THE GOLDEN girls of football lit up our screens through the World Cup and will again when Olympic qualifiers kick off, but there's more local talent in the Matildas squad than you might realise.
Jaclyn Benz studied at the University of Newcastle and still lives in the city, and she's also the lead physio keeping the Matildas in fine form to take the field.
"It really is sort of almost like a family," she told the Newcastle Herald off the back of an epic World Cup on home soil.
"Everyone has that ability to work really hard but then switch of really quickly and have a lot of fun ... we have so much laughter in camp."
Ms Benz was working as a physiotherapist in the Hunter before going full-time with the Football Australia last year.
She started strapping and doing sports work while she was studying in Newcastle, which led her to working at the Newcastle Jets with Matildas midfielder Emily van Egmond.
She finished her Masters then took up a role with junior Matildas squads before taking over as the head physio of the Australian women's side after the Tokyo Olympics.
"I've always loved all sports so I don't think I would have minded what sport I worked in, but I fell into that job and then really loved it," she said.
"I really love the game, but any player would tell you, I'm not a footballer."
Ms Benz works with the squad year-round to monitor them, help them with any niggles, and is part of the treatment team when injury strikes.
Heading into the World Cup 2023, she said her job didn't change that much because the players' welfare and performance was always at the centre.
But, she said heightened pressure came with more flexibility to make decisions.
She said getting skipper Sam Kerr back on the field was a prime example, after she hurt her calf on the eve of the Matildas' opening game.
"We had to take a lot more risks than what we would normally do in a friendly window because of what's at stake," Ms Benz said.
She's seen injuries physios would never normally see in the public, because of how far professional athletes push their bodies.
"Initially we're sort of scratching our heads and have to look more into it," she said.
"They're so in tune with their bodies."
There's so much more to the Matildas squad than the 90 minutes fans see on television or at a stadium.
She said members of the team are often on the clock for 16 or 18 hours a day when they're "in camp".
"There's so much time and energy and meetings behind the scenes, to then get to where we get to," she said.
But at the end of the day, some of it is fun and games.
"Everyone is really close and it's a really amazing bunch of athletes," Ms Benz said.
"I think they all really respect each other for what they do on and off the field and it creates a really nice environment and I think that was shown through the World Cup.
"It was lovely and a real privilege to see Australia get behind them and see how amazing they are as well."
The Matildas will play their first Olympic qualifying game in October.
