The Matildas will be without almost their entire senior starting squad when they face European Championship favourites Spain and emerging nation Portugal in a pair of friendlies later this month.
Head coach Tony Gustavsson announced his 25-player squad on Monday with captain Sam Kerr, who was recently named the PFA's players' Player of the Year following her Golden Boot-winning season with Chelsea, the biggest name missing from the roster.
Vice-captain Steph Catley, forwards Kyah Simon, Caitlin Foord, Mary Fowler, and Hayley Raso, centre-back Alanna Kennedy, and midfielders Kyra Cooney-Cross and Aivi Luik will also miss the international window, with defender Ellie Carpenter indefinitely sidelined with an ACL tear.
The changes come as a surprise given Gustavsson said in April that 2022 would be a year spent "narrowing the focus" and honing in on the players most likely to represent Australia at next year's Women's World Cup.
Spain, which is captained by Ballon D'Or winner Alexia Putellas and filled with almost a dozen record-breaking Barcelona players, is one of the favourites to take out the title, which would have made this upcoming friendly series perfect preparation.
However, ABC understands Football Australia's sports science, medical, and technical teams recommended several senior players take extended breaks to manage ongoing injuries, fatigue, and fitness following their club seasons abroad.
Captain Sam Kerr arrived in Perth on Friday, telling local reporters she was here for a month to spend time with family and friends.
She's joined by most of her senior teammates who have also returned to Australia during their European off-seasons, including Tottenham striker Kyah Simon.
"You don't really appreciate it until you actually get this time [to rest]," Simon, who is dealing with an Achilles niggle, told ABC in Sydney last week.
"We've never really had it in our careers because we did back-to-back seasons for so long between Australia and America. So we under-estimated the importance of having an off-season.
"And it freshens you up going into the next season and the next cycle, which is super important as athletes, whereas we've just stayed at this one level for the past 10 years without a rest.
"It's definitely been a long time coming, so we're enjoying it for what it is."
In their place, Gustavsson has called up a host of fresh faces for the Spain and Portugal games.
Mackenzie Hawkesby, Taylor Ray, Princess Ibini-Isei, Remy Siemsen, Cortnee Vine, and Rachel Lowe have been rewarded for their stellar seasons with premiership-winning side Sydney FC, while fellow A-League Women players Matilda McNamara (Adelaide United), Larissa Crummer (Brisbane Roar), and Winonah Heatley (Melbourne City) have also been named.
They'll be joined by a handful of young and emerging Aussies currently plying their trade overseas including Celtic's Jacynta Galabadaarachchi, who recently won Scotland's Young Player of the Year award, Fortuna Hjørring duo Angela Beard and Clare Wheeler, Alex Chidiac (Racing Louisville), Courtney Nevin (Hammersby), and Remy Siemsen (AIK).
Just over half the squad will now have 10 caps or fewer, with the average age dropping from 26.9 to 25.
The youth-heavy squad will be steadied by more senior players including Emily Van Egmond (San Diego Wave), Vittsjö pair Katrina Gorry and Clare Polkinghorne, Emily Gielnik (Aston Villa), and Lydia Williams (Arsenal), the latter of whom is set to become the first goalkeeper to notch 100 appearances for the Matildas if she takes to the field.
"Selection for this June squad has been based on a combination of factors, but ultimately it has been about individualising player programs with a long-term view," Gustavsson said of the rotated roster.
"In preparing the specialised plans, we have evaluated where the players currently are and where they will need to be and determined the best course of action for each player.
"For some players, this has meant being a part of these invaluable matches with Spain and Portugal, providing a chance to demonstrate how they can make our team stronger.
"For another cohort, it results in being proactive around recurring ailments and re-establishing a fitness baseline without the need to focus on peaking for matches."
The Matildas will face the two Euros-bound nations on Sunday, June 26 and Wednesday, June 29, with coverage live and free on Network Ten and Paramount+.
Match details:
Spain v Australia
Date: Saturday, 25 June (local) / Sunday, 26 June (AUS)
Time: 9.30pm (local) / 5.30am (AEST)
Venue: Estadio Nuevo Colombino, Huelva
Portugal v Australia
Date: Tuesday, 28 June (local) / Wednesday, 29 June (AUS)
Time: 9.00pm (local) / 6.00am (AEST)
Venue: Estádio António Coimbra da Mota, Estoril
