It has been 778 days since Katrina Gorry last pulled on the green-and-gold colours of Australia and now she has earned a recall to the Matildas just seven months after giving birth to her first child, Harper.
Gorry's is the only new name in the 23-player squad announced on Tuesday, ahead of Australia's upcoming friendly series against New Zealand, which is set to take place on April 8 in Townsville and April 12 in Canberra.
The diminutive midfielder comes in to replace young Melbourne City forward Holly McNamara, whose breakout A-League Women season came to a tragic end after she tore her ACL in early February.
However, Gorry's name comes as no surprise to those who've watched the 78-cap Matilda's remarkable return to form with Brisbane Roar this season, finishing the campaign as the competition's second-highest assistant while scoring two goals herself.
Indeed, Gorry had been selected for the Matildas' Asian Cup squad in India last month, but she turned it down due to concerns over travelling with her then six-month-old baby.
The 29-year-old midfielder will jet off to Swedish club Vittsjö GIK after the April friendlies as she continues her return to international fitness.
Matildas head coach Tony Gustavsson told media on Tuesday that he would have "loved" to have had Gorry in India.
"She could have been the perfect super-sub in that second half against [South] Korea with her skill-set," he said.
"She's also proven in this season that she's come back to playing … that she's good enough to be selected for the senior national team, which makes me really happy.
"It's very impressive how professional she's been in terms of coming back to the game that quickly.
Aside from Gorry, Gustavsson has selected an unchanged squad from the Asian Cup, saying he's now focused on honing his group's playing style after spending the past year broadening his pool and experimenting with different combinations — with mixed results.
After their unexpected quarter-final exit from the Asian Cup, Football Australia conducted a review into the Matildas' performances, using two external consulting firms to provide objective data and feedback.
Gustavsson said the aim of the next 14 months was to incorporate that feedback, to prepare the squad as well as possible for the 2023 Women's World Cup, which is now just eight camps away.
"[The February break] gave us a chance to do a review of these first 12 months — not just the Asian Cup — to see where we are, what areas have progressed, what areas do we need to keep progressing, to identify where we are and where do we need to be when the World Cup '23 comes around," he said.
"All that work, together with the [player] scouting, has led us to pick this type of roster going into the April camp.
"Two years out from the World Cup, you need to give as many players as possible a chance to see what they can do. But you also want to see as many players as possible in the top level.
"So we saw more younger players than would be normal and will be normal moving forward.
"But now it's time to start to narrow down a little bit. You won't see the same thing as you saw last year — you're not going to see 60 players and 14 debutants. It's not normal, but it's what we needed to do."
Despite this "narrowing", some A-League Women players on the fringes of the national team will likely feel aggrieved by not being selected after some stand-out performances over the past four months on home soil.
One noticeable absentee is Melbourne Victory midfielder Alex Chidiac, who won the club's Player of the Season award after helping them win the 2021-22 ALW Championship on Sunday, as well as Sydney FC midfielder Mackenzie Hawkesby, who topped the league for assists, key passes and major chances created.
Gustavsson said these players are part of an extended stand-by list, and could be called upon if one of the selected 23 was not available.
However, the Swede was clear that players aiming for senior selection — particularly ahead of next year's World Cup — must get access to more match minutes at a higher level, as the current ALW season's 14 games are no longer adequate for international football.
"We need to extend the season for these players. They deserve that.
"This report that came out from FIFPro [showed] we're one of the countries that plays the fewest games per year in the world at the top league.
"Players are good enough to get contracts abroad now. You have more exports of Australian players because [overseas clubs] have seen that they're good enough players, but also phenomenal characters to have in any team.
"So, I actually think we're going to see even more exports, moving forward. I do think, for the ones that haven't signed, they're going to have to ask themselves: What do I need to do to play at the highest level possible and reach my full potential?
"Because, if they are stuck here from now up until the next A-League season, what kind of development environment are they going to be in?
"Are they going to be challenged to come up to the next level? Are they going to be able to challenge for a spot in the senior Matildas?"
