Women’s Asian Cup: Matildas’ versatile wide player Kaitlyn Torpey opens up on impact of Women’s World Cup

Two and a half years ago, Kaitlyn Torpey attended the Matildas’ opening Women’s World Cup as a spectator — and like so many other engrossed onlookers, that tournament became the catalyst for a change. On the eve of the Women’s Asian Cup, the versatile Torpey now finds herself in the frame to take the field for a different opening game, when Australia take on The Philippines at Optus Stadium on Sunday. But without that night in Sydney when Australia beat Ireland 1-0 thanks to a Steph Catley penalty, Torpey’s career may have never reached its current trajectory. Now contracted to English giants Newcastle United and embedded in the Matildas squad with more than 20 caps to her name, Torpey said being in the crowd for the World Cup opener and Australia’s final warm-up game against France in Melbourne in 2023 awoke something inside of her. “I was in Marvel Stadium for the France game and that was awesome to experience and I said to the person that I was sitting next to, ‘I want to be there. I don’t want to be sitting in the stands anymore,’” Torpey told The West Australian. “That was the pinnacle of the change of career in me. That really pushed me and so it was a big 360 when I played back at Marvel, and I was actually on the ground,” she said. “The World Cup was sick, and it’s so cool to see what the girls did for football in Australia and that’s why I’m so excited to experience a tournament on home soil as well.” Torpey’s career took off from that moment. Six months after that, she was handed her Matildas debut against Uzbekistan and proceeded to make her major tournament debut at the Olympics in Paris in 2024. It all happened so fast, it still feels like a blur to Torpey, who said she feels more settled in her surroundings and more prepared for how to approach a major tournament like the Asian Cup. “It happened so quickly for me when after I first got into the Matildas, and it was awesome experience, but I wasn’t too sure what to expect,” she said. “I don’t know if I’m ever going to get used to it. I’m definitely never going to take it for granted. It still feels like yesterday that I had my debut. “But with that, I’ve had so much experience outside of the Matildas now that I can bring into camp and every camp I come into, I feel like I’m improving as a player and the work in between camps, you can see it when you come back into camp, and you can feel it as well. “It does still feel like a dream I’m currently living still.”