Fringe Ferns face tough Tokyo task
Football Ferns coach Tom Sermanni is returning to Sydney this weekend after three weeks in New Zealand – his first visit since February last year.
But he is set to return in June, when he hopes to have as many of his players available as possible, to begin preparing for the Tokyo Olympics.
Exactly who will be in camp then is yet to be confirmed, but as he finalises his squad, named at the end of that month, Sermanni doesn’t have a lot of tough decisions to make.
A total of 22 players will wing their way to Japan, where the Ferns will begin their campaign against trans-Tasman rivals Australia, then face the reigning world champions, the United States, and Sweden – with 18 in the official squad and four travelling reserves.
With the team not playing since last March, when they lost to Norway in their final match at the Algarve Cup in Portugal, there aren’t likely to be many changes, especially to their firstchoice lineup.
One player who won’t be there is centreback Rebekah Stott, one of the standout players during Sermanni’s time in charge, who is currently undergoing treatment after being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a form of blood cancer, earlier this year.
Somewhat fortuitously, young centreback Claudia Bunge received her first taste of international football at the end of 2019, then at the Algarve Cup, deputising for Abby Erceg, who was unavailable at the time, and is now in line to potentially play a big role for the Ferns at what would be her first major tournament.
But beyond the 21-year-old, who has just completed her first season of semi-professional football, winning Australia’s W-League with Melbourne Victory, the rest of the Ferns squad is likely to have a very familiar look to it, with the pandemic and the resulting lack of fixtures making it hard for fringe players to put their hands up.
‘‘You can go away and have a sleepless night and worry about it and look at all sorts of things and have all sorts of hard-luck stories up your sleeve,’’ Sermanni said.
‘‘But the reality is we’ve got a core squad and that core squad’s not really going to change. The challenge has been that people who might have been able to put pressure on that core squad have not had opportunities, because we haven’t been able to do anything for 14 months.
‘‘But we just need to accept that and make the best decisions we can and turn up at the Olympics, play, and try to win a game.’’
Sermanni feels he has around ‘‘75 per cent’’ of his squad locked in.
The Ferns twice used the same starting XI at the Algarve Cup: Erin Nayler in goal; Bunge, Stott, and Meikayla Moore as a back three; CJ Bott and Ali Riley as wingbacks; Katie Bowen and Ria Percival behind Betsy Hassett and Olivia Chance in midfield; and Hannah Wilkinson up top.
Add Erceg, who was unavailable, goalkeeper Anna Leat and midfielders Annalie Longo and Rosie White, who started their other match, in place of Nayler, Chance, and Hassett, while accounting for Stott’s absence, and you have 14 players who can be fairly confident of selection, whether in the 18 or the 22.
Paige Satchell, who went to the Rio Olympics in 2016 as a travelling reserve, twice appeared off the bench in Portugal, and is probably safe as well, which would leave Sermanni with seven spots to fill, barring any unforeseen injuries or withdrawals.
Until he can work with them on the grass, Sermanni and his staff will continue to provide players with whatever help they need from afar.
‘‘What we’ve got here is a support mechanism that is there to help them if and when they need it,’’ he said.
‘‘We’re not in a position to say to North Carolina Courage, that Abby Erceg has to do X, Y, and Z. We’re not in a position to say to Tottenham Hotspur, Ria Percival has to do X, Y, and Z for the national team. That just doesn’t happen.
‘‘We can do a hundred Zooms a week, but we don’t control the environment . . .’’