Flag might have gone up if she hadn’t.

47 Mins: Australia have an early corner that when sent in by Cooney-Cross glances off the head of Sinclair and needs to be cleared away off the line by Buchanan.

Second-half kickoff

We are back under way in Vancouver. Canada 1-0 Australia. Can the hosts hold on to give Sinclair and Schmidt a winning send off?

Ok, so it looks like the broadcast issues isn’t just an issue Down Under.

American viewers complaining of similar problems.

Updated

So Australia are clearly looking better than they did on Friday, but given the change in players to a more first-choice XI that was to be expected.

But this improvement hasn’t been accomponied by a significant improvement in their ability to fill Gustavsson’s misson-brief of playing through their opponents. For the most part, the visitors are knocking the ball around their own backline for long periods before eventually just going long and looking for the second-ball.

They’re looking dangerous whenever they can get out quickly in transition or when they force a high turnover, mind, but we already knew they could that -- that’s what they rode to the semifinals of the World Cup. Conversely, the denial of this approach haunted them against Nigeria at that tournament.

Cooney-Cross and Gorry are finding themselves immediately pressed whenever they get on the ball and outlet options just aren’t appearing for them, forcing them to go back to the back-four.

Foibles in sustained periods of possession is, of course, a familiar problem for Australian national teams of all stripes and, tonight at least, it doesn’t yet look like the Matildas have found a solution.

Updated

Half-time: Canada 1-0 Australia

Australia were probably on top for much of that half, albeit that came without creating clear-cut chances on goal, but Canada finished the half strongly and will take a lead into the dressing rooms thanks to Quinn’s late strike.

45+2: Canada launches one final foray forward but Fleming turns back and that’s where the referee will call it.

45 Mins: On the plus side, technical difficulties bring out the best in internet posting.

44 Mins: I’m doing my best to try to provide updates but unfortunately the Australian feed has spent the past five minute as a mostly grey screen of static, so I might have to go back and fix some of these updates.

The Aussie callers, calling remotely, aren’t having much luck figuring out what’s going on either.

Updated

43 Mins: Canada has the ball in the back of the net again, this time from Gilles, but it’s called back for a foul on Micah by the would-have-been goalscorer. Micah receives some treatment after the collision.

Updated

41 Mins: Canada are well and truly on top as they get forward again, a ball being swung in for Lacasse that, again, is desperately cleared.

40 Mins: Canada swing a corner in from the right and Sinclair nods it ownward to Buchannan at the back post. Her efforts crashes off the crossbar and back into play and it’s Quinn that reacts first to put the hosts with their head.

Updated

Goal! Canada 1-0 Australia (Quinn 40')

The Canadians have their breakthrough. Quinn is there for the second ball and pokes home from close-range!

Updated

39 Mins: That was threatening! Canada forces a turnover high up the pitch and work the ball into the area only for Carpneter’s last ditch intervention to see off the danger.

Prince gets forward again and tries to find Lacasse only for Hunt to stretch out and prevent what was probably a certain goal if it found the attacker.

38 Mins: Canada truing to build-up in possession but are mostly being forced to work around the periphery of Australia’s shape. Quinn’s attempt to find Prince goes long for a throw in.

37 Mins: Catley gets forward but can’t get to the ball and keep it in before it rolls out for a goal kick.

36 Mins: Gorry and Cooney-Cross are finding themselves being pressed immediately upon receiving the ball and without options, Australia’s build-up from the back is being contained as a result.

34 Mins: Australia force a high turnover but can’t fashion a proper look on goal. Canada transition forward quickly to try and keep the pressure on.

33 Mins: Jokes aside, both sides are doing an excellent job of plugging the passing lanes when their opponents get the ball in the backline.

At the same time, however, both midfields are leaving a lot to be desired when it comes to not just showing for the ball but also moving to provide an option for the follow-up ball after the initial pass out of the backline.

Updated

32 Mins: A Mexican wave breaks out at Christine Sinclair place as Canada get forward. Foord clears away the cross.

31 Mins: Australia pass the ball around their backline before knocking it long to Canada. Who knock the ball around their backline before turning it over when they try to come forward.

30 Mins: Sting has gone out of this game now, with the last few possessions descending into both backlines knocking the ball around for a bit before hoofing it long.

29 Mins: Catley is back on the pitch as Australia knock the ball forward, win the second-ball, and advance field position.

28 Mins: Foord has gone back to left-back to cover for Catley, who is now up on her feet on the sideline.

27 Mins: Catley’s now down receiving some kind of treatment as well. The team doctor is producing a… stethoscope? That’s concerning.

25 Mins: Van Egmond is down on the turf and receiving some treatment. Will walk off under her own power and doesn’t look like she’ll need subbing.

Updated

24 Mins: Long ball out to Foord on the left, who tries to find Catley’s overlapping run to no avail. Australia quickly win it back, however.

23 Mins: Turnover at halfway by Australia allows Canada to shift the field position and play in their opponent’s half. Matildas getting a 4-4-2 back behind the ball.

22 Mins: Possession stats in this one are relatively even but the territory battle is well and truly being won by the visitors.

21 Mins: Foord gets the ball on the left and cuts inside to find Fowler, who dances one way and then the other to open up some space before shooting wide.

20 Mins: Long ball over the top for Raso has too much mustard on it and bounces through to the keeper.

19 Mins: Catley’s corner floats into the six-yard-box but play is pulled back for a foul on Sheridan, so Canada see off the danger.

18 Mins: Raso tries to drive inside and drive a ball into Foord but again it’s scrambled away for a corner.

Foord never gives defences a moment’s respite with our without the ball.

16 Mins: Quinn slides through a good ball for Lacasse, who cuts the ball back for Prince inside the box only for the resulting shot, one being closed down by Fowler, to be somewhat tamely put wide.

Updated

15 Mins: Canada break quickly through Lawrence and work the ball to Lacasse, who blasts high and wide from the top of the box.

14 Mins: Catley’s corner is claimed by Sheridan with a good, strong, overhead mark.

13 Mins: Canada’s corner is knocked clear and Australia surge forward in transition.

Arguably the best in the world at breaking on the counter, they end the move with a Carpenter cutback that is just scrambled out for a corner before it can reach Van Egmond.

Updated

12 Mins: Lawrence loses a slipping Catley and gives Prince something to chase on the right. She runs into Kennedy, though, who does her best brick wall impression and turns her way. The hosts, however, have a corner.

Updated

11 Mins: A bit of sustained possession from Canada but they do very little with it as they move around the periphery of Australia’s mid-block and eventually put it out for a throw in.

9 Mins: The game to this point is almost entirely being played in Canada’s half. A much better start from Australia.

8 Mins: Australia win the ball in the midfield and work the ball to Foord on the left, only for her cross to be deflected away.

7 Mins: Ball over the top for Raso allows her to get a shot away but under pressure from Riviere and on an angle it’s blasted wide.

Still, progress, it took until the 73rd minute and with the Australians already down 5-0 before substitute Fowler got their first shot away on Friday evening.

6 Mins: Fowler sets Foord a task to chase down a ball in behind on the left but she’s up to it and chases it down. Nothing comes from a resulting throw-in but Australia takes the ball back as Canada get it to the halfway line.

5 Mins: The Canadian back three are knocking the ball around between each other trying to find an up-field ball but Australia are doing a good job of plugging the passing lanes. The ball is eventually sent long and turned over.

4 Mins: Australia knocking the ball around and keeping possession now. Without Kerr, it’s Van Egmond and Fowler up top for Gustavsson, with Foord on the left.

Updated

3 Mins: Australia tries to get the ball in behind to Van Egmond but Canada put it out for a throw in. Australia retains possession.

Updated

2 Mins: Turnover in the midfield allows Caitlin forward to try to come forward but Canada recover and Sinclair wins a free kick after a foul by Gorry.

Updated

1 Min: A few turnovers from either side as they try to get a feel for the game on this artificial surface.

Kick Off!

We are underway in Vancouver. For the final time in her legendary Canadian career, at a venue renamed in her honour and filled with a record Canadian crowd for a friendly fixture, Christine Sinclair is in action.

Updated

As the emotions began to show with a few stray tears from Sinclair, the anthems are being sung.

There are Mounties flanking the singer performing an (excellent) rendition of ‘Oh Canada’. A reliable source from the early 90s WWF assured me that a Mountie, or this particular one, at least, always got their man.

Updated

An email!

Chris Paraskevas writes “A really disappointing lineup by Tony G, who has deprived the nation of seeing Andy Harper get really worked up about the Starting XI. I was genuinely looking forward to it: I didn’t know he could still seethe so well after all of these years of towing the party line.

The issue with reverting to a strong lineup and making knee-jerk wholesale changes, is that it adds a whiff of desperation to proceedings. Suddenly there’s pressure on these players to bail their manager out of the avoidable situation of a grudge match for the grudge match (which they never saw coming, for some reason...)

Will they put their bodies on the line, knowing they have club football to return to? Anything less than a convincing win here would render this Canadian jolly a total and absolute disaster, and cast a a shadow over our “good” World Cup performance / calendar year.”

The big flashpoint coming out of Friday’s game from an Australian point-of-view was the selection of an understrength side.

Gustavsson justified the move by citing concerns over load management and a desire to see what his reserve players could do, especially in the 4-2-2-2 formation that the Matildas appear set to ride for the rest of his tenure.

Additionally, continuity has become one of the great refrains of the coach across the past year, meaning that in his mind the second-fixture was always going to be one in which he put out a strong side with no room for experimentation.

These are all valid contentions. But if this represents the most optimal use of the international window and these two fixtures remains debatable – and when you get down into it speaks to a much longer-term trend that set the seen for the fixture.

There’s a clear disparity between the first XI and second XI in the Matildas. There’s no debate about who are the starters and first options off the bench.

But how much of that chasm between the two line-ups is down to Gustavsson’s continuing reliance on around 15 or so players and the resulting missed opportunities to blend these reserves over the course of the past 18 months? A blending that would ostensibly mean that when a Clare Wheeler or Courtney Nevin does get a game, it doesn’t sacrifice too much in the way of continuity?

If there was more blending and building of depth – one of the key KPIs of Gustavsson when he was hired – would there even be a need to throw an entire second-string XI into the fire at once to see how they were doing? Or would he already know what an Alex Chidiac could on the wing and, better yet, know what she can do out there alongside a the first-choice side she’d be playing alongside if disaster did strike.

Anyway, that’s for the famous Aussie Sokkah discourse to debate.

Sinclair makes her way onto the surface, with the crowd roaring as she makes her way through a guard of honour and accompanied by her nieces. Thanks you signs and adoring faces are visible throughout the packed out stands.

Football can be a pretty emotional thing at times.

The Australian coverage starts with a montage of Matildas massive moments.

The broadcaster Channel 10 has been in a bit of a pickle with promoting this series given that all the footage of Australia against Canada that they hold the rights to came from games in which the Canadians handily won – that famous World Cup fixture in Melbourne from July the domain of Optus Sport and Channel 7.

Updated

Tony Gustavsson on the coverage, talking about wanting to see more variation from his side in this one.

In his pre-game press conference he lampshaded the strengths of his team as being “a very vertical team that wants to break lines,” – in other words, a lot of pace, power and bursting forward with lethal intent on the counter-attack – but now he’s trying to build-up their capabilities in possession and playing through opponents.

In theory, the talent is there to do it (one pines to see what this team could accomplish in a 3-5-2 formation) but their struggles in possession during the World Cup – look at the Nigeria game for an example of that – shows that it’s an area needing improvement.

However, we saw during last month’s Olympic qualifiers that, in a 4-2-2-2 shape that really seems to bring the best out of this side under Gustavsson’s instruction, there was a commitment to trying to play through embedded defence and not just descend into hit and hope long balls into the box.

It looked great against the Philippines especially but now with a strong XI (Kerr’s absence notwithstanding) we’ll see how it goes against a side that rode a stout defence to a gold medal.

How do you sum up the legacy of Sinclair?

It’s a question that needs, to say nothing of deserves, a far greater summation than a minute-by-minute post, but there’s something to be said for the sheer weight of numbers and accomplishments.

A 23-year international career. An Olympic Gold Medal, two more medals, and an Olympic Golden Boot. A world-record 190 international goals. Three NSWL titles with the Portland Thorns. A 14-time Canadian Player of the Year. Canadian player of the decade from 2010 to 2019. A member of the Order of British Columbia and an Officer of the Order of Canada.

She really does exist in the same conversation as the likes of Marta and Megan Rapinoe.

Sinclair isn’t the only Canadian legend retiring after tonight. Sophie Schmidt, a bonafide giant of Canadian football in her own right, will also hang up those national team boots after this evening.

Playing for Canada since 2005, she’ll bring up her 225th cap this evening should she come off the bench (surely she will).

Understandably, a lot of the focus has been on Sinclair in the lead into this game but the skipper wasn’t going to let her teammate be forgotten in warm-ups.

Updated

How do you say goodbye to a legend that casts a shadow like Sinclair? This video from Canada Soccer is probably a good start.

Gustavsson came under fire for his line-up selection in Friday evening’s contest, pundit Andy Harper declaring that he’d “managed to hang girls out to dry in the driving rain,” after opting to start a young and inexperienced starting XI against the reigning Olympic Champions, but now we’ll see just how a more familiar looking team fares.

The Swedish coach had earmarked these changes before the game but also declared that he was prepared to continue to take risks and ship goals in the name of attempting to work on the side’s build-up play.

He’s needing to make do without the services of Sam Kerr and Mackenzie Arnold who pulled out ahead of this series with injury, but it’s still a strong team – Arnold the only absence from the team that beat Canada 4-0 at the World Cup in July.

Updated

Canadian Starting XI

The Canadian squad is in and, no surprise, Sinclair starts and captains the side in her farewell game for the national side.

Starting XI: Kailen Sheridan (GK), Kadeisha Buchanan, Quinn, Jayde Riviere, Ashley Lawrence, Christine Sinclair (C), Vanessa Gilles, Nichelle Prince, Jessie Fleming, Cloe Lacasse, Jade Rose.

Subs: Collins, Zadorsky, Huitema, Schmidt, Carle, D’Angelo, Leon, Proulx, St-Georges, Awujo, Hernandez Gray, Abdu

Updated

Australian Starting XI

The Australian squad is in and Tony Gustavsson, true to his word, has swung the changes.

Starting XI: Teagan Michah, Steph Catley (C), Caitlin Foord, Emily van Egmond, Mary Fowler, Alanna Kennedy, Clare Hunt, Hayley Raso, Katrina Gorry, Ellie Carpenter, Kyra Cooney-Cross

Subs: Subs: Williams, Polkinghorne, Yallop, Rule, Nevin, Wheeler, Sayer, Hunter, Luik, Chidiac, Siemsen, Whyman

So Micah in goal is the only player that keeps her place from last Friday’s game, with the entire outfield XI replaced with what Gustavsson obviously feels is his strongest side.

Preamble

Good evening to all our readers in Canada, good afternoon to all those logging on in Australia, and whatever is an appropriate greeting if you’re joining us from somewhere else. I’m Joey Lynch and welcome to today’s minute-by-minute coverage of Canada against Australia from BC Place – or, for one night only, Christine Sinclair Place – in Vancouver.

Tonight will be the final game for this international window and what has been a memorable 2023 for both nations, as well as a re-match from last week. In that Friday evening contest, these two sides met at Starlight Stadium in Langford and it was an all-red affair: the Canadians putting a second-string Matildas’ side to the sword to run out 5-0 victors.

There are a few things to watch tonight in the follow-up fixture, but there will only be one star of the show regardless of the result at the end of the 90 minutes: Christine Sinclair, who plays her 331st and final game for Canada.

Across a 23-year international career, the 40-year-old forward has become an almost living avatar of Canadian soccer on the way to leaving an indelible mark on not just the game in North America, but across the world more broadly.

Will get into more of her legacy in a bit, but the headline statistic is that she currently sits on 190 goals, a record unsurpassed in both the men’s and women’s games and the narrative gods will undoubtedly be working overtime to try to grab her at least one more in her international swansong.

Sinclair will, however, be coming up against a stiffer test than she and her side did last week, with Tony Gustavsson set to name a far more experienced, first-string side for this fixture.

Kickoff is at 7pm local / 2pm AEDT.

Updated

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