Wini Heatley hid brother’s death from Matildas teammates for a week

3 months ago 18

Until the big screen silently briefed the Gosford crowd, the public had no idea who the black armbands were for.

“Tonight, the CommBank Matildas are wearing black armbands, as we acknowledge and stand with Winonah Heatley and her family during a time of loss,” the message read just before the warm-up.

Wini Heatley gets a hug from Ellie Carpenter at full-time in Gosford.

“If you or someone close to you is struggling with mental health, please know support is available … Nearly 1 in 5 people experience a diagnosable mental disorder each year, and over two in five will experience one in their lifetime. You’re not alone - our community stands with you.”

It was only after Heatley’s assured central defensive display had helped Australia to Friday’s 5-0 romp over New Zealand that it became clear the 24-year-old had kept her brother’s death from teammates for almost an entire week.

Heatley lost her brother last week while in Italy with her club Roma, and arrived in camp amid unimaginable circumstances.

“She called me from Italy and said ‘I’m coming home, this has happened. I just wanted to let you know, and I want to tackle at this way’,” coach Joe Montemurro said.

Wini Heatley on the ball at Gosford’s Polytec Stadium on Friday night.

“But the strength, you know, for someone under these circumstances. And the thing that amazed me the most is that she didn’t want to tell the group. She asked me to tell the group yesterday because she didn’t want to distract everyone from the game.

“I’m getting goosebumps talking about that. That’s the sort of person that she is. She put the team first ahead of her personal situation.”

The shock was also palpable for Katrina Gorry, a fellow Queenslander and friend who has known Heatley “since she was a baby pretty much”.

Gorry herself has experienced the distress of playing through grief when, during the 2023 World Cup, her father-in-law died two days before the epic quarter-final against France.

The 33-year-old buried her penalty during the shootout before revealing through tears what had happened.

“I don’t know how she’s kept herself so calm and composed this camp,” Gorry said. “She always comes in with a happy face, always positive. She’s got an incredible head on her shoulders.

“We are her family too and we’re always going to be there to support her. We’ll rally around her and continue to do that, and make sure she knows that she’s always got people around her to help her through the hard time - and also her family as well.”

Montemurro started Heatley as a centre-back alongside Steph Catley for her 13th international appearance, and the former Brisbane Roar and Melbourne City player - who moved to Italy after three years with Danish club Nordsjælland - made some critical clearances to further cement her Asian Cup spot.

“Look at the footballer she’s becoming,” Montemurro said. “She’s becoming a world-class defender, she really, really is. I get a lot of feedback from her in Europe. They’re rating her very, very highly at one of of the biggest clubs in the world.

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