Alana Murphy had an inkling she was in for some special news.
The Melbourne Victory midfielder had just returned from playing in Wellington when coach Jeff Hopkins asked her to confirm, of all things, her email address.
As it turned out, Football Australia were about to formally notify the 19-year-old of her first Matildas call-up, after Clare Wheeler was forced to withdraw from the SheBelieves Cup squad through injury.
"We came in here for a recovery day after getting back from Wellington, and Jeff asked for my email. He was like, 'Oh, you're gonna get an email later'," Murphy told AAP.
"I was like, 'Should I be scared?' And he was like, 'No, no, very excited.'
"So that kind of gave me a little inkling, but then Tom (Sermanni) called me later that day and confirmed it.
"Honestly, totally shocked. Did not see that coming at all, but obviously very grateful and excited to go."
Murphy has been able to lean on the "experience and great advice" of Victory teammates and Matildas Emily Gielnik and Alex Chidiac.
She has also watched former Victory teammate Kyra Cooney-Cross make her way to the Matildas, and English powerhouse Arsenal.
Now, after shining in a more defensive midfield role at second-placed Victory this season, former Junior and Young Matilda Murphy will travel to the United States this week for her own shot at the big time.
"That's what we're all here for," she said after notching an assist in Victory's 2-0 win over Central Coast on Sunday.
"So just really grateful and it should be a really cool experience.
"I want to kind of relate my game off Kyra Cooney-Cross.
"I know I played with her a few years back, but she's improved heaps, and just to learn from her again is gonna be super cool."
Hopkins, who has mentored Murphy since she entered the Victory program as a 15-year-old, isn't surprised by her rise.
He doesn't expect the Victorian teenager to be overwhelmed by the occasion if she takes the field against Japan on Friday or the United States or Colombia the following week in the US.
"She takes every day at a time and she's not one for getting overwhelmed or showing a lot of emotion, but you can see that she's excited," he said.
"She's hungry now to get on with her football career and to take the next step, so thrilled for her.
"She gives us so much positivity when she gets on the ball to go forward.
"Year by year she's added little bits to her game. But what she's done this year is that consistency of performance.
"She was always capable of doing the spectacular, but now she's doing it regularly every game.
"So it'll be interesting to see if she gets a chance, and if she does, I'm sure she'll grab it with both hands."
