How Matildas’ star student passed toughest examination yet

3 days ago 3

Kaitlyn Torpey takes a notepad with her to every Matildas video analysis session. We know this because Joe Montemurro told us after Torpey played out of her skin against North Korea.

“What I love about Kaitlyn is she’s such a good student of the game,” Montemurro said. “She really wants to learn and keep developing. She’s brilliant, and deserved all the accolades tonight.”

Kaitlyn Torpey spent the match trying to contain Chae Un-Yong, as North Korea overloaded her side of the pitch.

Fifteen minutes later, the media are letting Torpey know that they know all about her note-taking habits. And she is laughing in recognition, as if her national team coach is a super-keen teacher regaling peers with the same story about his star student.

“He likes to tell everyone this,” she says. “I must be the first player to do it or something. In terms of the notebook, I’m such a visual learner, so if I don’t bring it I’m going to be listening to him – so I hope he appreciates that.”

And then she stops. “What was the question? I forgot that.”

Torpey did not bring her notepad to this post-match interview. It does not matter, though, because she’s done her job. It was an unenviable one – filling Steph Catley’s shoes would never be anything less. Courtney Nevin had tried in vain against South Korea after Australia’s left-back and vice-captain left the field early with concussion symptoms.

Kaitlyn Torpey in her first international start, for the Matildas’ second and final 2024 Olympic-qualifying leg against Uzbekistan.

For Friday night’s 2-1 quarter-final win over North Korea – one of the most physical, dominant teams at the Asian Cup – Montemurro opted for the Brisbane-born 25-year-old instead.

“The reason for playing Kaitlyn in that position was one we discussed as a coaching staff,” Montemurro said. “We just felt with the way North Korea pressed that, if she could come inside, she’d create a line of passes as a right-footer.

“Naturally, I would normally play a left-footer on that side, [but] we felt that was a way we could break their first line and actually get attacking scenarios. I think the first goal started from a build-up in that area.”

Torpey said she was emotional when the fulltime whistle blew on a hard-fought win claimed through gritty defending against an in-control opponent. It was only her 23rd cap, under high-pressure circumstances, but she was ready in the knowledge her game had improved immensely since heading abroad in 2024.

“It’s more about my mindset. Over the last couple of years, I think defensively I’ve really improved playing overseas,” Torpey said of her stints in the US with San Diego Wave and Portland Thorns, before joining Australian coach Tanya Oxtoby in Europe with WSL2 outfit Newcastle United in January.

“Steph was the starting fullback in the tournament, and she obviously got injured, and I was ready to step up … it was tough shoes to fill with Steph being out. I just went in not putting a lot of pressure on myself.”

Then at halftime, after a solid 45 minutes of well-time interventions and smart passing, she asked Catley what she could be doing better.

“She’s a role model for me, and I learn a lot from her,” Torpey said. “She gave a couple of cool bits of advice at halftime, which really helped. She said to organise in front of me defensively a bit more to stop the ... they were overloading a lot. And just keep doing what I was doing – she was happy and she was proud.”